Campervan or Hotel + Car Rental in New Zealand: Which Should You Choose?

After booking flights for your big New Zealand road trip, the next piece of the planning puzzle is usually this: should you hire a campervan, or rent a car and book hotels?

It’s a good question. A campervan sounds like it should save you money, since your vehicle and accommodation are rolled into one.

But in New Zealand, that’s not always the case anymore.

When I first moved here over a decade ago, it was pretty easy to find cheap campervan rentals. These days, campervans can be ridiculously expensive, especially in summer. And you’ll still usually need to pay for campsites, too.

On the other hand, car rentals are often cheaper but you’ll need to book accommodation each night. And in popular places like Mount Cook National Park, Queenstown, and Te Anau, hotels can be expensive or fully booked out.

But costs aside, campervanning can bring you a lot of fun and freedom. It could also be your worst nightmare if you’re not used to camping. That’s why I don’t think there’s one obvious answer for everyone.

In this guide, I’ll help you compare the real costs of a campervan vs car rental + hotels in New Zealand. I’ve also included my simple calculator you can use to compare prices for your own travel dates. 

Then I’ll walk through the pros, cons, and factors to consider to help you decide which option actually suits your trip.

A heads-up: this blog is reader-supported, and this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a booking through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping me continue to write, take photos, and share my favourite places in New Zealand!

Campervan vs car rental in New Zealand – cost comparison calculator

Below, you’ll find my calculator to help you compare the main costs of a campervan vs a car and hotels in New Zealand.

To get the most useful results from this calculator, I’d start by looking up real prices for your dates.

Here are the tools I use for comparing prices:

• 🚐 Campervan rentals: check prices on Motorhome Republic
• 🚙 Car rentals: check prices on Discover Cars (an aggregator), and Apex Rentals (my favourite car rental company in NZ)
• 🛏️ Accommodation: check prices on Booking.com

Then plug those numbers into the calculator below.

This won’t be perfect and is meant to be a basic planning tool, not a full trip budget. But this should give you a clearer idea of whether a campervan or car rental + hotels will be cheaper for your trip.

Note that this does not include fuel costs, which are usually higher in a campervan.

Also, campsites are a bit harder to calculate—you’ll probably do a mix of freedom camping ($0), DOC campsites ($15-$18 per person), and holiday parks (which can be $40-70+ per site depending on the campsite). I’d say $40 per night is a good average.

To keep things simple, I’ve used the word ‘hotels’ in the calculator, but this could also mean motels, cabins, holiday homes, or hostels.

Now that you have a rough estimate on costs, let's get into the finer details about what to expect from a campervan rental vs renting a car & staying in accommodation.

🚐 Renting a campervan in New Zealand

Types of campervan rentals in New Zealand

1. Self-contained campervans (or motorhomes)

Self-contained campervans and motorhomes have to meet strict requirements, including a toilet, wastewater storage & freshwater storage along with areas for sleeping and cooking.

Any reputable campervan rental company will clearly outline which of their vans are self-contained or not.

Self-contained campervans are the most expensive campervan rentals, but they also give you the most freedom with where you can go camping in New Zealand.

In a self-contained campervan, you can camp at designated freedom campsites, DOC campsites, and holiday parks across New Zealand.

Self-contained campervans range from small to mid-sized vans sleeping 1-4 people to large motorhomes that can fit up to 6+ people.

2. Non-self-contained campervans

Non-self-contained campervans will still include a bed and kitchen area—and usually wastewater storage & freshwater storage—but they won’t have a toilet and don’t meet self-containment requirements.

These tend to be less expensive than self-contained campervans, but you’ll be more restricted on where you can camp—basically, you can’t camp in most freedom campsites, but you can still camp at DOC campsites and holiday parks.

One other thing to bear in mind is that non-self-contained campervans are typically compact vans (like Toyota Estima minivans or small Hiace vans) and they’re usually suitable for 1-2 people.

✅ Pros of renting a campervan

• It’s really fun. If you love camping and the outdoors, and want to try out van life in New Zealand, you’re going to have an awesome time renting a campervan. The campervan experience makes every day an adventure.

• You’ll have more flexibility. There are hundreds of campsites across New Zealand and outside of peak season, you don’t usually need to book campsites far in advance (with the exception of popular places like Milford Sound). This means you can be more flexible with your itinerary; if the weather looks bad wherever you planned to stay, you can usually switch things up pretty easily.

• You can save money on food costs by cooking for yourself. Campervan rentals almost always include a camping stove, cookware, and a little fridge or cooler for keeping perishables cold. Instead of going out to eat for every meal, you can easily cook meals for yourself—which, once you get the hang of your van, is honestly a fun part of the whole experience! There’s nothing like whipping up dinner while enjoying a stellar view of the mountains or ocean.

