Cheap RV Rentals: 9 Ways to Cut Your Rental Cost

1. Rent an Older or Smaller Rig

The single biggest lever on price is the RV itself. Based on published listings, a large late model Class A motorhome can cost several times the nightly rate of a modest Class C or camper van.

Among drivable RVs, camper vans and small Class C rigs usually list cheapest, drive most easily, and burn the least fuel. Class A coaches sit at the top of the price range and drink fuel to match.

Age matters just as much as size. An older rig with strong recent reviews often delivers the same beds and kitchen for a fraction of the price of a new one.

If you already own a capable tow vehicle, a small travel trailer can undercut every drivable option. You skip the motorhome premium and only pay for the living space.

2. Travel in Shoulder Season

RV rental prices follow demand, and demand peaks in summer and around holidays. Shift the same trip to spring or fall and the nightly rate on many listings drops with it.

Shoulder season also means quieter campgrounds and easier bookings. Our guide to the best time to rent an RV breaks down the calendar month by month.

Starting a trip midweek helps too. Weekend starts face the strongest demand, so a Monday pickup can price lower for the same rig.

3. Watch Mileage and Generator Caps

Many listings include a daily mileage allowance, with a per mile charge once you pass it. On a long route those overage miles can quietly add hundreds of dollars to the final bill.

Motorhome generators are often metered by the hour in the same way. If you plan to camp without hookups and run the air conditioner, check the included generator hours before booking.

A listing with a slightly higher nightly rate and unlimited miles can beat a cheaper rig with a tight cap. Do the math against your planned route, not the sticker price.

4. Compare the Total Price, Not the Nightly Rate

The advertised nightly rate is only the starting point. Service fees, insurance, taxes, and cleaning or prep fees stack on top at checkout.

Two listings with identical nightly rates can differ meaningfully once fees land. Always click through to the full checkout total before judging which rental is actually cheaper.

For a full breakdown of what those line items look like, see our guide to how much it costs to rent an RV. It walks through a realistic trip budget from rate to final total.

5. Book Longer for Weekly Discounts

Many owners publish weekly and monthly discounts directly on their listings. A seven night trip can cost less per night than a three night one, and long stays drop further still.

If your dates are flexible, price the trip at five, seven, and ten nights before you decide. Sometimes adding a night lowers the total, not just the average.

Longer bookings also spread fixed fees like cleaning and prep across more nights. That alone improves the per night math even without a listed discount.

Before you check out, glance at our Outdoorsy promo code guide for current offers. Stacking a platform offer on a weekly discount is the cheapest combination most renters ever find.

Outdoorsy lists more than 200,000 RVs, and bookings include $1 million in liability insurance and roadside assistance, based on platform policies as of May 2026. That depth of inventory makes it easy to compare a few rigs and durations side by side.

6. Look at Relocation and One Way Deals

When a rental company needs a rig moved between cities, it sometimes offers steep relocation deals to travelers willing to drive the route. These can be among the cheapest ways to travel by RV.

The honest caveats: routes and dates are fixed, driving windows are tight, and mileage allowances are usually strict. You travel on the operator's schedule, not yours.

Standard one way rentals between two cities often add a fee instead of a discount, so read the terms carefully. Our one way RV rentals guide covers both models and when each one saves money.

7. Camp Cheaper Once You Have the Rig

Campground fees are often the second biggest line item after the rental itself. Cutting where you park each night can save as much as haggling over the rig.

Dispersed camping on public land is free in much of the American West. Our guide to boondocking explains how it works and what your rental needs to handle it.

Harvest Hosts takes a different route, with a network of more than 9,700 farms, wineries, breweries, and attractions where members stay overnight. Membership tiers start at $99 per year as of April 2026, and that Classic tier covers Harvest Hosts locations only, about 5,900 of the full network.

A handful of free or membership nights on a two week trip can offset a meaningful slice of the rental cost. Check that your rental allows overnight stays without hookups first.

8. Skip Extras You Can Bring From Home

Many listings offer optional extras like bedding kits, kitchen kits, camp chairs, and grills for a per trip or per item fee. Each one looks small until they stack.

Most of it is stuff you already own. Packing your own sheets, towels, basic cookware, and folding chairs costs nothing beyond trunk space.

Reserve the paid extras for things you genuinely cannot transport, like a generator on a trailer without one. Everything else rides from home.

9. Run the Whole Trip Budget Before Booking

The rental is only part of the trip cost. Fuel, campgrounds, food, and park fees decide whether the vacation actually fits your budget.

Fuel deserves special attention, because large motorhomes consume far more of it than a small camper van over the same route. A cheaper rig that sips fuel can beat a bargain rate on a thirsty one.

Our RV trip cost calculator adds up the rental, fuel, camping, and food for your route. Run it before you book, not after.

Putting It All Together

No single tactic makes an RV trip cheap on its own. Stacked together, they change the math completely.

A modest older rig, shoulder season dates, a weekly discount, and a few free camping nights attack every major line item at once. The trip stays the same, but the total does not.

Start by comparing a few real listings against your dates and route. Once you see the full checkout totals side by side, the cheap option usually identifies itself.

The renters who overpay are almost always the ones who booked the first shiny listing in July. A little flexibility on rig, dates, and campgrounds is worth real money.

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