Peer-to-Peer RV Rental Statistics in Australia

Fact checked · 44 sources

At a glance

Peer-to-peer (P2P) RV rental lets private owners hire out their caravans, campervans and motorhomes directly to travellers through online platforms.

  • Rental market: Australia's motorhome, campervan and caravan rental market is worth AUD 198.1 million in 2026.1
  • Vehicles to share: 937,701 caravans and campervans were registered as of January 2025.2
  • Demand: 17.3 million caravan and camping trips were taken in 2025, a record year.2
  • Try before you buy: 47% of would-be RV buyers would consider hiring one first (2018 survey).3
  • Tax: owners must declare all P2P rental income4, and since 1 July 2024 platforms report vehicle hire to the ATO.5

How big is the Australian RV rental market?

The Australian RV rental market is valued at AUD 198.1 million in 20261.

  • The market grew at an average of 10.4% a year between 2021 and 2026.1
  • In 2026, the market dipped 1.4% to AUD 198.1 million.1
Australian RV Rental Market Value (AUD million)IBISWorld50100150200191.6198.12023202420252026YearMarket value (AUD million)
Australian motorhome, campervan and caravan rental market value by financial year, in AUD millions. 2025 is not published on IBISWorld’s public pages.

Australian RV owner/renter demographics

Who are the typical RV owners renting out their vehicles in Australia?

  • The average age of an Australian RV owner was 33 in the industry association's 2018 survey3, younger than the median age of the overall Australian population (38)6.
  • Owners include young families, professionals, and retirees, many of whom rent out their RVs to offset costs.
  • Many P2P RV owners reside in regional or outer-suburban areas, where storage space is available.

Who are the most common RV renters in Australia?

  • Renters tend to be families, couples, and younger travellers seeking affordable holiday options.
  • Many renters are first-time RV users, testing the experience before considering a purchase.
  • In the industry association's 2018 survey, 47% of people looking to buy their first RV said they would consider hiring one first to "try before they buy", led by the under-40s.3

Do you pay tax on private RV rental income?

Owners who rent out a caravan, campervan, motorhome or camper trailer through a peer-to-peer platform must declare all of that income in their tax return, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).4

  • Deductions: platform membership or listing fees and commission can be claimed in full, but storage, loan interest, depreciation, insurance, registration and cleaning must be split between rental and private use.4
  • Private use: if the RV was bought mainly for private use, any time it is not actually hired out counts as private use, even while it is listed as available.4
  • Platform reporting: since 1 July 2024, sharing platforms have had to report hire of vehicles and other moveable assets7 to the ATO twice a year.5
  • GST: owners need to register for GST once their GST turnover reaches AUD 75,000 a year.8

What insurance and registration do you need to rent out an RV?

  • Insurance: standard caravan policies often exclude hire. NRMA's caravan policy, for example, does not cover a caravan used "for hire, rental or caravan sharing" unless it is an on-site caravan rented through a rental site or sharing platform within the usage shown on the certificate.9
  • New South Wales: a vehicle let out for hire without a driver is registered under the "Rental vehicle" (RENV) usage.10
  • Queensland: a motorhome used as a hire vehicle moves to CTP Class 4 (hire vehicles).11
  • Victoria: a vehicle mainly used for self-drive hire of less than 28 days falls into the TAC's "hire and drive yourself" category, which carries its own transport accident charge.12

How to rent out your caravan or campervan in Australia

  1. Check your insurance. Standard caravan policies often exclude hire9, so confirm your policy covers hire or sharing before you list your RV.
  2. Check your registration. Some states treat a hired-out vehicle differently: New South Wales uses the "Rental vehicle" usage10, Queensland moves hired motorhomes to CTP Class 411, and Victoria has a "hire and drive yourself" category12.
  3. Set your daily price. Compare with rental-company rates in your city, which average about AUD 189–229 per day in the major cities.
  4. List your RV on a peer-to-peer platform. Add photos, availability and your rules for pets, kilometres and bond.
  5. Keep records for tax. Declare all your rental income and keep receipts4, as platforms now report hire income to the ATO.5

How much does it cost to hire a campervan in Australia?

Campervan hire in Australia typically costs AUD 189–229 per day in the major cities, based on CamperChamp's daily price checks of rental companies for a 7-day hire picked up between October 2026 and September 2027. Sydney is the cheapest major city at about AUD 189 per day on average, and Perth the most expensive at about AUD 229 per day.