• Campervanning is the ultimate way to immerse yourself in New Zealand’s outdoors. You’ll get to stay in campervan sites under the stars, amongst New Zealand’s mountains, lakes, beaches and rivers. Often, you’ll have hiking trails & wildlife viewing right at your campervan’s doorstep.
  
  And in remote natural places with limited accommodation—like Milford Sound & Mount Cook National Park—you’ll be able to enjoy the nearby scenery in the evenings once daytime crowds have departed. 

🚫 Cons of renting a campervan

• Campervan rentals are expensive. There’s just no other way to say it! Self-contained campervans/motorhomes, in particular, can cost up to $400+ per day during peak season.
  
  Your petrol costs will also be higher in a campervan vs a car, and if you plan to take a ferry between the North Island & South Island, ferry rates are more expensive for campervans than cars.
  
  That being said, you can save some money by renting a non-self-contained campervan & staying in mostly cheap campsites (like DOC sites); however, this will only really apply if you're travelling solo or with 1 other person, as non-self-contained vans tend to be on the small side.
  
  
• Pickup/dropoff locations are limited. There are only 3 main campervan depot locations in New Zealand: Auckland, Christchurch & Queenstown. This means you’ll be limited to starting and ending your trip in one of these locations (which is fine for most people, but it depends on what you want to see/do on your trip!).
  
  
• Campervans can be bulky to drive & park. If you rent a large campervan, it can be slow and bulky to drive along New Zealand’s narrow, winding roads. And parking can be more of a challenge, too—particularly in cities with smaller parking spaces.
  
  
• There’s more “life admin” involved. When travelling in a campervan, you’ll need to take time every few days to empty your greywater tank & refill your fresh water supply. It’s not hard to do once you get the hang of it, but you’ll need to take time out of your day to find dump stations and complete the task. 
  

• Your valuables are always with you. Unlike staying in a hotel room—where you can stash away valuable items while you’re out and about—your possessions will always be with you in a campervan.
  
  This can make campervans a target for thieves. Some campervans do include a safe to store away your valuables, so look for this when you book your campervan. Otherwise, I recommend keeping important things (like passports) on you when you go on hikes, etc.
  

• You won’t have much privacy. If you’re sharing your campervan with another person (or multiple others), you’ll be crammed together with little privacy in a small space—so, make sure you get along well with whoever you’re travelling with (or, I suppose, there’s no better way to find out 😂).
  
  Campsites can often be crowded, with sites packed in right next to each other— particularly during peak summer camping season. You’ll also need to share camp kitchens & bathrooms with other travellers, so do keep that in mind if you like privacy.
  

• It’s not always comfortable. You could be camping during a heat spell, with no air conditioning in your van; or when it’s cold or rainy outside, and walking to the toilets in the nighttime isn’t very pleasant.
  
  You may not be able to shower for a few days in a row, and you’ll probably need to use some smelly, non-flush campground toilets.
  
  The bed in your campervan might not be as comfortable as a plush hotel bed. And if you plan to do your campervan trip in New Zealand's winter, you'll need to be prepared for snow, ice & some long nights in your van.
  
  If you’re used to camping and are prepared to rough it a bit, you should be just fine, but I do think these are all important things to consider.

Is it worth renting a campervan in New Zealand?

I do think it’s worth renting a campervan in New Zealand if you can find a campervan company with good reviews and a price you’re comfortable with.

That said, I don’t think it’s worth it at any price. Personally, I’d start to think twice once campervan prices get into the $400+ per night range.

At that point, I’d seriously consider hiring a car and booking accommodation instead. 

A fantastic compromise can be hiring a car and booking cabins at campgrounds or holiday parks. That way, you can get a bit of the camping experience without paying the high price of a van.

🚙 Renting a car in New Zealand 

Car & accommodation options in New Zealand

Car rentals in New Zealand range from budget-friendly compact cars to large SUVs that can fit a large family or group.

With a car rental, you have multiple options for where to stay each night. You could do any combination of the following, depending on your budget & preferences:

• Car + camping (in a tent or camping cabin at a campground)
• Car + hostels
• Car + hotels & motels
• Car + airbnb/VRBO rentals

✅ Pros of renting a car 

• There are numerous pickup/dropoff locations. Unlike renting a campervan—which limits you to picking up/dropping off your vehicle in 3 main locations—there are dozens of car rental depots across New Zealand. This gives you a lot more options when planning your road trip, especially if combined with a domestic flight or two.
  

• A smaller vehicle is easier to drive on New Zealand’s roads. Many roads in both the North Island & South Island are twisty, narrow & steep. For many visitors to New Zealand, a car is much easier to drive than a campervan—and a car can accelerate better up our steep roads and alpine passes.
  

• Car rentals are usually cheaper than campervans. Of course, you’ll need to account for the cost of accommodation, but even so, renting a car and booking accommodation tends to be cheaper than campervanning in New Zealand, particularly during peak travel season.
  

