Camping guides
How much is it to hire a campervan?
)
Campervan trips are a great way to have a holiday in the UK! But getaways are best with plenty of budget planning, as no-one wants to run out of money halfway through. So how much is it to hire a campervan? And what other expenses can you expect on your trip? Read on for the full lowdown on the cost to hire a campervan in the UK.
How much is it to hire a campervan?
Campervan hire in the UK ranges from £350-£1,400+ per week. The price depends on several factors like time of year, vehicle size and year of manufacture: hiring a small 2-berth campervan likely costs about £50 per night/£350 a week in low season, while a luxury motorhome can cost £200 upwards per night in high or mid season. Blue Vinnie (above), a gorgeously refitted van in Dorset, costs from £90pn.
But it’s not just the cost of vehicle hire that you need to take into account for a campervan holiday – factor in other costs like campsites, fuel, food and drink, road tolls and entry fees to attractions and activities to make sure you’ve covered everything. While prices can vary depending on season and other factors, extra costs soon mount up, so knowing them in advance is the best way to enjoy your holiday.
Allow for these costs and you’ll soon be on the road with no worries!
Cost to hire a campervan or motorhome throughout the year
Whatever vehicle you hire, it goes without saying that high season will be more expensive than low – i.e., hiring a campervan or motorhome costs more in summer. The type of vehicle you want will also affect price, for example, large motorhomes will have a higher hire price than small campervans. Remember to allow for higher costs around school half-terms if travelling as a family!
As a rough guide, expect to pay around these amounts for different vehicles at different times of year:
High season (July and August)
2 berth campervan
£540 to £800
Examples: The Foxy Camper Rufus, Somerset, £780 and Akira, Dorset, £660
4 berth campervan or motorhome
£700-£1,250
Example: Luxury VW Camper, Carlisle, £973.40
6 berth campervan or motorhome
£700-£1,350
Examples: 2013 Bessacarr E496and Ipswich, £1,306
6+ berth motorhome
£700-£1,800
Examples: Fiat Ducato Luxury 7 Berth, Liverpool, £1,033 and Jasper, Leeds, £1,748
Shoulder season (early May and June; September)
2 berth campervan
£390-£750
Example: Blue Vinnie, Dorset, £735.05
4 berth campervan or motorhome
£460-£850
Example: Griffin, the glam Campervan, N Yorkshire, £844.50
6 berth campervan or motorhome
£560-£900
Example: Dawn Treader, Northumberland, £606
6+ berth motorhome
£700-£1,250
Example: Big Al, West Lothian, £1,221
Low season (October to April)
2 berth campervan
£350-£550
Mazda Bongo, Glasgow, £541
4 berth campervan or motorhome
£350-£650
Herbie, Dunfermline, £576
6 berth campervan or motorhome
£490-£700
Jim, N Ireland, £644
6+ berth motorhome
£700-£1,100
These prices are a guideline only. Keep your eyes open for the many bargains out there! One is this four-berth campervan for hire in Manchester, which is just £535 for a week in July.
Other expenses when travelling in a campervan
1. Campsites and camping spots
As with campervan hire costs, accommodation costs for campervans and motorhomes vary by season. The lowest nightly cost at a campsite is around £10, although you might have to shop around a bit for that, and it’s likely to be on a farm campsite or similar with no facilities apart from running water. Big holiday parks in summer – the ones with pools, kids’ clubs, clubhouse and the like – tend to cost £30-40 upwards per night.
But the great news is there’s loads of choice for your overnight stay:
Holiday parks
Easily the most expensive option (thanks to their prime settings and wealth of amenities), holiday parks range from around £20-30 upwards per night all year round, rising to £40+ in summer.
If you can’t resist their home comforts, our advice is to choose your travel dates wisely – your money will go further in low or shoulder season, or on a midweek rather than weekend holiday. You could also opt for a basic or basic with electric hook-up pitch, rather than a fully-serviced one.
For example, the Caravan and Motorhome Club offers a50% discount on many of its sites for a midweek stay, on parks all over the country at all times of the year. This even applies to summer in the South West –Looe Caravan Club Site in Cornwall has 50% for stays between 3 May and 21 July.
There are so many offers, discounts and bargains around that you should never have to pay full price at a holiday park – just be smart with your dates. CheckBest of British for the latest deals, or join a group like the Caravan and Motorhome Club.
Independent campsites and farm campsites
Ranging from five-star to “almost wild” field camping, independently-run campsites can be found all over the UK. The easiest way to find one is to search online by your destination postcode or county; some campsite booking sites allow you to filter further for facilities like electric hook-up, chemical disposal, swimming pool or shop on site. Farm campsites are a fab way to holiday with children – again, facilities and prices vary, but it should be easy to find one to suit your budget.
Some independent and farm campsites can be booked for as little as £5-£8 per night in low season, but we recommend expecting to pay around £10-25, with around £15 as an average.
