Motorhome hire: Everything you need to know

Camping and caravanning are fine, but if you want to experience the great outdoors from the comfort of what is effectively a travelling house, then a motorhome might be more your style of moving accommodation.

But some motorhomes, such as the Avida Longreach, may cost as much as $400,000, so for a lot of people purchasing a motorhome may not be an option at all – at least not until you’ve had a chance to find out if you really enjoy that sort of thing.

The next best thing to owning a motorhome is hiring one for however long a period of time you want, and nowadays you can even organise motorhomes for hire directly from their owners via peer-to-peer van sharing services.

So, how does that work? Is it easy to do? Is it becoming more popular? How has Covid impacted the popularity of motorhome hire?

Read on.

How does a motorhome compare to campervans, camper trailers & caravans?

Just think of a motorhome as a campervan on steroids – a lot of steroids.

A motorhome is an all-in-one vehicle-and-accommodation package that is driven as one large mobile unit and can range in size from about 6.5m long, with a gross vehicle mass of 4400kg, to something like the aforementioned luxury Avida Longreach, which is 9590mm long, 2490mm wide, 3640mm high and has a listed gross vehicle mass of 8700kg. For those intertested, the Longreach has two-slide out rooms, a bed over cabin and can tow up to 3500kg. 

A campervan is a vehicle-and-accommodation package and it’s driven but it is much smaller, lighter and has fewer amenities than a motorhome – for instance, usually it does not have, as standard, a toilet and shower (unless those are carried onboard as separate portable additions).

A motorhome is an all-in-one vehicle-and-accommodation package that is driven as one large mobile unit.

A caravan is a self-contained house on wheels, replete with kitchen facilities, beds, seating, storage and some even have toilets and showers. It has to be towed behind a separate vehicle.

Camper-trailers are similar to caravans in that they have to be towed, but they tend to have fewer amenities than a caravan, i.e. it has no toilet or shower.

(Note from publishers: The motorhome featured in some of the attached shots, with Crafty lurking around, is Avida's C7544SL Busselton.)

What types of motorhomes are available to rent?

What type of motorhome you decide to hire will largely depend on what you want to use it for, where you’re going to take it, the duration of your trip, and the size of your wallet.

And you have to ask yourself a few questions before you get cracking anyway: How many people are you taking on your trip? Will your trip involve off-roading? Are you going off-grid? Are you taking pets? Do you like a bit, or a lot, of luxury?

The choices are near-endless: cheap motorhome hire, luxury motorhome hire, off grid motorhome, off road motorhome, pet friendly motorhome hire … and the list goes on and on.

Nowadays you can organise motorhomes for hire directly from their owners via peer-to-peer van sharing services.

Motorhomes of all types are available – everything from a basic self-contained family vehicle that can accommodate four adults (referred to as a 4 berth or four berth motorhome) through to, yep, that top-shelf Avida Longreach I keep mentioning.

You’ll also have to decide whether you’ll hire a motorhome from a traditional-style commercial operator with an actual office location, or opt for a peer-to-peer van sharing service, such as SHAREaCamper, Camplify, or Camptoo.

Camplify, the self-described “largest and most trusted van sharing platform” in Australia, states that it has “thousands of unique vans available for hire across Australia and a community of over 50,000 holidaymakers”.

Motorhomes of all types are available – everything from a basic self-contained family vehicle to top of the shelf models.

Same goes for mobs such as SHAREaCamper and Camptoo – they all reckon they have plenty of motorhomes, so sourcing a suitable example shouldn’t be a problem.

You will no doubt find a motorhome seemingly purpose-built precisely for your travels, whether you require off road caravan hire, off the grid motorhome hire, pet friendly motorhome hire, luxury motorhome hire, or your budget only stretches to cheap motorhome hire.

Most motorhome hire companies and peer-to-peer collectives have motorhomes in pretty much all of the popular locations, so expect to find motorhome hire in Melbourne, Tasmania, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, among many other locations.

The duration of the loan may have a minimum period – for instance, two days – but long term rentals can be discussed with the company or the motorhome’s individual owner or agent.

Expect to find motorhome hire in Melbourne, Tasmania, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, among many other locations.

How do you hire a motorhome?

Working out how to hire a motorhome is easy. 

The first question you’ll likely ask yourself – or The Great Google God – is: where can I hire a motorhome? Is there an ‘motorhome for hire’ owner or agent near me?

Commercial operators or peer-to-peer van sharing services have comprehensive online booking systems and it’s simply a case of picking a motorhome that suits you, selecting your dates, thoroughly reading the terms and conditions of the motorhome loan before you pay any money, make sure you’re fully aware of all of the fees involved (more about that in the ‘How much does it cost?’ Section below), and then laying down your cold hard cash – well, punching in your credit card details etc.

When you go to collect the motorhome, you should run through a thorough motorhome checklist with the owner/agent, take photos of the whole unit (inside and out), and make sure the owner gives you the lowdown on any quirks or peculiarities in the operation of the motorhome that you need to know about it. 

Commercial operators or peer-to-peer van sharing services have comprehensive online booking systems and it’s simply a case of picking a motorhome that suits you.

How much does it cost to hire a motorhome?

Prices for motorhome rental vary widely, depending on location and the size and type of motorhomes for rent. 

Just to give you an idea, we had a look at Camplify and that search indicated that it’s possible to hire a motorhome (called “Bessie Bespoke”) that sleeps two people from $175 a day in Bulli, NSW; we saw a six-berth motorhome (“Goldfields RV”) in Kalgoorlie, WA from $200 a day; and “Gypsy Soul Copacabana” in Murwillumbah, NSW sleeps six and will set you back from $400 a day.

The age, size and condition of the motorhome will determine how much you’ll be charged per day.

So, motorhome hire cost will include a variety of charges.

When hiring a motorhome, the age, size and condition of it will determine how much you’ll be charged per day.

Also, be aware that peer-to-peer motorhome sharing services tend to charge fees other than simply the rental cost you will be anticipating. For instance, there may be booking fees (often non-refundable); a security deposit (taken from your credit card prior to the hire period, then released back to you when the van is returned in an owner-approved condition); credit card fees; insurance (as always, the more you pay at the start, the less excess you’re liable for if there’s a claim); and other fees, such as cleaning, any extra kilometres travelled above expected, late fees, and cancellation fees.

Is it possible to rent out your own personal motorhome?

You bet it is. If you get the urge, there are plenty of websites on which you can post/advertise your motorhome as available to lease.

“How do I rent my motorhome?” I hear you ask. Well, thankfully, it appears to be quite a smooth process – once you get through the initial phase of setting up your account, that is.

There are plenty of websites on which you can post/advertise your motorhome as available to lease.

All you need to do is register an account and your motorhome on any of the reputable websites, upload photos and info about your motorhome (including a description, details of onboard facilities and any restrictions you want imposed on the motorhome loan) … and then away you go.

Be warned: there are numerous terms and conditions and an absolute truckload of contract-related stuff you must read through and understand before you hire your motorhome, so you know where you stand with regard to loans, payment and how damage claims or disputes are dealt with by the company or agent involved.