Everyone knows that campervan hire costs more in summer. What most travellers do not know is how much more, and that the answer is wildly different from one country to the next. In Iceland, the typical peak price is more than three times the low-season price. In the UK, Italy or Greece, the gap is small enough that the season should not decide your trip.

We are Joona & Alla. We live in Rovaniemi and plan our own trips around prices, and this guide is built on the CampervanPlanet Campervan Price Index, last updated on 9 October 2026, which compares 2,587 live offers across 22 countries. The table below is our reworking of those figures, credited as the index asks.

The aim is practical: to help you decide whether moving your dates, or your destination, can save real money.

The headline numbers

According to the CampervanPlanet index, renting a campervan or motorhome in October 2026 cost from €16 a day in New Zealand (southern winter) to €157 a day in Croatia. In Iceland, the typical daily price in July (€395) is 3.4 times the low-season price (€115). The figures are based on 2,587 live offers in 22 countries, and the index says “typical” means the median, and that countries with only a handful of offers show fewer columns.

A word on how to read it. The “from” price is the cheapest vehicle available, which may be a small van with limited availability. The “typical” price is closer to what most travellers pay. We use typical prices in the table, because they are more useful for planning a budget. For your own dates, always run a live search, for example on CampervanPlanet’s price index page, where code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY20 takes €20 off at checkout.

The table: low, shoulder and peak season by country

Here are the typical daily prices for a 7-night hire by season, sorted from the biggest gap between peak and low season to the smallest. Note that seasons depend on the hemisphere and the local calendar.

Typical (median) daily prices for a 7-night hire, October 2026. Source: CampervanPlanet Campervan Price Index, 9 October 2026. Countries with few offers or a single rental company are less reliable.

Where the gap is biggest

Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland lead the table. Iceland’s €115 in low season versus €395 in peak is the clearest case: the midnight sun, a short season and F-road access all concentrate demand into June–August. New Zealand’s peak of €223 against €78 reflects the summer holidays in the southern hemisphere, and Norway’s €423 in peak against €161 reflects a short summer and some of the highest costs in Europe.

For a week, the sums are striking. A typical week in Iceland costs about €805 in low season and €2,765 at the July peak, a difference of nearly €2,000. In New Zealand it is about €546 against €1,561. If you have flexibility, these are the countries where moving your dates by a few weeks into the shoulder season can save the most. We cover Iceland in more depth in our guide to the Iceland Ring Road by campervan, and the Iceland campervan price index shows the details.

Where the gap barely exists

At the other end of the table are countries where season matters much less. The UK barely moves between low and peak in the index (€261 against €280), Italy and Greece are only about 1.3 times higher at the peak, and Croatia sits at €244 in low season against €317 at the peak. In these places, the high prices are less about the season and more about the base level.

There is an important caveat. Some of these countries have few offers and sometimes just one rental company in the index, so the medians can be skewed by a small fleet. Treat the table as a guide to where to look, not as a promise about exact prices on your dates.

The practical lesson: if you are flexible on destination as well as dates, the Mediterranean and the UK can be a safer choice for peak weeks than Iceland or Norway. Our Crete campervan guide is one example.

Shoulder season: the sweet spot

The shoulder column often tells the best story. In Portugal, Spain and France, the shoulder price is much closer to low season than to peak, so spring and autumn deliver warm weather at a fraction of the summer cost. In Iceland, shoulder season is €260 a day, still well below the €395 peak but much higher than winter. In Sweden, the index shows the same €147 for low and shoulder seasons, with the jump only at peak.

The practical advice is to think about what you actually need from the trip. If you want long days and warm water, you may need the peak. If you want quiet roads, good weather and lower costs, the shoulder months usually give you the best value. Our guide to saving money on campervan hire explains how to use them.

Southern versus northern hemisphere: use the calendar

The index also shows a neat trick: when it is peak season in one hemisphere, it is low season in the other. New Zealand and Australia are at their most expensive from December to February, which is exactly when Europe is at its cheapest. If you are planning a winter trip from the northern hemisphere, a southern hemisphere summer is the classic option, but you will pay for it, and you need to book early.

Conversely, a European summer in a southern hemisphere low season can be cheap, but you must accept cold nights and short days. The cheapest “from” prices in the index, such as €16 a day in New Zealand, tend to appear in the deepest winter months and apply to a limited number of vehicles.

How to use this to save money

There are four practical steps. First, check where your destination sits in the table: if the gap is large, flexible dates are worth real effort. Second, compare the shoulder column, not just low and peak. Third, remember that campsites, fuel and ferries follow the same seasonal pattern, so the saving can be larger than the van alone. Fourth, always compare insurance and extras, which can erase a small saving. See our explainer on campervan insurance, deposits and excess.

Finally, apply a code. HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY20 is our fixed €20 reader coupon for CampervanPlanet bookings. It is a modest saving beside the seasonal differences above, but it applies on top of whichever dates you choose. For an introduction to how comparison works, read our campervan rental guide.