The best campervan battery for most Australians is a deep cycle house battery of about 200Ah that gives you real usable energy, not a 100Ah AGM that only delivers half its rating. Lithium (LiFePO4) and sodium ion both do this well. AGM is cheapest upfront but heavy and short lived. The SaltyCells DC210 is a 12V 210Ah (2,520Wh) sodium ion option.
What a campervan battery actually has to do
A campervan battery has two jobs that people often mix up. The starter battery cranks the engine. The house battery (also called a deep cycle or auxiliary battery) runs everything else: the fridge, lights, water pump, diesel heater, device charging and sometimes an inverter for the coffee machine or laptop.
Your starter battery is already in the van and is a completely different product. This guide is about the house battery, because that is where most buyers get stuck and where most money gets wasted. Pick the wrong one and you will be watching the fridge alarm at 5am in Cooktown, or lugging 60kg of lead around for no reason.
If you tow a van instead, our caravan battery guide covers that setup. For the vehicle that tows or carries it, see the 4WD battery guide.
Step one: work out how much energy you use
Battery size starts with a daily energy budget, measured in watt hours (Wh). Amp hours alone mislead because they ignore voltage. For a 12V battery, Wh is roughly Ah times 12.
These are typical daily figures for a campervan in warm Australian weather. They are estimates, so measure your own gear where you can.
| Load | Typical energy per day |
|---|---|
| 12V compressor fridge (40 to 60L) | 420 to 600Wh |
| LED lighting | 40 to 60Wh |
| Water pump and device charging | 60 to 120Wh |
| Diesel heater on cold nights | 120 to 240Wh |
| Laptop or Starlink for remote work | 240 to 480Wh |
A weekend setup (fridge, lights, charging) sits near 600 to 800Wh a day. A full time traveller who works from the van, heats it and runs a bigger fridge can pass 1,500Wh. As a rule, pick a battery that stores at least two days of your use, so a run of cloudy days does not leave you flat.
Sodium ion vs lithium vs AGM for a campervan
Here is how the three chemistries compare for a 200Ah class house battery. The sodium ion column uses the SaltyCells DC210 datasheet. The AGM and LiFePO4 columns are typical market ranges, not specific brands, so check the product you are buying.
| Sodium ion (DC210) | AGM 200Ah (typical) | LiFePO4 200Ah (typical) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rated energy | 2,520Wh | About 2,400Wh | About 2,560Wh |
| Practical usable energy | Confirm depth of discharge guidance when ordering | About 1,200Wh (50% rule of thumb) | About 2,300Wh or more |
| Cycle life | 6,000 to 70% (manufacturer rating) | Roughly 400 to 800 | Roughly 3,000 to 6,000 |
| Weight | 25kg | About 55 to 62kg | About 20 to 28kg |
| Charging in the cold | Down to minus 10°C | Slow but possible | Many packs stop below 0°C |
| Discharge in the cold | Down to minus 30°C | Reduced capacity | Works |
| Fire risk | Considered much lower than lithium (no lithium or cobalt) | Low | Lower than other lithium types, real if damaged |
| Maintenance | None | None (sealed) | None |
Which one should you choose?
AGM makes sense if your budget is tight, you only camp a few weekends a year and weight does not matter. The catch is that you can only use about half of the rating before you shorten its life, and it will probably need replacing several times over the life of a lithium or sodium ion pack. Over a few years of regular use, the cost per cycle often flips in favour of the newer chemistries.
LiFePO4 lithium is the current default. It is light, efficient and widely supported by chargers and solar controllers. Two honest drawbacks: many packs will not accept a charge below 0°C unless they have built in heating, which matters in the high country and Tasmania in winter, and a vehicle cabin that gets very hot is not an ideal place for any lithium battery.
Sodium ion is the newcomer. The case for it in a campervan is cold weather charging, a wide temperature range and a lower fire risk, because it uses no lithium or cobalt. A van is a small enclosed space where you sleep a metre from the battery, so that last point is not trivial. The trade offs are that it is a newer chemistry, charger settings need checking, and supply is limited. We cover the safety side in is a sodium ion battery safe and the chemistry in sodium ion vs lithium.
The SaltyCells DC210 in a campervan
The DC210 (SC-DC210) is a 12V 210Ah sodium ion deep cycle battery with 2,520Wh of stored energy. From the manufacturer's datasheet: 6,000 cycles to 70% capacity at 0.2C, 40A standard charge (100A maximum), 100A continuous discharge, charging from minus 10°C to 60°C, discharging from minus 30°C to 60°C, 25kg, and M8 terminals. It measures 387 x 206 x 273mm, so measure your under bed or cabinet space before you order. The warranty is 5 years.
Against a typical weekend load of 800Wh a day, 2,520Wh is more than three days with no sun. With 200W or more of solar it can run indefinitely in good weather. For a deeper look at the numbers, read our DC210 guide.
If you need more capacity, the SC-DC300 is available to pre order. Its specifications are still estimates, so confirm details with us before you commit.
Charging a campervan battery properly
Whatever you choose, how you charge it matters as much as what you buy. A typical campervan uses three charge sources: a DC to DC charger from the alternator while driving, solar through an MPPT controller, and sometimes 240V shore power.
Many modern vans have smart alternators that drop output voltage, so a plain split charge relay will not charge a house battery properly. A DC to DC charger fixes that. With any non lead acid battery, check that your charger, solar controller and inverter charger can be set to the correct voltage limits. For the DC210 the datasheet maximum charge voltage is 15.6V. Do not rely on a lead acid or lithium preset without checking. If you are unsure, email hello@saltycells.com.au with your charger model and we will tell you honestly what we know.
Also fuse the battery close to the positive terminal, use correctly sized cable, and secure the battery so it cannot move on corrugations.
Which SaltyCells battery for which job
| Use case | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Campervan or camper trailer house battery | SC-DC210 | 2,520Wh deep cycle energy at 25kg |
| Larger or full time off grid setup | SC-DC300 (pre order, estimated specs) | 300Ah class, final specs still being confirmed |
| Replacing the van's starter battery | Check the fitment finder | Starter batteries are matched to your vehicle |
🔋 Recommended SaltyCells Batteries
The DC210 is the house battery for most campervans. Starter batteries are matched to your vehicle, so always check the fitment finder first.
210Ah · 2,520Wh · 25kg
300Ah class · pre-order
60Ah · 900A CCA
View the SC-DC210 at SaltyCells or browse all batteries on /shop. Stock arrives in limited batches, so check availability and delivery time on the product page before planning a trip around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people are well served by about 200Ah of usable lithium or sodium ion, or 200Ah of AGM only if you accept using half of it. Add up your daily Wh, then aim for two days of storage.
No. A starter battery is built for short, high current bursts and is damaged by repeated deep discharge. Use a deep cycle battery for the house bank.
Lithium is the established choice with the widest charger support. Sodium ion is attractive for cold weather charging and a lower fire risk. Pick based on your climate, your charger and how much risk you will accept with a newer chemistry.
Possibly, but check first. You need adjustable voltage settings that stay within the battery's datasheet limits.
No. They do different jobs. The DC210 is a house battery. For starting your engine, use the right starter battery for your vehicle.
The Bottom Line
The best campervan battery is the one sized to your real energy use, charged correctly and fitted safely. AGM is cheapest upfront, lithium is the proven all rounder, and sodium ion offers cold weather charging and a lower fire risk for people who tour in extreme conditions. Work out your daily Wh first, then choose. If the DC210 fits, see it on /shop, read why sodium ion, or ask us anything at hello@saltycells.com.au.