Motor Home Rental Information

What you need to know before renting a Motor Home

By Alan Wiener
Editor: Everything About RVing

You have decided on a Motor Home Rental such as a Class A, Class B or Class C Motor Home. 

Here are some Motor Home Rental facts you will need to know before you actually go to an agency and rent one.

This section will give you an overview of what is required to rent a Motor Home, as well as letting you know what extra costs you might incur above and beyond the "normal" rental fee. 

These are generic guidelines and will vary by the agencies you choose to rent from.

To Rent A Motor Home You Need To:

• Have a valid Drivers License (you probably knew that already, but we just wanted to make sure).

• Be at least 21 years old.  In some states, you must be at least 25 years old.
  

• Have a major credit card (with lots of money available on it).

• You may have to provide proof of insurance for all drivers that are going to drive the Motor Home.  Call the RV Rental Agency you are going to rent the RV from to see if this step is needed for your rental

• Prior to the Motor Home Rental you may need to check with your auto insurance carrier to see if you need to add an RV rider/binder on your auto policy.  Depending on your insurance you may need to purchase additional RV coverage from the RV rental agency.

• Provide a DMV printout of your driving record.  Again, this varies by state and rental agency used.

• Leave a refundable deposit above and beyond the rental fee. Depending on the type of Motor Home you are renting this deposit could be as much as $5,000.00 (please don't let this scare you as most deposits are quite a bit less than this).

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Here Is Some Other Motor Home Rental Information You Need To Know

Pets:  Some, not all rental agencies allow pets, but you will have to pay an additional non-refundable fee (So, you may want to leave your pet orangutan at home).

Smoking:  Most if not all RV rental agencies do not allow smoking in their rentals. If you do choose to smoke in the RV you could be charged a large sum for deodorizing the Motor Home.

Towing a vehicle or trailer behind the rental RV:  Some RV rental agencies rent RVs that are setup for towing, but they normally charge an additional fee for the privilege.

Pots, pans, dishes, silverware and bedding:  Bring your own Kitchenware and bedding! You can purchase 'housekeeping packages' where the agency provides these items for an additional fee.

Fuel:  You are responsible for paying for the gas or diesel during your travels. Good rule of thumb here, is if they gave it to you with a full tank, bring it back with a full tank (or pay an additional fee).

Mileage fees: Some, not all agencies allow you 100 miles per day. Anything above that and you will be charged for the additional miles.

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Generator usage:  If the Motorhome you rent has a generator, you can use it, but you will be charged a fee for each hour you use it (there is an hour meter on the dash of all RVs).

Grey water and black water holding tanks:  Make sure that these are empty when you return it.  If you don't they will charge you a "Dumping Fee".

You damage it, you pay for it:  If you have damaged the RV in any way, the rental agency will deduct the cost of the damages from your deposit.

Bring it back clean:  When you return the Motor Home, it should be as clean or cleaner than when you picked it up (if not more fees will be levied).

I know that after reading the above information, some of you are thinking "why would I want to rent an RV after seeing all of these regulations and fees?". 

This Motor Home Rental information was not provided to scare you. Quite a bit of the information above is also required when you rent a car. 

Once you have rented the RV and had a chance to experience RVing, it will all be worth it.  Renting an RV will definitely help you decide what type of RV is right for you and if the RV lifestyle is for you.

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Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by using the comments section located below.

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