National Trust, Forestry England and national park campsites
A great compromise between wild and campsite camping is to stay on a site run by theNational Trust,Forestry England or another public body like a national park. These let you park up deep in nature but still have access to facilities like showers and toilets.
Their prices average around the same as independent or farm campsites – the National Trust’sLow Wray site in the Lake District, for example, costs £20pn for a two-night weekend stay in April.
In Scotland, you can’t go far wrong with a campsite in the stunning Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, where the wide range available ranges from wild camping to campsites with hot showers and electric hook-ups. See ourhow much to hire a campervan in Scotland for the full lowdown on costs!
Nightstops
You don’t have to stay at a campsite – many businesses from pubs to community centres around the UK offer safe and legal spaces to park overnight, from about £5-£15. This works on the basis that you spend money locally, for example having dinner in the pub. Find your closest Nightstop here.
Wild camping
The most cost-effective way to park your campervan overnight is of course to wild or free camp, although this does need some advance planning (and has its own etiquette – see ourwild camping in the UK guide for more info).
Wild camping is legal in most places in Scotland, but not in England, Wales or Northern Ireland; however, it’s mostly up to local jurisdictions as there are no official regulations nationwide.
Double check where you can set up camp on the park4night app or by asking around town. As with Nightstops, it’s always nice to spend a bit of money locally too.
2. Fuel costs
The cost of fuel is a key factor to consider when choosing a campervan and figuring out a budget for your road trip, especially if you plan to cover lots of ground.
How often you’ll have to fill your tank depends on vehicle size, year of manufacture and engine type, as older and larger vans manage less miles per gallon (mpg). For example, a VW T4 averaging 40mpg will cost roughly £15 per 100 miles to run on diesel, whereas a VW T2 may only return 18mpg, costing double that. Diesel engines are generally more efficient, running on 15−20% less fuel.
Fuel prices fluctuate too much to accurately pinpoint these costs for a road trip, but generally speaking, around 17p per mile is a reasonable rough figure to aim at. You can also use afuel cost calculator, andcompare fuel prices as you’re on the road.
3. Toll roads
Thankfully not as widespread here as across Europe or the US,UK toll roads nevertheless might pop up at some point in your journey! Drivers are charged a fee for their use, which varies depending on vehicle size, toll plaza, time of day and day of the week.
As an example, a “Class 4” campervan travelling on the M6 between 7am-7pm on a weekday will be charged £12.50, as opposed to £11.10 between 11pm-5am on a weekend, or £9.70 on a weekend night (11pm-5am).
Below, we’ve listed some of the major tolls to look out for across the UK:
M6 - West Midlands
M4 - Second Severn Crossing
M25 - Dartford River Crossing
M48 - Severn Bridge
A15 - Humber Bridge
A4 - Batheaston Bridge
A38 - Tamar Bridge
A57 - Dunham Bridge
A3025 - Itchen Bridge
A477 - Cleddau Bridge
A19 - Tyne Tunnels
A41 - Mersey Tunnels - Queensway
A59 - Mersey Tunnels - Kingsway
A533 - Mersey Gateway
4. Food and drink
Eat out every night, stock up at a budget supermarket for roadside meals, or have a mix of the two – this cost is entirely up to you! Discount supermarkets and pound stores are everywhere for basics and snacks, while many towns and cities will have a pub grub-style place with meals for around £5, sometimes even on a 2-for-1 offer.
Or you could opt for Michelin-star restaurants, fish and chips on the beach, cooking in your campervan… whatever you like. Allowing £10 per person per day for food and snacks should have you covered for most holidays. And even if you’re on the tightest budget, you can still make meals in your van special, like in Griffin the Glam Campervan above!
5. Attractions and activities
Again, these costs are up to you and your holiday tastes – you could spend weeks just pottering around some of the UK’s many free attractions, or splash out on theme park visits or activities like hot-air ballooning or whitewater rafting.
As a (very!) rough rule of thumb, museum or gallery entry outside London should cost around £4-£6 (allow £10 for London); daily sports activities like sailing or bike hire around £40-60 per day, and thrill seeking adventures like skydiving or coasteering up to £300 a day.
But as with campsites and holiday parks, there are always discounts available! Search online for theme park discounts and low season offers for sports and thrill seeking, and check local community centres and libraries for local events once you’re on the road. The websiteDay Out with the Kids is a wealth of information for family-friendly attractions and activities, often at low prices.
Hire a campervan for your next UK adventure
Now that you know how much it is to hire a campervan in the UK, you can start looking for a rental within your budget. With Camplify, you can find a huge range of vans near your home or pick one up at your destination. For example, check out Kevin (above), a refurbished VW sleeping four and available for £90 per night.
Why Camplify?
We are proud to be the UK’s fastest-growing campervan, motorhome and caravan sharing community. You'll find dozens of vans for hire near you, plus you get lots of advantages:
Comprehensive hire insurance
24/7 RAC nationwide breakdown cover
Dedicated customer support
All members are verified
By hiring at Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across the UK in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.
Sign up if you want to join our beloved community of van life lovers and receive our most recent news and offers.