RV rentals are becoming more and more popular every year, as people are exploring new and alternative ways to travel and see the country.
And thanks to popular sites like RVshare and Outdoorsy, it’s never been easier to rent an RV for a weekend or longer.
But if you’ve never rented an RV before, you’re probably wondering how much it costs to rent an RV for the weekend?
RVs are typically rented by the night, with prices ranging from $50 for a basic camper to over $300 for a large luxury motorhome.
Which means it will cost anywhere from $100 to $600+ to rent an RV for a weekend, in general, though you can expect to spend between $250 and $500 for a newer average-sized RV.
If you’re looking for specific examples of weekend RV rental rates though, make sure to keep reading.
As we provide 20 actual weekend RV rental rates for a variety of RVs, plus answer several popular questions around RV rentals.
Weekend RV Rental Rates (Least to Most Expensive)
Make/Model/Trim | Weekend Rate | RV Type | Year | Sleeps |
Braxton Creek Bushwacker | $100 | Teardrop | 2021 | 2 |
Flagstaff MAC 206M | $150 | Pop-Up | 2014 | 6 |
KZ Escape E180RBT | $158 | Travel Trailer | 2017 | 8 |
Forest River Rockwood A112S | $190 | Pop-Up | 2020 | 3 |
Starcraft Autumn Ridge 26BH | $218 | Travel Trailer | 2021 | 9 |
Jayco Octane T32H | $220 | Toy Hauler | 2018 | 8 |
Jayco White Hawk 28RBKS | $250 | Travel Trailer | 2017 | 4 |
Keystone RV Hideout 272BH | $300 | Travel Trailer | 2021 | 9 |
Pleasure-Way Plateau TD | $318 | Class B | 2007 | 2 |
Thor Motor Coach Four Winds 26B | $400 | Class C | 2017 | 6 |
Jayco Redhawk 31XL | $400 | Class C | 2016 | 8 |
Holiday Rambler Vacationer 36SBT | $420 | Class A | 2013 | 6 |
Fleetwood Pulse | $440 | Class B+ | 2009 | 5 |
Coachmen Freelander 27QB | $458 | Class C | 2021 | 7 |
Thor Motor Coach Sequence 20A | $460 | Class B | 2022 | 4 |
Airstream International 23D | $498 | Travel Trailer | 2017 | 6 |
Fleetwood RV Storm 32BH | $498 | Class A | 2013 | 8 |
Winnebago Travato 59K | $498 | Class B | 2020 | 4 |
Thor Motor Coach A.C.E. 30.4 | $598 | Class A | 2020 | 6 |
Airstream Atlas | $650 | Class B+ | 2021 | 2 |
*Pricing does not include taxes and fees.
To see how much it would cost to rent an RV for the weekend in your local area, check out RVshare’s website by clicking here.
How RV Class Affects the Rental Cost
The RV type or class can have a big impact on the rental cost of an RV.
As some RV classes cost more to rent than others.
With towable RVs such as pop-up campers and travel trailers costing the least and drivable RVs such as Class A, B, and C motorhomes costing the most.
So to give you a better idea of how much it might cost to rent an RV for the weekend, we’ve broken down the average rental cost for an RV, based on its class.
RV Class | Average Weekend Rate | |
Teardrop Camper | $100 to $150 | |
Pop-Up Camper | $120 to $200 | |
Travel Trailer | $140 to $300 | |
Class C | $250 to $400 | |
Class B | $300 to $450 | |
Class A | $450 to $600 |
Other Costs Associated with Renting an RV
While the cost of the RV rental is the biggest cost associated with renting an RV for the weekend, it’s definitely not the only cost.
As there are several other costs you’ll need to budget for when renting an RV, including campsite rental fees, admission fees, mileage and fuel costs, and provision costs.
Campsite Rental Fees
The second biggest cost associated with renting an RV for the weekend is the cost of renting an RV campsite.
As RV campsite rates can range anywhere from $15 to over $100 a night, depending on what type of campground it is, where the campground is located, the size of the campsite, and what hookups are offered.
But in general, you can usually expect to spend somewhere between $40 and $60 a night for an average campsite with full hookups.
Admission Fees
Another cost you might need to budget for depending on where the campground is located is admission fees.
As campgrounds located in National and State Parks will not only have a campsite rental rate but will also have an admission fee just to enter the park.
Which can range anywhere from $5 to $20 per person or $10 to $40 per vehicle, depending on the park, and whether you an in-state or out-of-state resident.
Mileage Costs
While mileage costs are not always applicable, depending on the terms of your RV rental agreement, they can be a cost associated with renting an RV.
As there are three main types of RV rentals agreement when it comes to mileage, including the pay per mile model, the unlimited mileage model, and the hybrid model, which is a combination of the first two.
If you’re under the pay per mile model, you can expect to spend between .17 cents and .35 cents per mile.
If you’re under the hybrid model, you’ll usually be given a certain amount of daily miles for free, such as 100, and then be charged anywhere from .25 cents to .35 cents per mile over that amount.
