GUIDE TO RENTING A VAN IN AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND

Although at first glance it may seem that renting a van in Australia or New Zealand is not the cheapest option to travel these countries, once you start to do the math, add in one place and subtract in another, you end up realizing that traveling on a mobile home has a lot of advantages. We already gave you 1st reasons to travel by van in New Zealand .

If you are already clear that this will be your travel style, now many doubts will arise. To try to solve them we have written this guide to rent a van in Australia or New Zealand. We hope it helps you!

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1. Where to rent the van?

Obviously you have to book it online. To get the best offer there are websites that compare  all the rental companies and present you with the available options, with different styles of vans, prices, etc. We use Motorhome Republic and it has always been good for us.

The rental companies that usually offer the best prices are: Lucky, Cheapacampa, Hippiecamper, Real Value, Wicked or Spaceship. Other more expensive ones are Apollo, Mighty, Jucy or Britz.

2. What type of van to rent?

When the website gives you the results, you will see different types of vans: from wagon style or minivan vans that have been adapted as camper vans, to typical Hi-Top tall vans and extra expensive motorhomes. The small and medium-sized ones will not have a bathroom or shower, the larger ones will, a privilege!

Which of them to choose? Well, it depends on three things:

  • Ride style and length : If you can manage with a bed, storage space and a small table where you can cook, the cheapest wagon style may be worth it. Now, for rental periods of several weeks, where in the end there is a lot of life inside, it is better to pay a little more and get a bigger one.
  • Number of people : if you are two and you are not too messy, actually anyone is interesting. However, if there are more of you, you will have to opt for the larger ones, for comfort and because you need approval for more people.
  • Budget : if you have a high budget and you can afford a luxury, we have no doubt: go for one with a bathroom! It doesn’t have to be a motorhome, there are intermediate options, huge vans that are perfectly equipped like a home. We rented the Sprinter and it was the milk!

Conclusion: our favorite, for price and comfort, is without a doubt the Hi-Top. It falls within an accessible budget but is very comfortable to live inside. In addition, it does not consume as much as motorhomes and driving is simple.

 

3. How much does it cost?

The price is always calculated per rental day and can cost around  AUD 75-90  per day in high season, the Hi-Top model. The most basic models are obviously cheaper, and the ones with a better bathroom are not even discussed. Certain aspects must be taken into account:

Beware of the high season: prices are more expensive between November and March, if you travel at another time, you can have very interesting offers, or even relocations!

Different prices depending on the route : we found that on the less touristy route from Perth to Melbourne, the prices were somewhat higher than a rental from Melbourne to Cairns. In the same way, the direction you take also influences, Apollo offered us a huge discount for making the Cairns to Melbourne route, instead of the other way around. And they need to lower those vans somehow.

Sometimes you have to pay a one-way fee for delivering the van to a different office than the pick-up (which will increase the total to pay). This is specified in each company when you make the comparison on the Motorhome Republic website  .

The price is usually reduced if the rentals are long-term (from two weeks).

Prices do not include full risk insurance , which you can optionally hire at the office, or on the website itself when making the reservation. In the next point we tell more.

They also do not include other extras such as tables and chairs, GPS, the gas bottle, etc.

What they usually include are kitchen utensils, sheets and towel, bucket and hose (if you have a kitchen).

The prices that we paid were these:

  • From Perth to Melbourne , for 22 days in February: 1,800 AUS
  • 7 days in Tasmania (Hobart pickup and drop-off) in March: 550 AUS
  • Melbourne to Cairns for 22 days in April: AUS 1,300

4. Online booking process

First, go to the Motorhome Republic website  . To make it easier, you can change the language and the currency , in the upper right.

In the main box you will have to select the country, the city of collection and delivery, the dates and your country of origin. For now, in the type of vehicle, leave all.

All the options will appear below. On the left side there will be different filters , such as the type of change (manual or automatic), type of gasoline, if it has a bathroom, price range, score, etc. At the top we can also filter by the number of berths.

There will be many different options, ordered by the total amount (composed of the rental amount plus an extra, which is usually the one-way rate and / or some administration fee). You can be guided by the image of each one to know the type of vehicle it is. We make the 2-berth filter, automatic, and we go through it until we enter the type of vehicle, which is the Hi-Top, with high roof, from the company Cheapa Campa (the Apollo subsidiary).

As you can see, most of the options do not have an immediate reservation, but you have to make a request and a confirmation will arrive by e-mail within 24 hours. The next step would be to select SEE in the one that interests us.

On the next page, we see in the central part the description of the vehicle, with the equipment it carries and the rest of the technical information. On the right we have the total amount of the rent and the concepts.

In our case, being a reservation of 15 days, we are charged a lower rate from the second week. We also see that they apply a discount from a special promotion and extra fees, which in our case would be the one-way and administrative fees.

