The honest version upfront
This article is written by OzLevel. We make a $9.99 caravan levelling app, so we'd obviously rather you didn't spend thousands on hardware to do the same job. We're telling you that upfront because the comparison below is still accurate — and the caravan market is full of marketing that blurs what these systems really do.
The single most useful thing to understand: a caravan levels on two separate axes with two separate tools, and no cheap system does both. Get that clear and the whole market suddenly makes sense.
First, how a caravan actually levels
Unlike a motorhome, a caravan is a trailer — supported at the front by the jockey wheel and sitting on one or two axles. Levelling it means fixing two things:
- Roll (side to side): corrected by driving the low wheel up a levelling ramp, or by an airbag raising that side. Airbag travel is limited to a few inches, so big corrections still need ramps — and tandem axles make ramps fiddly (which is why split ramps exist).
- Pitch (nose up or down): corrected only at the coupling with the jockey wheel — wind-up or hydraulic. No airbag, and no amount of ramp, touches pitch.
So caravan levelling is a two-axis, two-tool job. Every product below is really just a different way of doing — or avoiding — those two steps.
The five ways to level a caravan
| Method | What it does | Manual or auto? | Typical cost (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levelling app (OzLevel) | Tells you exact roll & pitch; you use ramps & jockey | Manual, guided | $9.99 |
| Wireless indicator (Ezylevel) | Tells you roll to ~1°, you still place ramps | Manual (indicator) | ~$200–$250 |
| Bluetooth sensor (SavvyLevel) | Tells you both axes, you still do the work | Manual (indicator) | ~$350 |
| Airbag suspension | Raises a side for roll; nose still on jockey | Mostly manual* | ~$3,500–$5,500 fitted |
| Electric levelling jacks (Redfoot) | Push-button, levels both axes automatically | Auto (true) | Premium, four-figure |
Prices are device/system only — the app and both indicators still use the same ~$40 ramps and your jockey wheel. *Only premium airbag tiers auto-level, and only for roll — see below.
The "auto-levelling" airbag myth
This is where most of the confusion lives, so it's worth being blunt. Airbag suspension is a fine ride upgrade — it's bought mainly for towing comfort, load-levelling and clearance. Levelling on site is a side benefit, and one that's oversold.
Take the most common Australian system, Cruisemaster. Its entry Level 3 kit has a compressor and a dual pressure gauge — and that's it. You watch the gauge and inflate or deflate each side by eye and by hand. There's no auto-levelling at all. Level 4 adds only auto-return to travel height, not campsite levelling. Automatic "Horizon" levelling is exclusive to the top BCS tier — and even there, some auto functions are listed as "future."
And every airbag system, no matter the tier, only corrects roll, within a few inches of travel. The nose is always the jockey wheel, and a big side slope still needs a ramp. So "my van auto-levels on airbags" is, for most owners, simply not what's happening.
The real cost of each system
Set against the two-step job, the spread is enormous.
Weight matters more on a caravan than a motorhome. Vans are frequently tight on ATM already, and airbags or a jack kit can eat tens of kilograms of payload you'd rather spend on water, batteries or gear. Ramps and the phone in your pocket add nothing.
Where each option genuinely wins
It's a fair comparison, so here's where the hardware earns its keep.
Airbag suspension
If you tow far, off-road or heavy, airbags are a real ride and load-levelling upgrade — and being able to trim one side by a few inches without ramps is a genuine convenience on mild slopes. Just buy them for the towing, and treat easy roll levelling as the bonus it is — not as a reason on its own.
Electric levelling jacks
Push-button jacks like Redfoot AutoLift are the one true caravan auto-leveller: four legs drop and level the van in under a minute, both axes, no ramps, no bending down. For heavy vans, for owners who can't manage ramps and jockey winding, or for daily movers, that convenience is worth real money. It's a premium spend and adds weight — but it does exactly what it says.
Wireless indicators
An Ezylevel or SavvyLevel does one useful thing: it tells you when you're level so you're not walking around the van with a spirit level. That's genuinely handy — it's just the one job an app already does, on hardware you have to buy, mount and charge.
Feature comparison
| Feature | OzLevel Pro + ramps | Airbag suspension | Electric jacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost (AU) | ~$90 | $3,500–$5,500+ | Four-figure |
| Levels roll (side to side) | ✓ ramps | Within bag travel | ✓ |
| Levels pitch (nose) | ✓ jockey guidance | ✗ jockey still needed | ✓ |
| Tells you the exact correction | ✓ both axes, mm | ✗ | ✗ auto |
| Accuracy (static van) | <0.5° | Eye/gauge (manual tiers) | Sensor-driven |
| Fully automatic | ✗ you do the work | Premium tier only | ✓ |
| Adds weight to ATM | No | Yes | Yes (~60 kg) |
| Professional installation | None | Required | Required |
| Hitch Memory (re-hitch height) | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pair Mode (two-device display) | ✓ Pro | ✗ | Remote |
| Hands-free audio guidance | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Also a ride/suspension upgrade | ✗ | ✓ its real job | ✗ |
Who should choose what
Choose the app (and ramps + jockey) if…
- You're happy to use ramps and just want the guesswork gone on both axes
- Payload matters — your van's near its ATM
- You don't want hardware to install, maintain or lose
- You want the exact ramp height and jockey direction told to you, plus Hitch Memory for re-hitching
- You'd rather keep thousands for the trip
Consider airbags if…
- You want them for ride quality and load-levelling on long or off-road tows — with easy roll trim as a bonus
- You accept the nose still comes down to the jockey wheel
Consider electric jacks if…
- Your van is heavy, or ramps and jockey winding are physically difficult
- You move sites often and want true one-button levelling, and cost and payload aren't the deciding factors
The verdict
For the vast majority of Australian caravanners, a $9.99 app plus ramps and the jockey wheel does the whole two-axis job — accurately, with no weight penalty and nothing to break. Airbags are a worthwhile ride upgrade that happens to help with roll, not a levelling system in their own right, and mostly manual at that. Electric jacks are the real automation, and genuinely good, but they're a premium spend for convenience — never for a more level van.
Buy hardware for the reason it's actually good: airbags for the tow, jacks for the effort saved. But if the goal is simply a level van, the cheapest thing on the list is also the one that tells you precisely what to do — and never lets you down in a remote site.