If you want a campervan in Australia between Christmas and the end of January, the time to look is now. The Australian school holidays run from mid-December into late January, families fill the coastal campgrounds, and the best vans on the popular routes are the first to go.

We are writing this as researchers rather than as people who have driven these roads in a rental van: our own road-trip experience is in Finland and the Nordics. What we can do is read the live data carefully and explain what it means for your booking. The numbers below come from the CampervanPlanet Australia price page, updated on 3 November 2026, which analyses 3,011 live prices for 61 vehicles from 13 rental companies.

If you are new to renting a campervan anywhere, our campervan rental guide covers the basics first. This article is about one specific question: how to plan Australia over the summer holidays without overpaying.

What the live price data says

The headline figures on the CampervanPlanet price page are a good anchor. A typical campervan in Australia costs about A$200 a day from March to May and A$211 a day from September to November, which is around 5% more in spring than in autumn. The cheapest offer in the whole search was A$69 a day (a manual “Budgie Van” from Travellers Autobarn picked up in July), which tells you how wide the range between a basic two-seat camper and a full motorhome really is.

Two other details stand out. June is the cheapest month, with a typical A$183 a day, while October is the most expensive at A$257. That is a useful reminder that Australia does not follow the northern hemisphere pattern: the cooler months are the bargain, and the warm, school-holiday months are not.

We do not have a verified daily figure for the Christmas weeks themselves, and prices move with every booking, so treat these numbers as the baseline rather than the exact summer price. Enter your real dates on the CampervanPlanet Australia price page to see what is actually available.

Why Christmas and January are different

Three things happen at once. Australian families take their long summer break, international visitors arrive for the southern summer, and rental fleets are limited. The result is that the most popular vans, such as automatic two-berth campers and family-size motorhomes, sell out first, and the remaining choice moves up in price.

The page notes that 84% of the 61 vehicles in its search are automatic, which is good news if you do not drive a manual. It is still worth filtering for the transmission and size you need early, because the cheapest manual vans disappear first.

Pick-up and drop-off are also affected. Airport depots in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane get busy in the days around Christmas, and some depots have shorter opening hours on public holidays. Check the depot hours on your booking confirmation rather than assuming a late arrival will be fine.

Choosing a route that suits the season

Summer in Australia means heat, and your route should work with it. In the south and east the weather is generally warm and good for the beach, while the tropical north is in its wet season, with humidity, storms and some road closures. If you are not sure which way to go, these are the routes we would shortlist:

• Sydney to Melbourne along the coast. A classic one-way trip. The price page shows about A$210 a day one way against A$185 for a round trip, so the one-way premium is real but modest.
• The Great Ocean Road from Melbourne. Busy over the holidays, so book campsites early. See our Great Ocean Road campervan guide.
• Tasmania from Hobart. Cooler and quieter, with long summer daylight, and a good escape from the heat on the mainland.
• Brisbane to the Gold Coast and Byron Bay. Beaches and hinterland, but very busy in January.

Whatever you choose, remember that distances are long. Sydney to Melbourne is more than 800 km by the fastest road, and many first-timers try to cover too much in too little time.

How far ahead to book

Our advice is to book as soon as your dates are fixed. A free-cancellation or low-deposit booking made now costs you very little if plans change, while waiting until December can leave you with whatever is left. If you are looking at the first week of January, treat availability as tight even though we cannot see the exact number of vans left.

It also helps to be flexible. Moving a pick-up by a day or two, or starting from a different city, can change both price and availability. The big depots in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have the largest fleets, while smaller depots can run out quickly. Our Australia campervan cost guide explains how the daily price changes with trip length.

Insurance, excess and what zero excess really costs

This is where many travellers get a surprise. The page explains that the basic included cover leaves a bond of A$500 to A$9,500 on your card, depending on the vehicle and company. Reducing that to zero typically costs A$45 to A$90 a day.

For a two-week holiday that can add A$600 to A$1,200 on top of the rental, so compare it with the daily rate rather than ignoring it. The cheapest week with zero excess on the page was A$941, for an Awesome Campers van for two or three people in mid-March, which shows that a low base price and a fair all-in price are not the same thing.

Read the conditions around unsealed roads, glass and tyres, and underbody damage, which are often excluded. Our campervan rental guide has a longer explanation of excess and deposits.

Extras, campsites and holiday logistics

Plan the practical details before you book the van. Popular holiday parks and national park campgrounds often need advance reservations for Christmas to January, and some use ballots or fixed-length stays. Powered sites cost more but make air conditioning and fridge use easier in the heat.

Extras to think about are child seats, a portable BBQ, a camp chair and table set, a second driver, and a GPS or phone mount. Many rental companies charge a one-off fee or a daily fee for each, so a few of these can add up. A small esky and a good sun shade are cheap to buy locally and often better than the rental version.

If you plan to leave sealed roads, check the rental terms first. Standard campervans are usually not allowed on unsealed outback tracks, and 4WD hire is a separate category.

How to book and save €20

Our process is simple. Decide your pick-up city and rough route, enter your dates on CampervanPlanet, filter for the transmission and number of berths you need, and compare the all-in price with zero excess included. Then use code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY20 at checkout to take €20 off. If you book through our links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and bookings made within 30 days of clicking are credited.

It also pays to look at a second landing page for a different pick-up point, such as the main Australia campervan page, before you commit. The same trip from a different city can be noticeably different in price.