Guide to hiring a campervan in London
London has a lot of Campervan hire companies and makes a great starting point for a caravanning trip in the UK. It’s home to London Heathrow airport and has easy access to sights across England, Wales and Scotland (if you don’t mind a bit of driving to get there). In this Campervan Hire London guide, I’ve done the research for you. Finding the best campervan rental companies available in the city.
You’ll also find in this guide some suggestions for the best places to visit in the UK with your campervan and also the best campervan apps….see below for more details!
Top tips and savvy suggestions for your campervan trip!
- For advice or to ask questions about free and cheap Caravan parking in the UK, check out these 2 Facebook groups: campervan overnight parking and UK motorhome and campervan wild camping
- You can use this handy website to calculate fuel costs to help you budget in advance
- Becoming a Britstop member and buying the guidebook will open up a directory of over 900 pubs, shops and breweries that allow free overnight parking for campervans
- If you love stately homes, British history and gardens, consider becoming a member of the National Trust. Your membership will include entry to over 500 National Trust attractions as well as free parking (not overnight). Usually, you need to visit about 5-7 sites to get your money’s worth on membership so make sure you work out the maths before buying.
- Check what is included with your London campervan hire before packing or purchasing. Many of the companies charge for additional extras like kitchen utensils, foldable chairs or portable toilets.
- Wait until you are out of London before doing a big food shop and filling your van with petrol….you’ll save a bit of ££ avoiding city prices!
- Don’t forget to bring your road trip playlist and an adaptor to play it on your campervan
- Coupons and discounts are common in the UK. Before eating in a restaurant, do a quick search online to see if they are running a voucher or offer. For example, if you plan to eat in Pizza Express, simply Google ‘Pizza Express Voucher’ to see what’s on. I also like to check Groupon so see what offers are running in an area for food and activities
- Practice going Eco! Bring a reusable mug with you for your take-out coffees and some reusable plastic bags for your food shop. Minimise van travel when you can walk or take public transport instead. Use eco-friendly soaps, toiletries and cleaning products. Recycle your rubbish and practice leave no trace!
8 Best companies for Campervan hire in London
Here’s my list of some of the best camper van hire London companies:
#1 Rockin Vans
Cost: Budget
From £69 a day for the most basic model, rising to £99 a day for something more comfortable
What do they offer?
Rockin Vans hires motorhomes and campervans from London. Specialise in one-way camper rentals, you can collect your campervan and drop it at one of their other locations, ie collect from London and drop off in Edinburgh. The rental company is based just outside the M25, a 5-minute taxi ride from Heathrow Airport or 35minutes via train from central London.
Rockin Vans Campervan and Motorhome Rental London is perfectly located just outside the M25. Making it very easy to collect your Motorhome or Camper Van without having to pay the London Congestion Charge or fight with the chaotic city traffic to start your adventure!
#2 Quirky Campers
Cost: Luxury
The price of booking their vans start from £225 but can vary a lot depending on the type of van, season, day of the week, and booking length.
What do they offer?
Quirky Campers have a really cool range of campervans that are beautifully decorated inside. The campervans they offer are customized for different purposes such as for families, couples, pet-friendly, etc. You can choose the number of adult or child berths and belted seats you require, filter based on van size, heating system, toilet and shower accommodations, etc.
#3 Bunk Campers
Cost: Budget
You can book a campervan on their website for as little as £45 per day during the low season.
What do they offer?
Bunk Campers is located just 6 mins away from Heathrow airport making it ideal for anyone flying in from out of town. They offer Campervan’s and VW campervan hire in London as well as Motorhomes for people of all tastes and budgets. Some of their popular campervans include ‘Ranger’, ‘Roadie’, ‘Vista’, ‘Grande’, and ‘Nomad’.
#4 Yescapa
Cost: Budget
The prices of the campervan and VW campervans start from about £40/day but you can book a converted van for as little as £20/day.
What do they offer?
Yescapa is Europe’s largest motorhome rental marketplace – it’s like Airbnb for campervans. You can choose from over 6,500 motorhomes and campervans on their website. Aside from campervans, you may also choose other recreational vehicles such as ‘A’ class, caravans, converted vans, etc.
#5 London Campers
Cost: Mid-range
The price for hiring a campervan from their website start from £100/per night.
What do they offer?
London Campers allows you to hire VW campervans in London that are a good mixture of convenience, affordability, and luxury. Their collection of vehicles include VW T5 Campervan ‘William’, VW T5 Campervan ‘Silvester’, VW T5 Campervan ‘Santiago’, VW T5 Campervan ‘Blueberry’, VW T5 Campervan ‘Caravelle’, VW T25 Westfalia ‘Club Joker’, and VW T25 Westfalia ‘Multivan’.