Of course, there are also RV rental agreements that have unlimited miles with no mileage fees, however, these usually have higher rental rates.
So it’s important to understand what type of RV rental agreement you’re signing.
Fuel Costs
Regardless of whether you have to pay for mileage though, the cost you will always have to pay when renting and traveling in an RV are fuel costs, which can get very expensive.
As large drivable RVs such as Class A and C RVs will typically get anywhere from 6 to 12 miles per gallon, while smaller drivable RVs such as Class B and Class B+ RVs will typically get anywhere from 15 to 20 miles per gallon.
And if you’re thinking you’ll rent a towable RV to avoid these high fuel costs, think again.
Because the fuel economy of your tow vehicle will typically be cut in half when you’re pulling an RV.
So if your tow vehicle typically gets 20 miles per gallon, you can expect that same vehicle to get somewhere around 10 miles per gallon while towing an RV.
Of course, it’s possible to avoid both mileage as well as fuel costs by using the delivery option on sites like RVshare and Outdoorsy.
As some individuals on these sites will actually deliver the RV to the campsite for you, however, there is usually a fee for this service.
Firewood Costs
A cost that’s often overlooked when renting an RV for the weekend is the cost of firewood.
As campgrounds will typically charge anywhere from $5 to $10 per bundle of firewood, which is usually just four or five pieces of wood.
This means you can usually expect to spend between $30 and $60 on firewood if you plan to have a campfire every evening and night while you’re camping.
To find out how to save money on firewood while camping, check out the article on our sister site “Top 5 Places to Find Cheap Firewood for Camping“.
Is it Cheaper to Rent an RV or Stay in a Hotel?
We’ve already seen that there can be a wide price range when it comes to renting an RV.
And renting a hotel room is no different.
As you can spend as little as $60 a night for a basic economy motel room to more than $800 a night for a luxurious 5-star hotel room.
Because of this, it can be difficult to answer the question of whether renting an RV is cheaper than staying in a hotel.
However, in general, renting an RV is typically cheaper than renting a hotel room, as it will usually cost around $120 a night to rent a newer average-sized RV, while an average hotel room will usually cost around $186 a night.
But as we’ve just pointed out in the previous section, it’s important to remember that there are more costs associated with renting an RV than just the RV rental itself.
As you also need to account for the RV campsite, admission fees, fuel costs, mileage costs, and provisions when calculating the true cost of an RV rental.
Which can often bring the cost of an RV rental on par with renting a hotel room.
So when trying to decide between renting an RV or a hotel room for you’re next trip or vacation, it’s often more helpful to decide what type of experience you want, as opposed to using cost as a deciding factor.
As the cost of renting an RV or a hotel room is often a wash, once you’ve accounted for all costs associated with each type of rental.
How Do You Rent an RV?
There are two main ways to rent an RV.
The first way is to use a peer-to-peer RV rental site, such as RVshare or Outdoorsy, which allows you to rent an RV from a local individual, much like Airbnb.
The second way is to use an RV rental agency, such as Cruise America, which allows you to rent an RV from a company, much like you would rent a moving truck from a moving company.
And while there are pros and cons to each method, the more popular way to rent an RV these days tends to be peer-to-peer RV rental sites.
As peer-to-peer RV rental sites offer more flexibility, offer a wider variety of RVs, and tend to be cheaper, compared to RV rental agencies.
With RV rental sites like RVshare and Outdoorsy costing anywhere from $50 to $100 less a night compared to large national RV rental agencies.
Do You Need a Special License to Drive an RV?
A common question for new RVers planning to rent an RV for the weekend or longer is whether or not they need a special license to drive or tow an RV.
The good news, however, is that for the vast majority of RVs, a standard driver’s license is all you need to drive or tow an RV.
With the only exception being if you’re driving or towing a vehicle that exceeds the max length or weight of a recreational vehicle for that particular state.
As this would mean you would need a commercial driver’s license or CDL to operate the vehicle.
However, it’s highly unlikely you would cross this line with an RV, as the RV industry as a whole typically only builds RVs that will comply and stay below the max length and weight limits for all 50 states.
How Difficult is it to Drive an RV?
While driving an RV can take some getting used to, due to their larger size and heavier weight, just about anybody can learn to safely and successfully operate an RV, with a little bit of practice and a healthy dose of caution.
However, if you’ve never driven an RV before, especially a larger one, there are some things you need to be aware of, such as off tracking, rear overhang, tail swing, and the “10 Second Rule”.
So if you’re new to RVing, you should check out our article “Is It Hard to Drive a Class A RV? What You Need to Know“.
As this article will go over all the things you need to know while driving an RV and give you a good idea of what it’s like to drive one.
To see how much its costs to rent an RV for a week, check out our article “Average Cost to Rent an RV for a Week (20 Examples)“.
Sources:
Cruise America RV Rental – Cruise America Pay Per Mile Fees
Nerd Wallet – Average Cost to Rent a Hotel Room
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