Campervanvillage  Reviews 

Hired a camper for 3 weeks, picked it up in Brissy and returned it in Adelaide. The exterior had some general wear and tear when we picked it up but for the price we paid, if it doesn't affect the drive, why care. Everything was as expected and communication with the company was easy while on the road. We had a key snap and they were quick to assist as to not interfere with our time schedule. Paid a higher premium for a lower bond which was absolutely worth it. Couldn't recommend higher. We were slightly offput by the poor reviews but very glad we chose to believe the good over the bad. Would absolutely book again.

Fantastic service and lovely staff, good wee van which gave us plenty of fun.

Do not buy anything from them!!
I want to record my negative experience with Motorhome Republic and Campervan Village. When renting a campervan, I was forced to make a pre-authorization of 7,500 Australian dollars. However, this pre-authorization was processed as a purchase, which was not specified in the terms and conditions. Without time to negotiate or seek alternatives, I had to accept, which created coercion and anxiety during my vacation. As a result, the Argentine tax authority, ARCA, flagged this operation, forcing me to justify non-existent income and causing additional tax burdens in Argentina. Additionally, I had to finance the entire amount out of my own pocket for two months, from the moment the card was closed until the refund was processed, which severely worsened my financial situation
Moreover, the 3.5% surcharge in Australia was unjust, causing economic harm. The lack of transparency and the violation of my consumer rights by both the company and the intermediary worsened the situation. I did not receive a satisfactory response, and this situation has severely impacted my finances.

This was not the camper van we booked on the website. Realised we were dealing with a third party company. When we saw the van we asked for a refund, this was refused. We could have hired a car as did not use van as a camper. It was a dented and scratched van that really could not be described as a camper. Black tape on steering wheel, not fuel efficient, thumping noise in the engine. Bad value for money. The young woman helping us realised our disappointment and tried her best to be accommodating. It got us from A to B but would not recommended.

To start with the only positive: The staff who delivered the van were young and friendly but they are just doing their jobs and probably have to endure a lot of complaints.

The Van I had was very old and not road worthy. The engine was rusted.

They do not come with air conditioning which is not made clear when you book. They do not say it does come with aircon but it is merely ommitted which is sneaky and which can be really un-dealable.

The battery in the van went flat in a remote area and no road side assistance was available to me. I had to hitch 2 hours into town to buy a battery and two hours back.

There was a loose battery clamp forgotten in the engine compartment that fell into the moving parts of the engine and that I was lucky enough to hear while moving slowly and remove before it caused an accident.

We did not use the amenities in the vehicle other than to make coffee as it was so poor that we booked at hotels and Airbnb's in any case at great cost the whole trip.

Renting these vehicles is a really bad idea and not cost effective. Better to rent a small SUV from a reputable company with seats that go flat, and take a tent for good weather.

Easy uncomplicated pick-up and drop-off. Good instructions in the beginning. Helpfull and friendly staff. We could have needed some courtains as it is a irritating when people can watch you sleep in the car with no worries. The sink next to the bed is hard to reach and use.

The campervan was given to me unclean with cobwebs all over it, the heating wasn’t working and when I contacted roadside assistance his response was ‘ask me again tomorrow’ followed by do you know how to work heating in a car’ he said he would be driving by and would come and fix it and I never heard from him again. On my final day the car was rattling so I again text to say I felt unsafe to drive it. I called and he didn’t answer. 5 minutes later the front wheel blew off and the car dropped and skid forward at speed and I’m very lucky it was on a straight stretch of road and managed to control the vehicle from flipping. The mechanic that actually helped told me that the vehicle had wheel nuts loose for a long time and the car wasn’t checked before being given to me. He then advised the brake pads aren’t working properly . When I went to drop the camper back nobody was there so I called the number on the door. An older man answered and as I was trying to explain what happened he told me to get f’d and put the phone down.

The camper was not ready and we waited over an hour. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The camper had damage everywhere including a cracked front window. When we left we had only 1 quarter tank of fuel so we stopped and put $100 dollars in the tank. As we left town we discovered that the air conditioning didn't work. When we finally got on the highway we realized that the steering and entire front end shook with a brake problem whenever we applied them. If you wish to spend over $300 per day for a wreck of a tiny vehicle than this is your company.

Didaster waitng to happen!! Dont even think about renting from campervanvillage or wickedcampers! Not even close to a good standard! Car breaks down, car delivered not clean! Too much to list, not wasting any more time with this company. Worst of all. Cannot even communicate with them. Client is just a number....only interested in your money. Run away!!!

We had a very disappointing experience with Campervan Village.

From the beginning of the rental, the air conditioning was not working. This was reported, but we were told that there is “no entitlement to air conditioning in New Zealand,” which we found unprofessional and dismissive.

During the trip, a hinge on the left front door broke while opening the door normally, without applying any force. Since then, the door swings open freely as soon as it is unlocked. This is a serious safety hazard — I was hit by the door several times. Despite reporting this issue, roadside assistance refused to repair it.

Because the vehicle was unsafe to drive, we stopped using it and parked it for three days and booked another car. During this time, the battery went flat, making the camper completely unusable.

Overall, the vehicle was poorly maintained, safety concerns were not taken seriously, and customer service was extremely disappointing. We would not rent from Campervan Village again and cannot recommend this company.