#6 Campervantastic
Price: Luxury
Although the starting prices are high at £430 per booking, you get a lot of things that are included in the booking price such as kitchen essentials, fully comprehensive insurance, unlimited mileage, privileged camping and caravan club discounts, etc.
What do they offer?
Campervantastic has 4 premium VW campervans in London. These include the VW T6 California Ocean campervan, VW T6 California Beach campervan, VW Grand California, and Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo campervan.
Looking for a classic VW Campervan hire London?
You’ll turn heads on your road trip with a classic VW Campervan! There’s something really fun about driving these retro vehicles across the UK. Most of the models come with a pop-top.
There aren’t a lot of companies offering this option in London, but try checking out these 2 VW Campervan hire London companies:
#7 Dub Dub and Away
Cost: Luxury
Starting from £130 a night, retro VW campervans aren’t the cheapest option….but they do look pretty cool!
What do they offer?
Dub Dub and Away is a family run business specialising in Classic VW Campervan hire from their base in South East London. They have four 1970-1972 models to hire (Poppy, Honey, Sunny and Moneypenny), all restored to their original glory, exactly as they would have looked in the 70s.
#8 Retro Campervan
Cost: Mid-range
VW Campervan Hire prices start from £325 for a long weekend
What do they offer?
Retro Campervan has 7 beautifully restored classic VW campers and 3 top of the range modern VW T6 campers to hire, all fully equipped with double bed, cookers, fridges, running water, a great sound system, cosy lighting and good time retro charm. Collection is from Guildford, about 1 hour out from London.
Suggested campervan itinerary starting from London
Your itinerary will depend entirely on the amount of time you have to travel, what sort of activities you want to do (ie cities vs nature) and how far you want to be driving vs seeing places.
Here are a few suggestions of locations to get you started:
London
If you haven’t visited London before (or even if you have) you’ll probably want to schedule a few days to see the city before or after your campervanning holiday. There’s so much to see in London – South Bank, Tower Bridge, London Borough Market, Camden Town, Hyde Park, the London Eye, along with dozens of free museums (V&A, British Museum, Science Museum, Tate Modern, Natural History Museum, etc).
Cornwall
I love Cornwall, especially during the warmer months. Here you will find beautiful walks, quaint towns, stunning rugged beaches, surfing, lots of afternoon teas and the world-famous Eden Project (top tip if you are a runner – check out Eden Project Park Run on a Saturday…a free 5km run and if you enter you and your spectators get free entry to the attractions after)! En route from London, you could visit Stonehenge, the city of Bath and/or Bristol and stop in the hippy town of Glastonbury.
If you need any more inspiration to make Cornwall your holiday road trip destination, check out the photos I took from my last trip there.
South Wales
My 2 favourite places in South Wales are the Brecon Beacon’s (which is great for hiking) and the beautiful seaside town of Cardigan. En route, you could stop in Bath and Bristol. And make sure you visit one of Wales many castles!
North Wales
North Wales is home to the dramatic Snowdonia. Full of rugged mountains, stunning views and Wale’s highest peak – Snowdon. It’ll take about 5 hours to reach from London but is well worth the drive! En route, you could stop in Oxford which makes a great day out and Birmingham to see the open-air Back to Back’s museum.
Scotland
It will take you a good 8 hours to reach Scotland. Depending on which route you take you could pass Oxford, Liverpool or Manchester en route or Cambridge, Sheffield and York. Scotland is home to the UK’s most spectacular views and ‘The North Coast 500’ – a famous 516-mile scenic route.
This short film will give you lots of inspiration as the campervan roadtrip covered a good chunk of the UK:
4 helpful apps for your UK campervan road trip
#1 Park4Night
Website
An app to help you find somewhere to park your Campervan or Motorhome for the night. Includes pricing and reviews from other users.
#2 CoPilot Caravan
Website
Like Google Maps but for caravans. CoPilot will plot a journey based on the size of your motorhome, avoiding roads that are too narrow or have low bridges. It also works offline.
#3 The Good Pubs Guide
Website
Rates pubs in the UK so you can find the best pub fire near you on your road trip with the largest selection of ales and the tastiest food.
# AA Days Out Guide
Website
I love this little app and use it regularly myself when on the road. At any location, it will show you fun activities and attractions that are nearby from parks, castles to museums.
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*Any women reading this?* I founded a women’s adventure community called Love Her Wild . Check out our private Facebook page and see what adventures we have coming up.
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I’m Bex Band, an award-winning author, speaker and founder of the women’s adventure community Love Her Wild. I’m passionate about adventure and conservation!
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Really useful post! Thank you Bex!
Thanks Ben!