Why is renting a campervan so expensive?
The main influence on the price of renting a camper is the cost of purchasing it. Today, for a modern “home on wheels” we will have to pay 270.000 400.000 PLN gross. However, it should be noted that this is the base price for the cheapest, poorly equipped models. Those offered by rental companies are usually equipped with air conditioning, awnings, stabilizing legs, bike racks and other similar accessories. The rental company must first pay extra for all of them. Amounts of around PLN XNUMX gross for campers “working” in rental companies do not surprise anyone.
Another factor is small accessories. More and more rental companies (thankfully!) don't charge extra for camp chairs, a table, a water hose, leveling ramps, or snow chains in the winter. However, before starting your business, all these elements must be purchased. In a “thrift pays twice” mentality, they cannot be of poor quality. A sample set of four light and durable camping chairs and a table of similar quality costs from PLN 1000 and above.
Next item: insurance. Rental companies cannot offer rentals of their high-end vehicles based on standard third party liability and AC contracts. In the event of a breakdown, the client must be provided with towing, hotel accommodation and the opportunity to return safely to the country, even if it is in the very south of Greece or Spain. Such insurances can be found on the market, but they are much more expensive. How many? Up to PLN 15.000 per year of full protection.
The price of renting a camper in summer is also influenced by the specific “seasonality” of this type of tourism. Rental companies are trying to convince customers to travel in the spring, winter and fall, but the biggest boom still occurs during the holiday months. We only have two in Poland, and then the company must earn royalties for the remaining year. Don't want to overpay? Take advantage of rental services in May, June or September and October. Bad weather in Poland, low temperatures? Yes, but in Croatia, for example, the situation is already much better. The lower rental price comes with lower camping fees. Savings on one two-week trip can even amount to several thousand zlotys.
To summarize, the costs of running this type of business are high. So is the risk - a camper or trailer can easily be damaged, especially if it is used by a person who has never had anything to do with camping before. A deposit paid for this reason will not “magically” return the vehicle to the fleet. The camper must first be repaired, which often takes several weeks. Obviously, then the car will not bring any profit.
Let's also not forget that the owner of the rental company runs it to make money. Contrary to appearances, these are not the “coconuts” that you can often read about in numerous comments on the Internet. It's no secret that most of the people behind the rental companies operating in our country are also engaged in another, more profitable business and rent campervans out of passion for this type of travel. This is good information for those who don't know what to eat. An enthusiast will give us advice, find time for us, indicate not only the critical points of the car, but also show campsites or regions that are worth visiting.
PS. In the latest issue of Polski Caravaning magazine (still available!) you will find a complete list of campervan and caravan rental companies. Here we have also included important tips for those who just want to go on the first caravan trip of their dreams. We recommend!