  • Cheapest time to hire: May and June are the cheapest months in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Cairns.
  • Peak time: January is the most expensive month in most cities, reaching about AUD 288 per day in Hobart.
  • For private owners: these rental-company rates are a useful benchmark when setting a daily price for your own caravan or campervan.
Campervan hire daily rates by city in Australia (7-day hire, pickups October 2026 to September 2027)
CityAverage daily rateCheapest monthPeak month
SydneyAUD 189May 2027 (AUD 169)January 2027 (AUD 224)
MelbourneAUD 196June 2027 (AUD 171)January 2027 (AUD 232)
BrisbaneAUD 199May 2027 (AUD 177)January 2027 (AUD 221)
AdelaideAUD 206June 2027 (AUD 183)January 2027 (AUD 263)
CairnsAUD 219May 2027 (AUD 199)January 2027 (AUD 239)
DarwinAUD 222March 2027 (AUD 196)April 2027 (AUD 258)
HobartAUD 225December 2026 (AUD 198)January 2027 (AUD 288)
PerthAUD 229December 2026 (AUD 204)January 2027 (AUD 266)

Source · CamperChamp daily price checks of rental companies, 8 October 2026. Rates are the median supplier quote per day.

RV ownership in Australia

Australia had 937,701 caravans and campervans registered as of January 2025 (834,220 caravans and 103,481 campervans)13, a record high and 32% more than in 2019.2

  • RV ownership is at an all-time high, with one in 13 Australian households owning an RV in 20183.
Registered Caravans and Campervans in AustraliaCaravans and campervans registered as at 31 January each yearTourism Research Australia (ABS Motor Vehicle Census; BITRE)200K400K600K800K1M615,443937,7012016201720182019202020212022202320242025YearTotal caravans and campervans
Caravans and campervans registered in Australia, as at 31 January each year.

RV ownership by Australian state

  • Queensland has the highest number of RVs with 257,534 registered caravans and campervans in 2025, followed by Victoria (226,008) and New South Wales (219,818).13
  • Ownership growth is seen across all states, with regional and coastal areas leading the trend.

How many people camp using an RV in Australia?

In 2025, a record year, Australians took 17.3 million domestic caravan and camping trips and spent 57.9 million nights camping.2

  • 2019: caravan and camping nights topped 60 million for the first time, with about 14 million trips.14
Caravan and Camping Trips in AustraliaDomestic overnight caravan and camping trips per calendar yearCaravan Industry Association of Australia; Tourism Research Australia5M10M15M20M12.6M17.3M2019202020212022202320242025YearCaravan and camping overnight trips
Domestic overnight caravan and camping trips in Australia by calendar year. No calendar-year figure was published for 2020.

How many RVs are sold annually in Australia?

Australian manufacturers produced 23,963 new RVs in 2025, 5% fewer than in 2024, while caravan trailer and component imports rose 16% to 23,244 units.15 In 2024, output was 25,185 RVs, while 19,993 caravan trailers were imported.16

  • 2018: 23,070 RVs were manufactured domestically, plus an estimated 10,000-plus imports, around 33,000 new RVs in total.17
  • 2022: Nearly 50,000 new RVs entered the market (28,031 locally built, 20,498 imported), the highest level recorded at the time.18
RVs Built in AustraliaCaravan Industry Association of Australia10K20K30K40K31,28923,9632022202320242025YearRVs built in Australia
New RVs built in Australia by year, 2022–2025 (towable and motorised).

Additional FAQs about P2P RV rental in Australia

How much does it cost to rent an RV in Australia?
  • Campervan hire averages about AUD 189–229 per day in the major cities, based on CamperChamp's October 2026 price checks of rental companies for a 7-day hire.
  • January is the most expensive month in most cities, reaching about AUD 288 per day in Hobart, while May and June are usually the cheapest.
Is peer-to-peer RV rental growing in Australia?
  • P2P RV rentals are continuing to expand due to increasing consumer preference for flexible travel.
  • Demand to try before buying is strong: 47% of would-be RV buyers would consider hiring one first (2018 survey).3
How does RV rental pricing vary by Australian state?
  • Average daily rates are highest in Perth (about AUD 229) and Hobart (AUD 225), and lowest in Sydney (AUD 189) and Melbourne (AUD 196).
  • Hobart has the sharpest January peak, at about AUD 288 per day.
What is the average age of RV owners in Australia?
  • The average RV owner in Australia was 33 years old in the industry association's 2018 survey3.
  • Previously, RV ownership was dominated by retirees, but millennials and Gen X are now major buyers.

References

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  2. Caravan and Camping Data (Tourism Research Australia)Tourism Research AustraliaRetrieved 2026-09-18
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  6. ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, All persons QuickStatsAustralian Bureau of StatisticsPublished 2022-06-28 · Retrieved 2026-09-18
  7. ATO — Who needs to report under the SERRato.gov.auRetrieved 2026-10-09
  8. ATO, Registering for GST (QC22412)ato.gov.auPublished 2025-05-23 · Retrieved 2026-10-09
  9. ab
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  16. Caravan Industry Association of Australia — Caravan and Camping State of Industry 2025assets.pc.gov.auPublished 2025-05-01 · Retrieved 2026-09-17
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