It was a nearly 20 years old Campervan. Many Dents and some rust. The engine was good and powerful. The plasic front once broken people mended/fixed it with a cable tie. We were worried to loose it while driving. A sliding door could not be opened from outside of the car. Adjustable aircon grill inside the car was broken, never repaired so not usable.
In prior to rental they told that they wanted a deposit (not just a reservation) of 7500 NZD as a Bond to be paid if we did not agree to pay a waiver Insurance of 1500 NZD (30x50 NZD per day)! But I do have a Visa Card insurance covering up to 10000 CHF (18 k NZD) . Foreigners have to convert their currency into NZD and after the rental back again loosing 300 NZD if they do not agree for the waiver Insurance. To understand that the value of the 20 Y old dented and rusty campervan is below the Bond to be paid. It is a rip off. And we will never ever hire with campervan Village. Not recommended.

Avoid. Campervan was delivered late, dirty, and clearly crashed — poor exterior condition, filthy and smelly tent, and missing basics. We got locked out in a remote site with low signal, two small kids, all food and water trapped inside. Customer service was shockingly rude and unhelpful, refused to assist, insisted on a video (impossible with no signal), and told us it was “not their problem” and to pay a locksmith ourselves. When we pushed back, the staff member said he was “very busy” and hung up. Vehicles are unreliable, cleanliness is poor, and support disappears when you actually need it. Never again.

The vehicle was absolutely not ready for use, which is unacceptable for a 3-month rental.
There were no curtains at all (impossible to sleep, complete lack of privacy), the mattress was very uncomfortable, the camping stove was broken, and basic equipment was either missing or dirty (dustpan and brush, cooler). The coolant level also needed to be checked.

I offered to take care of installing curtains and a mattress topper myself, but this proposal did not lead to any solution. It is unacceptable to have to incur personal expenses just to make a rental vehicle usable for such a long period.

Very bad experience. I do not recommend it.

Not sure who we really dealt with - Motorhome Republic - Camper Champ - Campervan Village - Wicked Campers. Very confusing and extremely frustrating experience that I will never, ever do again nor recommend to all the friends and family in Australia that are wishing to do this journey in 2026. The 2 person sleeper we received was not safe, not roadworthy and to communicate with anyone was so difficult. The engine light was on, car shook - dash and steering while, brakes squealed and vehicle would veer to left, car fuel tank on empty, registration expired 26 Dec 2025 (we collected 23 Dec 2025 in Queenstown). Such a disappointing experience. Still no help to get our money back. The roadside assist never answered. We returned vehicle next day to Christchurch depot. Getting complete run around regarding refund. Do NOT recommend!

Below expectations, stickers falling off covered in scratches and dents, just genuinely looked rough. we were told we had gas in the van for cookers, came too cook tea to find out we had two cookers with no gas. Air conditioning barely works, had to buy air fresheners because it stank and the list goes on. Wouldn’t not recommend. This is day two out of 6 writing this comment, going to be a long week

No curtains, this was not great as you have no privacy and felt insecure at night. I sellotaped bin liners to the windows each night- not ideal. It was a Toyota voxy so check that before booking.
Apart from that every thing else was ok, the car worked, it was comfortable to sleep in the camper stove was ok, the cooking stuff basic and used but fine. Every single panel had a dent or a scratch on but the van got me from A to B. Bring a USB cable to charge phone. Lady at Christchurch drop off was helpful.

We had a bad start in Melbourne as the local people were useless - couldn’t help us understand how the van worked; the van itself was ok and did the job perfectly; the man in Adelaide was helpful.

I booked a Toyota Estima for 2 weeks in Hobart. The van itself drove great, but the exterior of the van was nothing short of embarrassing. The front bumper was zip-tied together! One of the back sliding doors was completely broken and unusable and the other back sliding door wouldn’t open when it was raining, which happened often. So I had no way to get in or out of the sleeping area of the van! They also told me on pick up that the lock for the only working door was also broken. When I contacted support regarding the door not opening, they told me to take it to a mechanic myself and they would refund me. I didn’t trust the company enough to do that, plus that would have wasted time on my trip. The bed setup was strange. You had to move the seats forward in order to use the bed, but in the Estima I had in the past, this was not at all the case, so it was so annoying - especially when it was raining and I couldn’t open the doors to access the bed. I was provided everything I needed - cooking utensils and stove, but I had to provide my own cooking gas for the stove. The ceiling of the van was covered in mold, from the front windscreen to the back. Pick up was smooth, but strange because I didn’t need to show any ID or anything, just got in the car and left. I arrived to drop off the car well before closing and the lot was already locked up for the day? And when I called the main number, it rolled over to voicemail. Overall, I would not recommend this company and the amount of money I spent to rent the van was not worth it.

So far I have been waiting 40 days for my $7,500 bond return. I was told there had been only a few instances where the bond return had taken the thirty days but looking at reviews this seems more common than expressed. There were also troubles with our van such as the battery dying each morning, however we were promised compensation for these issues.
I expessed multiple times my need for this money as I am a student struggling for rent, this seems to have fallen on deaf ears, however, as Campervan Village continues to breach it's own bond agreement.
(Update it has now been almost two months, there has been no accident for it to take up to 12 months this is ridiculous and in breach of your contract, this is greatly affecting my livelihood, DO NOT HIRE)

I have not received my bond back despite being told I could expect it within 30 days.
Do not use this company, I can see from other reviews I am not the only person