RV Rental Cost

What’s the Cost to Rent an RV?

If you’re just starting out with renting an RV, you may find the options overwhelming. The world of RVing has changed a great deal in recent years, so it can be difficult to get your bearings on what to expect from the market at-large.

In the past, when you wanted to rent an RV, you had to go to a dealership and pay exorbitant rates for your rental, and if you wanted to connect with an RV owner directly to secure a more competitive rate, you had to sift through hundreds of classifieds. Nowadays, with the advent of peer-to-peer marketplaces like RVshare, the dealership pseudo-monopoly has been broken. More than ever before, renters have the power to compare their options and negotiate a fair RV rental rate.

RV Rental Cost

So, how does RVshare lower the cost of renting an RV?

On the RVshare platform, owners post a listing to rent out their RV, complete with pictures and relevant information. At any given time on the RVshare platform, there are several thousands of unique listings posted from around the USA. Interested renters can comb through hundreds of listings and easily compare the available options.

The RVshare platform benefits from two things: 1) there is no price or feature standardization, and 2) information is freely available and easily accessible.

With a standard dealership, certain tiers of pricing must be set. Sure, a dealership may be bargained down on price somewhat, but first and foremost, they must protect their business interests. A dealership can only lower their rental rates to the extent that their business model allows them to do so.

With RVshare, there is no price or feature standardization. Owners are mostly regular folks who happen to have an unused RV and would like to rent it out for a bit of extra income. This is important because, with enough patience, a prospective renter can find deeply discounted rental rates on the platform, well below the “market” rate.

Of course, rates will generally reflect a more limited range in keeping with the RV model, age, and offered amenities–but even still, the “average” rate on RVshare is much lower than the standard dealership rate. Owners are incentivized to make their rates more competitive because they're directly competing with so many other listings.

Renters are empowered, not only because they have free and easy access to so many listings, but also because they can establish a direct, less formal relationship with the owner. Depending on the owner’s rental prospects, they may be amenable to further negotiation.

Now, before you go ahead and explore RV options, it’s worth considering the average cost of an RV rental for your desired specifications. There really is no “standard rate” when it comes to rentals on the RVshare platform, but by understanding the range you can expect, you’ll be able to get a quick sense for whether or not you’ve spotted a good deal!

RV Rental Cost Per Day

On RVshare, you’ll encounter a wide range of RV rental rates. As such, the most actionable methodology for determining the cost of an RV is to consider the rates as a range within a particular RV category.

Let’s consider the range of daily rates for some of our popular RV categories.

• Class A Motorhome: $150-450+

• Class B Motorhome: $80-350+

• Class C Motorhome: $125-450+

• Travel Trailer: $80-200+

• Fifth Wheel Trailer: $125-250+

• Truck Camper: $50-250+

Again, it’s worth noting that these are just commonly seen ranges. Some owners may be more generous than others. You may be lucky enough to find a significantly discounted RV, simply because the owner wants to give others an opportunity to experience the joy of RVing.

RV Rental Cost Per Week

The cost of renting an RV for a week (or for several weeks) is usually quite a bit less than the daily rate. Owners are incentivized to offer discounts for weekly RV rentals as they're saved from the administrative costs of having to find new renters to fill out the empty days.

If you find a listing you love on RVshare that does not have a discounted weekly rate, don’t give up! Contact the owner directly and ask if they are amenable to a discounted rate for a weekly rental. Many owners are happy to offer a discount for weekly rentals, but simply forget to mention it when they post their listing.

As a general rule, most per week rentals usually come at a 10-30% discount (when compared to the daily rate paid for a week). If you’re on a more limited budget, it’s recommended that you look into renting for a week or more so that you can take advantage of the discounted rate.

Cost to Rent an RV for a Month

Just like weekly rentals, monthly RV rentals come at a significant discount. An owner willing to part with their RV for a month will happily welcome a monthly rental, as it saves them the hassle of having to post more listings and find new renters.

As a general rule, per month rentals typically come at a massive 30-50% discount (when compared to the daily rate paid for an entire month).

RV Rental Cost Per Mile

On RVshare, you’ll find a wide variety of mileage costs–some listings will allow for unlimited mileage at no extra cost, some will allow for a set amount of “free” miles and charge for excess mileage, while a few will charge a per mile fee right from the start.

Excess mileage generally costs between $0.25/mile and $0.50/mile, though listings for particularly luxurious RVs may charge up to $0.80/mile (in excess of the included “free” miles).

Rent through RVshare for Competitive Rates

By using RVshare, you gain access to the world’s largest database of RV rental listings. Filter your search to find exactly what you need, keep on the lookout for heavily discounted listings, and negotiate with the RV owner when appropriate–soon enough, you’ll find a great deal!