Finally, we will have to select the pick-up and delivery times for each city, and choose if we want to take out extended insurance and the extras . An option to contract cancellation insurance also appears at the bottom, to avoid penalties in the event that we finally cancel the reservation.

All this is quite personal, although as we said at the beginning, in the last rentals we have always ended up taking out comprehensive insurance. We will also see what is the amount of the franchise (or deductible) and the amount of the deposit to be charged to the credit card when picking up the van (which is usually the same).

You can see all the information about what the extended insurance includes by clicking. In our case, it completely eliminates the excess (we will not have to pay anything in case of an accident), reduces the deposit from 3,500 AUD to 250 AUD (which is what will be blocked on the credit card and released at the end of the rental) You also save 3% of the administration fee and include a series of extras such as chairs, table, gas bottle or additional driver.

The final step would be to check every detail of the rate. If we agree, then we fill in all the data of the driver, the reservation holder, the means of payment … In this case, it is not necessary that the payment be made by credit card, a normal debit card is valid. A first payment will be made when the reservation is confirmed, and the rest in the days before picking up the van.

Therefore, the reservation will be fully paid, except for the deposit that will be applied to your credit card once you arrive to pick up the van at the office.

5. What insurance to choose?

Rentals include standard insurance with an amount of “excess” (franchise) and general coverage (third parties, civil liability, etc). The franchise is the maximum that has to be paid in case of accident or damage. In case you want to reduce this amount, companies offer options to take out extended insurance, which is priced per rental day.

It should be noted that, if additional insurance is not contracted, when picking up the van, a deposit will have to be left  ,  usually with the amount of the excess. This amount depends on the company, from AUD 2,700 in Cheapa Campa to AUD 5,000 with Go Cheap. Keep this in mind to increase your credit card limit.

There are different insurance options , the cheapest one reduces a significant part of the excess, and the most expensive one eliminates it directly and may include some other extras, such as chairs and tables, administrative fees, gas, etc. The prices per day are between 20 and 40 AUD.

But none of them include roadside assistance and protection for wheels and windows : this coverage always has to be purchased apart from insurance and usually costs about AUD 6-8 per day.

Our recommendation : in recent trips we have always chosen to take out comprehensive insurance, call us carcas, but it gives us peace of mind that you don’t see!

6. Final rental price

In the total to pay for a rental of a van or campervan in Australia or New Zealand these concepts should appear :

Total rental price: detailed by daily price, you know, for long rentals interesting discounts apply. Between 75 and 90 AUD in high season.

Rate for the one-way : sometimes it is not applied, or it is only included for long-term rentals (from three weeks). If this is not the case and they charge you, it should be indicated. The price ranges from AUD 150 to AUD 500.

Fee for the reduction of the franchise and extension of coverage : it is usually charged per day in different packages. The price is usually between 20-40 AUD per day.

Administrative and government fees : between 2% and 3% of the total rent.

Other types of special rates : they are for collecting or returning the van on holidays, a% of the total amount of the deposit, etc. We had to pay AUD 100 to pick up the van on Easter Monday!

Other extra expenses : here they would come if you have chosen to pay a gas bottle in advance, if you want to rent a GPS, the pack of sheets and towel, etc.

7. To keep in mind

Finally, we give you a few tips to finish clarifying the subject further:

 Automatic VS manual . We have rented both manual and automatic vans, and it is much more comfortable to drive the latter. Think that the gear lever will be in your left hand and you will not be used to it. The changes, by the way, are in the same position: that is, the first at the top left, the second at the bottom, etc …

The bigger and older a van is, the more consumption it will have. In Australia or New Zealand gasoline is not expensive, but you always have to take it into account.

Check that all fees are included, one way, card, etc …

Carry a credit card with a sufficient limit , otherwise they will not be able to withhold the amount of the deposit.

We always recommend carrying your international driving license .

If you want to obtain the  international traffic license, you  just have to go to a Traffic office with your driving license and a photo (remember to make an  appointment ), fill in the appropriate form (it will be done in a minute), pay the fee in cash or with card (about € 10) and voila! That easy. The international card is valid for one year.

8. Gasoline

In Australia and New Zealand, gasoline is very cheap (on average AUD 1.45 per liter , less than € 1). Obviously these vans consume much more than a car, but still you will see that it is worth it. We got an average of less than 10 liters per 100 km.

To know the price of gasoline in the different areas of the country we use the Fuel Map Australia app .

9. Where to sleep with the van?

Both Australia and New Zealand are very well prepared countries for traveling by van. There are areas enabled to spend the night, with bathrooms, barbecues, green areas, etc. Although there are also others that are very basic, but at least you can!

You have to pay close attention to the signs, in some places they prohibit spending the night with the van and if the cops catch you, they will give you a warning or directly the fine.

To avoid these scares, we rely on two very useful apps: Wikicamps and Campermate . They will be your best travel friends!

Here are the basic tips for renting a van in Australia or New Zealand . We are sure it will be a wonderful experience! Have you already lived it? What are your recommendations?

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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