The lithium battery for your Bessacarr caravan.
Whether you own a used Bessacarr Cameo from the Swift Group era or a current Bessacarr by Design from Couplands, the original lead-acid leisure battery limits you to around half its rated capacity. A TITAN gives you close to 100% usable power in the same footprint, holds voltage flat for the motor mover, and handles months of winter storage without degrading.
Bessacarr: a heritage caravan brand, mostly on the used market
Bessacarr is one of the most recognised names in British caravanning, with roots going back to the mid-1950s near Rotherham. The Arnold Laver Group acquired the company in the late 1950s and built it into a market leader for luxury twin-axle caravans through the 1980s, with the Cameo range becoming a byword for premium specification. Swift Group purchased the Bessacarr brand in 1996 and moved production to its factory in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
In 2008, Swift discontinued the mainstream Bessacarr caravan range as part of a restructure, folding the specification upwards into its own Conqueror and Elegance lines. The name did not disappear entirely. Couplands Caravans, a long-established Lincolnshire dealership, entered an arrangement with Swift to continue producing limited-run, heavily specified caravans under the Bessacarr badge - first based on the Swift Conqueror, later on the Swift Elegance Grande. From 2014, Couplands became the sole dealer for these tourers, now marketed as Bessacarr by Design. In 2025, Couplands marked 50 years of trading and the Bessacarr name turned 70, with an Anniversary Edition still on sale.
What this means in practice: most Bessacarr caravan owners are buying on the used market, typically a Cameo from 1997-2007 or one of the early post-2008 Conqueror-based Couplands specials. If you have a current Bessacarr by Design, it is a Swift Elegance Grande underneath. Either way, the underlying architecture - and the battery upgrade path - is the same. Because all Bessacarr caravans since 1996 have been built on Swift Group platforms in Cottingham, the Swift caravan battery guide covers the same construction in detail. For a broader overview of switching from lead-acid in any caravan, see the caravan battery guide.
Unlike a motorhome, a caravan has no engine and no alternator. The leisure battery is the sole on-board power source, charged from mains hook-up at a serviced pitch or from roof solar elsewhere. That makes battery quality and capacity more consequential than on a motorhome - and it makes the shift from a tired lead-acid to lithium a very straightforward upgrade, particularly on an older used Bessacarr whose original battery is now past its best.
Sizing a TITAN for your Bessacarr
Bessacarr caravans span several decades of used stock and a current dealer-special range. Because model years vary, the table below works by how you use the van rather than by name plate.
| How the van gets used | Typical scenario | Good fit |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend touring, mostly hook-upServiced pitches, lights, fridge, water pump, phones and tablets. | Rarely off-grid, short trips | 100Ah |
| Touring with a motor moverMotor mover fitted - high surge demand on pitching. Hook-up mostly available. | Mover used regularly, serviced sites | 100Ah to 120Ah |
| Regular off-grid - club sites and CLsCertificated locations, farm sites, no electric hookup. Solar or trickle only. | Longer stays, less reliable mains access | 150Ah |
These are starting points. The honest figure comes from your own loads - total them in the battery size calculator. Locker dimensions vary between model years, so measure the front locker including terminal height before ordering. On an older Bessacarr, check that the existing onboard charger has a lithium profile - see the charger compatibility list. Current Bessacarr by Design models are built on the Swift Elegance Grande; the Swift caravan guide has further detail on that platform.
Where the leisure battery lives in a Bessacarr
All Bessacarr caravans built since Swift acquired the brand in 1996 follow the same front-locker architecture used across the Swift Group range. The leisure battery sits in an external battery locker at the front offside corner of the van, in a dedicated compartment that is separate from the gas locker. This is a well-ventilated, purpose-built space sized for a standard leisure battery - typically around 225mm tall, 175mm deep and 350mm wide, though dimensions vary between the Cameo-era models and the later Conqueror and Elegance-based variants. Always measure your own locker, including the height available above the terminal posts, before ordering.
The original factory-fitted or dealer-fitted leisure battery in a Bessacarr was typically in the 85Ah to 110Ah range. A TITAN in the same capacity or one step up sits in the same footprint. The TITAN case is sealed to IP67, so it handles the damp, dust and temperature swings of an external front locker without issue. The RJ45 comms ports drop to IP32 while a cable is connected - keep any plugged port clear of standing water. The DIN-format case sits low and stable in the locker and does not rattle on the road.
On older Bessacarr Cameo twin-axle models, the front locker is typically spacious - these were large, well-specified caravans and the battery compartment reflects that. On the current Bessacarr by Design, which is based on the Swift Elegance Grande, the locker follows the same specification as a standard Elegance. Measure to confirm, and pay particular attention to terminal clearance when the lid closes.
Charging a lithium battery in a Bessacarr caravan
A caravan has no engine, so there is no alternator and no engine-charging source. Charging comes from three places:
- 230V mains hook-up via the onboard charger. This is the primary source on a serviced pitch. The onboard charger fills the leisure battery from the site's electric supply. On an older Bessacarr Cameo the charger is likely a basic unit - check it against the charger compatibility list to confirm it supports a lithium profile before switching. On current Bessacarr by Design models the specification is more modern, but the same check applies. A lithium battery charges faster than the lead-acid it replaces, so on a full hook-up night the battery is typically full well before morning.
- Roof solar through an MPPT controller. Solar is the key charging source on club certificated locations and any pitch without electric. An MPPT controller extracts more energy from the panels than a basic PWM unit and is strongly recommended alongside a lithium battery. The solar sizing guide helps you match panel area to your load profile. Many Bessacarr Cameo-era caravans did not leave the factory with solar fitted, but it is straightforward to retrofit a panel and MPPT controller to the roof.
- Trickle charge via the 12S or 13-pin towing plug. While the caravan is being towed, the tow car sends a small charge to the van through the 12S or 13-pin electrical connection. This is a maintenance trickle, not a fast charge - it keeps the fridge running during the journey and gently tops up the battery on the move. It is not a substitute for mains or solar, but it means you arrive at your pitch with a slightly better state of charge than you left home with.
Motor mover and lithium. Many Bessacarr caravans - particularly the twin-axle Cameo range and the current Bessacarr by Design - are fitted with a motor mover. Motor movers draw a large surge current to get a heavy caravan moving. A lead-acid battery that is even partially discharged can sag badly under this load, causing the mover to hesitate or cut out. A TITAN holds its voltage flat right through the surge, so the mover responds as the manufacturer intended throughout the state of charge. The higher usable capacity also means you can manoeuvre the van several times on the same charge without watching the battery drop.
Winter storage. Caravans often sit unused for months at a time, and an older used Bessacarr may spend significant periods off the road. Lead-acid batteries self-discharge steadily and suffer permanent capacity loss if left in a low state of charge. A TITAN has a very low self-discharge rate and tolerates long storage periods without degradation. The built-in low-temperature heater in the custom BMS means the battery charges safely down to -30C - so if you connect it to solar or mains during winter, it charges correctly regardless of the ambient temperature in the storage yard. Every TITAN carries a lifetime, fully transferable warranty.
