How much does a campervan trip cost (and how to work it out)
The honest answer is "it depends", but you can work it out in five minutes. A campervan trip comes down to a handful of costs, and once you know which ones, you stop guessing. Here's the real breakdown, an example with numbers and the ways to bring it down without sleeping worse.
1. The four costs that decide it
Almost everything you spend falls under four headings: fuel, where you sleep, tolls and food. The rest are extras that add up slowly. Get these four right and you've got the trip under control.
2. Fuel is the big one: the formula
Diesel takes the biggest share, and it's simple to work out. Multiply the distance by the consumption by the price per litre. A mid-size campervan drinks around 10–12 litres per 100 km (about 24–28 mpg), more than a car for its weight and shape.
3. Where you sleep changes the total
This is where most of the budget is decided. A motorhome stopover (an "aire") runs from free to €10–15 a night; a campsite with hook-up and showers, €25–40 in season. Mixing aires midweek with the odd campsite to fill up and rest beats paying for a campsite every night.
4. Tolls and vignettes
Tolls add up fast on the motorway, and in a campervan you pay more than a car for height or axles. You can dodge them on A-roads, slower and prettier, or take them to save time. Watch the vignettes in Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia: you buy them before you cross the border, and the fine for going without stings.
5. The costs almost everyone forgets
These don't show up in the quick sum and then appear:
- Gas (butane or propane) for cooking and heating water.
- Heating in the cold, which sends your gas or diesel use up.
- Laundry, paid showers and waste emptying at some aires.
- Attractions, city parking and transport when you leave the van outside.
- Insurance and MOT if it's yours, or the rental (€80–150 a day) if it isn't.
6. A worked example: one week, two of you
A rough trip of 7 nights and ~1,500 km across continental Europe, mixing aires with the odd campsite and cooking on board most nights. Approximate figures for 2025-26:
| Fuel (1,500 km) | €240–280 |
| Overnight stops (5 aires + 2 campsites) | €90–130 |
| Tolls | €40–90 |
| Food and shopping | €140–200 |
| Gas, laundry, extras | €40–70 |
| Total for two · 7 nights | ≈ €550–770 |
About €40–55 per person a day (roughly £35–47).
7. How to bring it down without sleeping worse
You don't have to suffer to spend less. Four levers that work: sleeping at free aires (there are thousands), cooking on board instead of eating out, taking A-roads to skip the tolls, and travelling in shoulder season, when campsites drop and the roads are quieter.
Or let Vanari cost it for you
Tell it your start, destination, dates and vehicle, and Vanari hands you the trip's estimated budget alongside the route and where to sleep each night. No spreadsheets, in minutes.
Cost your trip, free →Frequently asked questions
How much does a campervan trip cost per day?
For two people mixing aires with the odd campsite and cooking on board, it's around €40–55 per person a day, all in. It climbs if you always stay on campsites or eat out.
Is it cheaper than a hotel plus a car?
For two people on longer trips, almost always, because you fold transport and lodging into one cost. On a two-night getaway, a hotel can win.
Better to rent or take my own?
Rental runs €80–150 a day and saves you insurance, upkeep and the MOT all year. Travel a few weeks a year and renting pays off; live in it and owning does.
How much diesel does a campervan use?
Between 10 and 12 litres per 100 km on average, more than a car for weight and aerodynamics. Over 1,500 km that's about 165 litres.