RV Rental Comparisons

I've been thinking about taking a road trip this summer. I took one last summer with my son and we wandered around the country staying in motels and camping. This time i think it would be fun to rent an RV and cruise in style. I've done some checking around and I'll share what I found out.

Online Resources

Almost all of the motor home rental agencies will provide you with easy online quotes. When I say easy, I mean they let you poke around and try dates without having to enter any personal information. You just fill in the pickup and drop off dates, select the type of RV want to rent and they will provide you with the availability and a quote. You can reserve the motor home if you want to usually by giving them a credit card to hold the reservation.

Comparison of RV Rental Agencies

CruiseAmerica is the #1 and also the most popular. You can rent a standard motor home for a couple weeks for about $1600. There are a few things you should know however. You have to pre purchase a base package of1400 miles as part of the quote. You can return any unused miles for a refund, and they have a flat rate of $0.32 a mile for anything you use. But you have to give them the $450 up front.

El Monte RV also provides online reservations and quotes. They are a bit more expensive overall for a comparable RV than just about anyone else. The base cost for the same 14 day rental is about $2300. You will find that they do have a lower cost per mile of $0.26, but that is not going to help you much unless you plan to take a super long trip. I should also point out the El Monte has the newest and probably the nicest RVs in the rental market so if you want something a little more fancy, this is the way to go.

If you are heading out to Utah or Wyoming, you should look into AccessRV. They are a small but well stocked rental agency, but they have a limited number of pickup and drop off locations. I like them because they are the least expensive overall. You can rent a 26 foot motorhome for about $700. They do however have the highest mileage cost at $0.55 a mile

The Bottom Line

If you are planning a short trip, you should go with a motorhome rental service that has the lower rental cost and higher per mile cost. You can save a fair bit of cash if you go this way. If I were to keep my down to less than 3000 miles, going with AccessRV would be the best deal at about $1400 for the trip. Keep in mind they have limited pick up and drop off locations so this can be a factor. It is also a good idea to make reservations well in advance if you are planning an adventure in the summer months. This is the high season and all of the rental agencies usually sell out. Also, don't forget to factor in the price of fuel. These days, that can cost more than the rental itself