Campervan Rental Guide

One of the most exhilarating ways to experience Australia is with the freedom and flexibility that a campervan or motorhome holiday offers. You set your own itinerary, stop where you want, when you want, travel at your own pace with no ties to schedules or fixed timetables.

Long gone are the days when a Campervan holiday involved lumpy beds, awkward bathrooms, limited cooking options and generally stepping away from home comforts. Today's Campervans have evolved to offer European styled kitchens, spacious living areas with audio-visual equipment, large double beds and well equipped bathrooms. What's more they are surprisingly easy to drive. Power steering, automatic transmissions and modern design really has taken the hard work out of travelling in a vehicle larger than most of us regularly drive.

Australia and New Zealand are both fortunate to be home to some of the World's leading Campervan rental companies including Backpacker Campervans, Britz, KEA Campers and Maui Motorhomes offering a diverse range of vehicles including adventurous four wheel drives and luxurious motorhomes. You can learn more about our Campervan partners and their vehicle fleets by visiting our Campervan Partner pages.

This wide range of choice and options can be daunting even for the seasoned traveller and with this in mind DriveNow has put together a series of information pages to help you choose the right vehicle for your holiday.

Campervan Classes

• 6 Berth Motorhome
  Top end luxury vehicles, generally largest in a suppliers fleet with 3 double beds, comprehensive kitchen, onboard shower & Toilet facilities and Air-Conditioning/heating . Large entertainment area and audio visual equipment often includes LCD TV & DVD players. Turbo Diesel engines with manual and auto transmissions depending upon supplier. Examples include Britz's Frontier.
• 4 Berth Motorhome
  Luxury vehicles, 2 double beds (Kea's 4 berth allows one bed to be split into 2 singles), comprehensive kitchens, generous entertainment area, Air-Conditioning/heating and onboard shower & Toilet facilities. Often equipped with LCD TV & DVD players. Turbo Diesel engines with manual and auto transmissions depending upon supplier. Examples include Kea 4 berth and Maui Spirit 4.
• 3 Berth Motorhome
  Luxury 3  berth (1 x double & 1 x single) with comprehensive kitchen, onboard shower & Toilet, Air-Conditioning/heating and audio visual equipped. Turbo Diesel engines with manual transmission.
• 3 Berth Campervan
  Accommodation for 2 adults & 1 child, Cooker, Fridge and sink (hand pump), no onboard bathroom facilities, Air-Conditioning/heating in Driver's cabin. Unleaded Petrol engines with manual transmissions. Examples include Backpacker's Nomad.
• 2 Berth Motorhome
  Luxury vehicle, 1 double bed, comprehensive kitchen and onboard shower & Toilet facilities, Air-Conditioning/heating and often equipped with LCD TV & DVD players. Turbo Diesel engines with manual transmissions. Examples include Kea's ST/TV and Maui's Spirit 2 T/S.
• 2 Berth Campervan
  Widest choice of vehicles, 1 Double Bed, well equipped kitchen, usually with onboard shower & Toilet facilities. Turbo Diesel and unleaded Petrol engines with manual transmissions depending upon supplier. Examples include BackPacker Wanderer and Britz Elite.

As specifications and features do vary between suppliers and different fleet models these vehicle classes should be treated as indicative guides.

Vehicle Definitions

The term Campervan, Motorhome, RV (Recreational Vehicle) and even 4 WD Campervans are all often inter-used to describe the same vehicle. Whilst there are exceptions (detailed elsewhere on the site) a set of rule-of-thumb definitions could include:

• Motorhome
  Top end luxury vehicles generally long-wheel based and providing the most generous living space and facilities for the number of passengers that can be carried. In most instances these are 6 and 4 berth vehicles and come equipped with European styled Kitchen appliances, bath room facilities, Fully air-conditioned/heated and LCD televisions, DVD players and in some instances even Playstations.
• Campervans
  Includes largely 3, 2.5 (2 adults & 1 child) and 2 berth vehicles. Today, many of these are equipped with bathroom and complete kitchen facilities and often TVs & DVD players. Most have air-conditioning and heating in the Driving and Living cabins.
• Recreational Vehicles (RVs)
  North American term to describe both the above sets of vehicles.
• 4WD Campervans
  4 Wheel Drive Campervans are designed on their namesakes, the most popular of which is Toyota's Land-Cruiser. Whilst limited in internal features (generally bedding for two) these often provide additional external sleeping through tent extensions and some can accommodate up to 5 travellers (such as Britz's 4WD BushCamper). Vehicles are all Diesel with manual transmissions and generally long-range fuel tanks. The 4WD vehicles are ideal for those who want to travel off the beaten track.

On the Road - What's Included

All vehicles come well equipped with all the essentials. There are some variations depending upon the features of the rental vehicle which varies from supplier to supplier. In essence you can expect the following:

• Kitchen: Plates & Bowls, Cups & glasses, Cutlery, Bottle/Can opener, cooking utensils, pans & Frying pan, Kettle & teapot, tea towels
• Living: Toilet chemicals, Dustpan & brush, Fire Extinguisher, Bucket & hose, matches, coat hangers, vehicle guides, travel guides, road maps, First Aid Kit (charges apply if opened).
• Bedding: Pillows, sheets, Sleeping bags or Doona (duvets), bathroom towels. You are welcome to bring your own or use those provided. Note that Britz include Bedding in their Personal Kit.

On the Road - What's Not

There are many optional extras which vary between suppliers, generally charged on a per rental basis these include:

• Outdoor Table
• Outdoor Chair
• Awnings
• Tent
• First Aid Kit
• Fan Heater
• baby/Booster Seats
• Satellite Phones
• Emergency Safety Kit - Radio beacon, snatch strap, D-shackles, spade

Road Holiday Tips

• Take a torch and spare batteries
• Pack clothes and your belongings in soft cases to maximise use of storage space
• If leaving your Campervan unattended on a powered Caravan Park site you must disconnect your power cable
• Appliances such as TVs, Microwaves and Air-Con/Heating in the living cabin require mains power hook-up
• Save money and stress by stocking up on provisions before travelling to less populated areas
• Ensure you have replenished your water tanks and emptied your waste tank when embarking on a long sectors of your journey
• Some Campervan providers allow you to pre-purchase gas and fuel at discounted rates

Insurance Options and Vehicle Bonds

• All Campervan Rental companies offer insurance excess reduction options. Standard excess is generally ranges between $5000 and $7500 although some suppliers and vehicles incur lower rates and reduction options start from $20 per day.
• A Bond is required on any vehicle at pick up. If paid by Credit Card this will be debited and reimbursed on return of the vehicle. The Bond reflects the insurance excess option taken. If no excess option is taken a bond of up to $7500 (depending on supplier and vehicle) is required. Bonds are deposited directly with the vehicle supplier.