When we started looking into renting a campervan for our first vancation, we did not know what to expect in terms of daily rates.
In general, a small campervan rental without any insurance costs between US$45 and US$100 per day in low-season and between US$84 and US$156 in high-season. This price depends on the age of the vehicle, days for the rental, the number of amenities the price already includes, and the extras you need to hire. In my experience, prices vary between countries and companies, and on average, you should plan with US$78 per day in low season and US$112 per day in high season.
This is, of course, based on our experience while renting a campervan. You may find the prices to be lower or higher while searching for your own vehicle. Are you curious to find out why the price range is so big? Keep on reading to find out.
In this article, I'll share the daily price for renting out a small campervan in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Japan. I will compare the prices for low and high season. Then, I'll explain why prices fluctuate as well as tips to help you save money on your next campervan rental.
Next time you plan your road trip, you will have an idea of what to expect to pay for campervan rental.
If you are still unsure if renting a campervan is cheaper than renting a car and staying in hotels, make sure to read our article: 'Car or Campervan: What is Better and Cheaper?'.
What is a campervan?
Before we begin, I would like to first clarify what I mean by a campervan. We define a campervan as a compact recreational vehicle (RV) without a fixed toilet.
This could range from a converted Dodge family van to a Volkswagen Eurovan.
If you are unsure of which type of RV to rent, we help you decide in our article: 'Which Campervan to Rent for Your Next Road Trip: A Complete Guide'.
The rules for this article
Before we begin with the comparison of prices, let's set the ground rules for this article.
Not every campervan rental is created equal. Each company decides what is included and what extras are available for hire.
There might be companies that hire out basic items like a bedding and kitchen kit, while others have it included in their rental price.
There are also companies that rent stuff like stand up paddleboards, bike racks, tents, snow chains, solar showers, and heaters.
Here at RTE, we believe that a basic kit for a great campervan adventure consists of:
- Kitchen kit: every kitchen kit is different, but for sure, cutlery, glassware, and utensils for cooking meals are part of this kit. Again, some companies might include this in their rental price, while others charge, on average, US$70 (at the time of writing €65) to rent one out.
- Bedding kit: This, for sure, includes linen or sleeping bags and two pillows. Either it's included in the rental price or the average to rent it is US$45 (at the time of writing €42).
- Two camping chairs and a table: If the weather is nice, there is no better way than to relax on a camping chair and to eat a delicious meal on a camping table. Again, this could be included in the rental price or could be rented out for an average of US$45 (at the time of writing €42) for two chairs and a table.
So, let's get started.
Campervan rental prices
All the prices you see below include the basic rental fee, a kitchen and bedding kit, two camping chairs, and a table.
Seeing the table above, it is hard to get a sense of prices since they are all in different currencies. So, to make it fair, let's translate the table above to US$ using the exchange rate at the time of writing this article.
Here is a pretty chart to put things more into perspective:
As we can see from the chart above, the most expensive country to rent a campervan in is the US, and the cheapest one is Australia. The high season can have an increase in prices between 20% and 56%.
Extra costs you need to consider for your campervan rental
Getting to your campervan rental company
Some campervan rental companies are very close to the airport and even provide a shuttle bus.
Meanwhile, others can be an expensive uber/taxi drive away.
So when you rent your campervan, make sure to consider the costs of getting to the rental company and back to the airport.
Gas consumption
This cost is affected by the type of fuel your campervan uses, the amount of miles per gallon it consumes, and the price fuel in the country you are in.
Diesel might seem like an economical choice. But keep in mind that there are places, like New Zealand, where you pay an extra tax for using a diesel car. This tax is called Road User Charges, and it's charged by the campervan rental company at the end of your journey.
Insurance
Every country and company have their own insurance package. The fee depends on the country where you are renting the vehicle and the driver's age.
There are places like California, where there is no excess reduction fee. So insurance is a bit cheaper there.
We definitely recommend being fully covered for a campervan road trip. Anything can happen at any time.
Here is a story of when we got hit by a deer and how having insurance saved our butt.
If you have questions about what insurance you should take when renting a campervan, make sure to check out our article: 'What Type of Insurance Should You Get for Your Campervan Rental?'.
Mileage
Each company has its own unique offer. In general, there are three types of mileage offers:
- Unlimited mileage is included in the rental price.
- A certain amount of miles are included per day, and there is an additional fee per extra mile driven.
- No mileage is included, and you need to purchase one of the multiple packages the rental company offers.
One way rental fees
If you are planning a route where you pick up your campervan in one location and drop it off in another, you might incur an additional fee called: one-way rental fee.
Some companies might not offer this service, charge a fee, or have it included in their rental price.
Campground rates
Some countries allow you to do free camping more than others. Either way, it is always nice to have the option to overnight at a campground to freshen up, fill up on water, and dump out the gray water tanks.
In our experience, you should plan to spend an average of US$40 per night in a campground.
For more details about campground prices in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Japan, read our article: 'Average Campground Rates per Night for Small Campervans'.
Our experience with campervan rental prices
USA
During our vancation through the Southwest and California, we spent, on average, US$62 per day for a 15-day campervan rental. We traveled in the shoulder season, mid-April - beginning of May.
We rented our van in LA from Lost Campers, and the price included a bedding kit, kitchen kit, 2 camping chairs, and a camping table.
If you are planning a road trip starting from LA and are overwhelmed by the amount of campervan rental companies out there, we curated a guide that will help you choose the best one for your needs.
Australia
For our amazing road trip along the East Coast of Australia, we paid AU$77 (which, at the time of writing, equals US$51 and €47) per day for a 17-day rental from Spaceships. This price has a 5% early-bird discount.
Our fee included the bedding kit, kitchen kit, 2 camping chairs, a camping table, and a solar shower.
We never used the solar shower; we actually remembered we even had one when starting to write about our trip. Almost every campground that we stayed at had shower facilities, so it was no problem to stay fresh during this trip.
We rented our van from Melbourne and returned it in Brisbane. Spaceships doesn't charge one-way rental fees.
If you are planning a vancation starting from Melbourne, be sure to check our ultimate comparison guide of campervan rentals in that city.
Tips for keeping your campervan rental costs low
These are our three golden tips for making sure we get the most bang for our buck when renting a campervan:
- Travel in the shoulder season. Prices are lower in spring and fall in most places, and the weather is mild and still enjoyable.
- Consider renting a converted car campervan. These campervans are cheap on gas, get cheap rates in campgrounds, and have cheaper daily rates than a manufactured campervan.
- Be aware of how far away the car depot is from the airport. You might find a cheap rate online and later discover that the depot is a good hour to an hour and a half away from the airport. This could easily increase your rate by US$200 or more.
Conclusion
If you are planning a road trip with a rented campervan in a different country than your own, you might be shocked at looking at those daily rates. Factors like included amenities, the time of year, the number of days of your rental, and your planned route determine how much you're going to have to pay daily.
Be smart about your road trip planning and use the information and my tips above to your advantage.
Escaping the hectic city routine to head out and explore the roads of this world in a campervan will definitely be an unforgettable experience.
If you are new to campervanning, we have a 101 section to answer all of the most common questions first-timers have:
- Find out If Going on a Campervan Road Trip Is Right for You
- Do You Need a Toilet in Your Campervan Rental?
- Best Luggage for a Road Trip in a Small Campervan
And much more!
What is your experience renting a campervan? Do you have any other tips to help us all save money? Share them in the comments below.
