What does one-way rental mean and does it cost more?

One-way rentals are defined as those where you pick up your campervan in one location and return it in another. In contrast to a round trip, the pick-up and drop-off points are not the same. In most cases, the rental companies will then charge an additional one-way fee to cover the return costs. After all, the campervan must be returned to the original location after the drop-off.

One-way routes must always be requested from the respective rental company and confirmed by them. This involves an increased logistical effort for the rental company. After all, they must first ensure that the vehicles can be rented out again at the point of delivery.

A one-way rental is worthwhile if you want to cover long distances at your holiday destination and have no time to drive back along the explored route. This is particularly common in large countries such as the USA, Canada or Australia. Here many of our customers opt for a one-way campervan rental.

Some of our most popular one-way routes

Auckland – Christchurch in New Zealand

Our most popular campervan destinations in New Zealand

Campervan hire in New ZealandAuckland

4-week trip in June

Average Temperature: 17º

from £11.64 per nightmore infos

Campervan hire in New ZealandChristchurch

4-week trip in June

Average Temperature: 13º

from £11.41 per nightmore infos

Campervan hire in New ZealandQueenstown

2-week trip in May

Average Temperature: 7º

from £24.80 per nightmore infos

Los Angeles – Las Vegas in the USA

Our most popular campervan destinations in the US

Rent a camper in United StatesSan Francisco

4-week trip in March

Average temperature: 9º

from £26.39 per nightmore infos

Rent a camper in United StatesLos Angeles

4-week trip in February

Average temperature: 10º

from £19.43 per nightmore infos

Rent a camper in United StatesLas Vegas

2-week trip in November

Average temperature: 3º

from £29.44 per nightmore infos

The one-way fee varies according to country, route, season and rental company. On busy routes, campervan one-way rentals are usually cheaper than on less popular routes. The fee often also depends on the distance travelled. This is because the further away the rental location is, the higher the cost of returning the campervan. Many rental companies therefore charge according to kilometres.

Approximate costs for one-way rentals

• Australia and New Zealand:
  one-way charges of less than 100 euros are possible

• North America:
  depending on the route and season, around 200 to 600 euros

• Europe:
  Particularly cost-intensive, up to 1,000 euros for a one-way route

The one-way fee is included in every CamperDays offer and the final price includes the one-way fee. If a one-way fee is not shown, there are no additional fees for this offer.

The earlier you book your campervan, the more likely you are to benefit from discounts on one-way rentals. In addition, on popular routes, the chance to get a more favourable one-way rental is greater than on less travelled routes.

Also look out for special offers from rental companies when booking. If you are looking for a campervan via our comparison portal, the prices for one-way rentals are always listed in the cost overview. Specials or special offers, where the one-way fee is particularly favourable or in rare cases even omitted, are also already included in the offer.

One-way rentals are seldom completely free of charge. In New Zealand, the one-way fee may be waived depending on the season, rental company and availability. One-way rentals can be free of charge on routes that are normally return routes, for example: if the majority of campervan drivers drive the route in the opposite direction.