Tested: Milenco Grand Aero Platinum

Aftermarket towing mirrors are an unavoidable, extra-cost accessory for most caravan owners. While the regulations vary from state to state, basically if your 'van is wider than your tow vehicle and you can't see safely see behind it with the vehicle's regular side mirrors, you'll need to fit some part-time or more permanent extensions.

While you can save money on cheap aftermarket towing mirrors, in our experience it pays off in the long run to buy the best you can afford as they tend to last longer, fit more securely and are generally easier to use.

Over the years caravancampingsales' team of tow testers have used a number of excellent European towing mirrors from the likes of Reich and Ora, but after recently trying the latest, range-topping mirrors from UK specialist Milenco we'd have to say, on first impressions at least, we've found the pick of the lot.

Milenco's line of part-time towing mirrors have been available in Australia for a number of years and the Grand Aero Platinum Mirror is the UK company's latest, greatest and most expensive model to date. The new Platinum version builds on the successful third-generation Grand Aero model, with a number of enhancements designed to make it more durable, stable and easier to fit to a wider range of vehicles.

The new features include 50 per cent larger flexible, rubber-faced, spring loaded gripper plates, which Milenco says enables the two grippers to ‘form’ to the shape of the increasing number of extremely tapered and often thicker mirror bezels found on many modern vehicles.

There's also a redesigned 'air balanced' head and larger diameter extension arm for improved stability and reduced vibration when towing, and more durable components including the use of rust-resistant stainless steel and brass parts and automotive chrome glass.

With no rubber straps or side-door support arms to fuss around with, the Milenco Platinum mirrors were a cinch to set up on our 2021-model Isuzu MU-X tow vehicle. Just four plastic thumb wheels need to be adjusted for a secure fit: two for positioning and securing the clamps in the best position along the horizontal arm, and another two thumb wheels for adjusting and securing the rubber clamps along the lower mirror bezel.

The use of spring-loaded gripper plates with larger rubber pads that more easily mould to curved bezels makes it relatively easily to create a tight, secure attachment without causing damage to the vehicle side mirrors.

The clever design using few moving parts certainly makes them a lot quicker to attach to different-style tow vehicles than our regular Reich rubber strap-on mirrors. After about five minutes to set up for the first time, it took less than a minute to put on or take off each Milenco mirror on the Isuzu.

However with only two major contact points, it's important to make sure the surface area is clean and the rubber camps fit snugly to the bezel to ensure the mirrors don't work loose in transit. We also liked how easy it was to adjust the mirror heads for the perfect view down both sides of the van.

The Milenco Platinum mirrors are suitable for caravans up to 2.55m wide, and towing a 2.4m wide Snowy River caravan, I had a far better rearward view than my usual Reich mirrors. As well as making it safer when changing lanes or overtaking, I could even at times view cars travelling directly behind the van. Who needs a caravan rear view camera!

Also impressive was the sharp, clear reflection from the large vertical mirror, similar in quality to the vehicle's side mirrors, and while there were some vibrations over rougher sections of bitumen highway, it didn't affect the clarity.

Unlike most rival mirrors, the Platinum mirrors should fit to just about any vehicle on the market, and we certainly had no problems with the MU-X or a late-model Subaru Forester. They will also fit to a 2021 Land Rover Defender, albeit clamping to the bottom of the mirror rather than the top.

The Milenco mirrors can stay on for electric-folding side mirrors, or are just as easy to take off at the supermarket to prevent theft. They're also lightweight and come with a handy zip bag for storage.

Although we're yet to test them over corrugations or longer trips, they look built to last with quality components including a tough plastic housing, and Milenco says the mirrors were subject to wind tunnel testing as well as durability testing on European and Australian roads.

The ADR-compliant Platinum mirrors would be a good choice for first-time caravanners, or any owner of a large caravan looking for high-quality, user-friendly and multi-purpose mirrors that deliver exceptional rearward vision for safer towing.

While relatively expensive at $199 a pair from rvonline.com.au, they're a bargain compared to more permanent fixtures that are also less easily removed when you change tow vehicles.