Motorhome rental prices in Australia

If you are planning a road trip in Australia, renting a motorhome will probably be your biggest expense to think about! It’s difficult to know quite what price to budget for though when planning a trip of thousands of kilometres. And sometimes, conventional wisdom can be wrong. So, it is important to understand how prices are set and to have an idea of motorhome rental prices in Australia to better help you estimate your trip budget.

Price comparison tool

This is an excellent price comparison tool for motorhome rental in Australia & NZ. You can filter your search by different criteria: desired equipment, number of passengers and more. You can then compare prices across different vehicles and book online (no extra charge).

How are prices set?

Motorhome rental prices in Australia are based on the YIELD Management system, a pricing strategy with which prices vary according to demand. This principle is particularly used for hotels and plane tickets.

Logically, the sooner your make a booking, the better prices you get. They often use the term “early bird” to refer to these offers. Book at least 2 months in advance to take advantage of these offers.

This means you won’t find any “good deals” at the last minute. There are some last-minute deals around, but these are rare and pretty risky because, if you don’t find a good last-minute deal, you may end up without a vehicle.

Other factors play a role in determining the prices of rental motorhomes in Australia as well:

• The kind of vehicle (e.g. 2-seater, 4-seater)
• The age of the vehicle
• The brand of the vehicle
• The kind of equipment the vehicle has (e.g. a kitchenette, bedding, running water, fittings etc.)
• Moreover, the season also influences the price. Apart from the availability, rental companies generally set higher rates at certain times of the year (school holidays, long weekends). Therefore, when traveling in low season you find low prices.

For the same vehicle, you could pay 5 times more if it’s in high demand!

🚐 Budget Motorhome rental – How to get a good deal?

There are a few things you can do to get a better deal:

• First, book your motorhome well in advance.
• Second, get your motorhome from a rental company in a city like Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
• Third, go for an older model, they’re always cheaper but usually still decent.
• Fourth, rent a motorhome for a longer period of time instead of twice for just a few days. The longer you’re renting, the lower the daily rates.
• Last but not least, look for deals.
• Don’t want to search the whole Internet to compare individual prices of various rental providers? There are a few price comparison sites to help make your research easier. Our partner is Motorhome Republic. It’s free and you can even book through their website. 

Rates for renting a motorhome

To give you an idea, we tried to average prices for different models and by season. As every rental company fixes prices individually, it is almost impossible to give you an exact pricing table.

Prices are in AUD (Australian Dollars).

The prices presented are for vehicles equipped with shower and/or toilet, for 2 weeks of rental, by reserving a few months in advance. They do not include insurance or extras.

Low season prices (June to August)

Average price for a camper with 2 places : 85$/ day (no shower or toilet)
Average price for a camper with 4 places : 110$/ day (with toilet but no shower)
Average price for a camper with 6 places : 290$/ day (with a shower and toilet)

Mid-season prices (March – May and September – November)

Average price for a camper with 2 places : 95$/ day (no shower or toilet)
Average price for a camper with 4 places : 130$/ day (with toilet but no shower)
Average price for a camper with 6 places : 290$/ day (with a shower and toilet)

High season prices (December to February)

Average price for a camper with 2 places : 125$/ day (no shower or toilet)
Average price for a camper with 4 places : 150$/ day (with toilet but no shower)
Average price for a camper with 6 places : 330$/ day (with a shower and toilet)

Motorhome Insurance Prices

First of all, keep in mind that when renting a motorhome in Australia or New Zealand, you get a basic insurance included in the rental price (free). This so-called “standard” insurance covers bodily injuries of third parties.

In order to cover any material damage caused to your rental vehicle or to third parties, it is therefore important to take out additional insurance. There are basically 3 alternatives:

1. Insurance through the rental company
2. Private insurance
3. Credit card insurance

Insurance offered by the rental company

Rental companies usually offer 2 or 3 insurance options. Comprehensive insurance can completely reduce your deductibles and liability but it is also the most expensive. They also offer intermediate insurances, with which you pay a little less, but still have to leave a deposit.

The rates with motorhome rental insurance vary depending on the type of vehicle. For example, for a 2-seater motorhome, the deposit is usually $3500 or $5000. While for a large motorhome, it’s about $7,500. This means that without insurance, your maximum liability can vary from $3,500 to $7,500 depending on the vehicle.

They often offer an “all inclusive” insurance too. These “packages” include comprehensive insurance and cover some of the equipment such as camping table & chairs, car seats, and an extra driver.

Here are some price examples:

2-seater motorhome rental, with a $ 3500 deposit

Intermediate insurance: $ 22 / day – deposit reduced to $ 1500
Full cover insurance: $ 30 / day – deposit reduced to $ 250

4-seater motorhome rental, with a $ 7500 deposit

Intermediate insurance: $ 38 / day – deposit reduced to $ 2500
Full cover insurance: $ 45 / day – deposit reduced to $ 250

Also, it is worth noting that during a long term rental, beyond 60 days you don’t pay for insurance.

Private insurance

There are a number of private insurance options for rental vehicles. Make sure they’re suitable for motorhomes are well. One of the best known in Australia is Rentalcover insurance.

Rates vary not only depending on the the deposit, but also on the rental period and the age of the driver. Prices are lower for drivers over 25.

With this type of insurance, you will still have to leave a deposit to the rental company. As you don’t take “their” insurance, they will treat you as if you were not insured at all. Consequently, they take a deposit from your credit card as a precaution. should something happen, the private insurance will then reimburse you.

Here are some price examples:

Vehicle rental with up to $ 4000 deposit – driver over 25

Intermediate insurance: $ 7 / day – deposit reduced to $ 300
Full cover insurance: $ 10 / day – deposit reduced to $ 0

Vehicle rental with up to $ 8000 deposit – driver over 25 years old

Full cover insurance: $ 28 / day – deposit reduced to $ 0

For more information: Motorhome insurance options