• A car + accommodation is more comfortable than a van. Depending on your budget, of course, you can book some really nice places around New Zealand that have comfy beds, air conditioning (or a heater for winter), and luxe bathrooms. Sometimes, you just can’t beat having a hot shower & cosy room to relax in at the end of the day.
  
  And if you’re travelling with a family or group, you could consider booking apartment-style accommodation to have more privacy and space, which is something that a campervan just can’t really provide.

🚫 Cons of renting a car

• You’ll have less flexibility & freedom with your trip plans. Because you’ll need to book most accommodation in advance, your itinerary will be locked in. If the weather is bad in locations you plan to visit, you won’t easily be able to change your plans and cancel accommodation.
  

• Accommodation is limited in some places. In popular but remote destinations like Mount Cook National Park & Milford Sound, accommodation is limited and expensive. You’ll need to book your accommodation far in advance and expect to pay high prices in places like these, or stay further away and day-trip in.
  

• Cooking for yourself can be harder. If you plan to stay in lots of hotels, you won’t usually have access to a kitchen to cook meals for yourself.
  
  That being said, hostels will have communal kitchens, and many motels in New Zealand offer kitchenettes in their units—so if you’d like to cook for yourself, look for accommodation that offers cooking facilities. 
  
  You’ll also need to consider how you’ll transport perishable food, since car rentals don’t typically come with coolers or fridges like campervans do. You could consider purchasing a chilly bin (cooler) when you land in NZ, or bring a collapsible cooler bag with you.

Still can’t decide between a car or campervan?

This is such a personal thing and I don’t want to make a decision for you, since we’re all different. That being said, here are my suggestions if you’re still stuck on what to do!

• If campervanning in New Zealand sounds even a little bit fun to you—and you know you like camping—then give a campervan rental a try! I think you’re going to love it, as long as you’re prepared for the campervan cost and roughing it a bit.
  

• If you’re really on the fence—and/or if campervan prices seem exorbitant for your travel dates—go with a car + accommodation. I don’t think you can go wrong with this option, but make sure you book your accommodation well in advance to avoid missing out.

Tips for your New Zealand road trip (in a car or campervan)

• If you’re flying to New Zealand from a far-away international destination, it’s a good idea to rest up for a night (or two) at your arrival city before picking up your car or campervan. Too many accidents happen due to tired travellers getting behind the wheel after a long-haul flight, so please don’t let that be you!

• New Zealand isn’t a cheap place to visit, and prices are particularly high during our peak summer season, which runs from December through February (with 26 December through the first 2 weeks of January being absolute peak travel & camping season). If you’re travelling on a budget (or dislike crowds), consider booking a shoulder season visit.

• Download the free Campermate app, which shows campsites in New Zealand and also where to find toilets, drinking water, and other road trip necessities. It’s so useful!

• If you need to pick up any gear before hitting the road, head to the Warehouse or Kmart, where you’ll find the cheapest prices on items like chilly bins (coolers), camp/beach chairs, etc. 

• Consider a one-way car or campervan rental, which can sometimes work out to be the same cost as picking up and returning from the same location, especially if you take into account ferry costs. It’s often more time-efficient, too. 

• Planning to take the ferry from the North Island to the South Island? If you’re renting a car, check that your car rental company allows you to take your car on the ferry (sometimes, you may have to drop off your car in Wellington and pick up a new one in Picton, or vice versa). Campervan companies almost always let you take your campervan rental on the ferries, but again, double check to be safe.

• Petrol stations and supermarkets are typically more plentiful—and cheaper—in cities than in remote locations. When possible, fill up your vehicle’s tank & stock up on groceries when you’re in urban areas.

Thanks for reading!

I truly hope this guide has helped you decide whether to book a car or campervan for your New Zealand road trip.

And let me just say this: no matter which way you decide to travel around New Zealand, you shouldn’t have FOMO in the slightest. 

Both car and campervan travel are great ways to see the country, and I trust you’ll have an awesome time no matter which option you go with.

Want some New Zealand road trip itineraries?

Now that you’ve hopefully decided on a car or campervan for your New Zealand road trip, it’ll be time to sort out your itinerary.

Have a look at some of my NZ road trip itineraries, most of which are ideal for either car or campervan travel—I think you’ll find something just for you!

• North Island itineraries
  • 7-day North Island road trip
    
    
  • 10-day North Island road trip
    
    
  • 14-day North Island road trip
    
    
• South Island itineraries
  • Christchurch to Queenstown road trip itinerary (5-7 days)
    
    
  • 7-day South Island itinerary (hits all the highlights)
    
    
  • Picton to Queenstown road trip via the West Coast (8 days)
    
    
  • 3-week campervan itinerary for New Zealand's South Island
    
    
• North & South Island itineraries
  • Auckland to Queenstown road trip (14 days)
    
    
  • Auckland to Christchurch road trip (21 days)