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

The fastest way to get a real number is to compare. Motorhome Republic lists every operator side by side for your dates, and you can filter by number of berths, equipment and vehicle class. Booking through it costs no more than booking direct and is often cheaper.

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.

Rental prices are generally on a sliding scale based on the duration of the rental. These are often applied in increments such as: more than 7 days, more than 14 days, more than 30 days, and more than 60 days.

🚐 How to get a better deal

• Book early, it’s the single biggest lever. Three months ahead can halve what you’d pay booking last minute in peak season. Rental pricing works like airline pricing: the cheap inventory goes first.
• Travel off-peak. June to August is the low season nationally, and shoulder months (March–May, September–November) still get you good weather at a fraction of the December–February rate.
• Take an older vehicle. Operators like Cheapa Campa and Mighty run the ageing fleets of their parent companies, mechanically sound, cosmetically tired, and noticeably cheaper.
• Rent for longer. Most operators apply sliding scales at 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. Long-hire discounts of around 8–10% are common past three weeks, so two separate one-week hires almost always cost more than one two-week hire.
• Use a promo code. Our readers get 5% off at Travellers Autobarn with the code GUIDEEN.
• Compare before you commit. Rates for the same vehicle vary widely between operators on the same dates – Motorhome Republic puts them side by side.

What a campervan actually costs, by season and type

Prices swing enormously, the same vehicle can cost three times more in January than in July. These are realistic all-in daily rates, excluding excess reduction and extras.

AUD per day, checked August 2026. Daily rates drop noticeably past 14 days and again past 21.

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