Apollo Motorhome Holidays - Perth Reviews 21

My friend and I hired a campervan from Apollo for a 14-day trip along the Western Australian coast in May 2026. The van was booked well in advance. On Apollo's website it was advertised a newer fleet of vans were becoming available from May.

Unfortunately, the vehicle we received in Perth was significantly older and more worn than expected. There were several issues from the start, including non-functioning 12V charging outlets, the entertainment/nav system worked intermittently, the TV didn't work, the wiper was so bent that it was not making contact with the windscreen, and the sliding door would occasionally open while driving.

The major issue occurred halfway through our trip when the check engine light came on. We immediately contacted Apollo and, to their credit, they arranged for a local mechanic to attend promptly.

After inspecting the vehicle, the mechanic advised that the van was experiencing a turbo-related fault and entering "limp mode." He explicitly told us that he would not recommend driving the vehicle any further or taking it far from town. We were instructed to contact Apollo for further instructions.

Initially, Apollo advised that they would arrange a replacement vehicle and tow the existing van. We were flexible and even offered to accept a lower-spec van to help resolve the situation.

However, after multiple calls, Apollo informed us that they would not be replacing the vehicle. We were told this was because it would cost approximately $7,500 to transport a replacement van to our location and recover the faulty vehicle.

Apollo then argued that because the van had occasionally felt underpowered earlier in the trip, we should have reported it sooner. The problem with this explanation is that there were no warning lights, alarms, unusual noises, or any indication that a serious fault existed. The van was as slow and unresponsive in 'limp mode' as it was driving 'normal.

We contacted Apollo immediately once the check engine light appeared and the fault became apparent.

Most concerning was Apollo's proposed solution: continue driving the vehicle despite their mechanic's recommendation not to do so, and call them again if it broke down completely. I told Apollo that there is limited reception between towns and their response was to walk until we found an emergency phone along the highway!

The alternative offer by Apollo was for us to make our own travel arrangements at our own expense, but only after we drove the van 800km to town.

We had purchased Apollo's premium insurance and additional cover specifically because we were travelling long distances in remote areas. When we needed support, we felt abandoned.

Based on our experience, Apollo was unwilling to provide the support we reasonably expected after a serious mechanical issue arose during our trip.

Very disappointing experience, and I would not book with Apollo again.

First vehicle offered at Perth depot completely unacceptable, second vehicle offered passable. Service at depot lengthy and disjointed. Too few experienced staff on duty.
Fridge didn't work for 8 days, missing 'paid for' camping inclusions, broken lock on kitchen awning.
Extremely disappointing considering we are return customers, though its a service industry so customer service should be a priority.
Difficult to call a branch, all calls go to a call centre, probably in New Zealand.
Absolutely no 'quality control', care or thought in the presentation of the vehicle. We at times wondered if the vehicle was fit for purpose.

Streamlined pickup and drop off process and vehicle was clean and well maintained

Colleen (THL Perth) introduced us to our vehicle and ran us through various aspects and provided snippets of advice which came in very handy on our trip. She also donated us fly nets which were a godsend. We have re donated them for others to use.
First time camper van users so it was good to be given some tips.
The van itself was a good size for our trip but I think 3-4 weeks would be our max. The toilet and shower rather cramped but not too much of an issue as we either had ensuite sites or used the camp facilities.
There was an issue with the battery. We fully charged the battery the first night as advised and the solar panel appeared to keep it charged through the day, however, a couple of times when we were off grid overnight the battery ran down, the fridge started beeping so we had to switch it off. We did not run anything other than the fridge when we were off grid but this did not make any difference. We were fortunate friends travelling with us had their own caravan with a working fridge so we could use it.
All in all a great holiday and a little adventure.

Staff were excellent, efficient and friendly

Love, love, love the roadtrip in WA with an amazing motorhome. Looking forward to more trips like this!

Avoid Apollo/THL at all costs. Our campervan (unit 320448) was a rolling disaster from the moment we picked it up. It was dirty, poorly maintained, missing basic equipment, and clearly rushed through “inspection.” Within days it became obvious the vehicle was unsafe and unfit for purpose.

We endured a sewage smell for 14 days, a fridge that shook the entire bed, dangerously soft brakes, a coolant failure that shut the engine down on a hill, and alignment so bad the van constantly pulled left. Five calls to OnRoad Assistance in two weeks — on a trip we paid thousands for.

THL’s response was to offer a token refund and insist this somehow meets their standards. If this is their standard, it says everything you need to know.

This company ruined our holiday. Don’t let them ruin yours.

We picked up a vehicle without air conditioning. We alerted the company within 15 minutes but we’re told to call road service who spent the next 7 days trying to get a repairer. We had to modify our trip because of this.

Pick up and drop off was easy and stress free. Very close to the airport - short uber ride.
Motor home worked well for 2 adults and 2 children. Only negative was how uncomfortable the bed mattresses are. It felt like laying on slab of timber and when we converted the lounge to a bed, it was really dirty. A lot of dust behind the cushions and other people's hair. One pillow each that is very thin and not comfortable. I would take my own next time.
Apart from the bed, the kitchen and layout was great for us.

Super easy pick up and and drop off process with friendly staff. With a good quality comfortable van

A few things to be mindful about if you are planning to rent from Apollo.
Pick-up in Perth at 9-10am is extremelly slow. Allow two hours (that's right, 2 hours) to drive off on your adventure; and completed the online check-in prior, to be "quicker".
Returning the vehicle was fast, no problem.

I booked an Apollo Endeavour, knowing it doesn't have a reverse camera.
But I was handed a Britz van. If you look on Britz's website, they do come with a camera (hurray)... but no, I was handed an old Britz's - likely no longer suitable to Britz. So no camera, old van. It's a big vehicle and of course, I ended up in a small accident reversing the van. But that's a different story.

You must read the T&Cs several times. Print it out and fully understand credit card surcharges. If you decide to pay the Liability Deposit with a credit card, they may charge you a non-refundable credit card surcharge. As of April 2026, Amex = 2.9%; Visa or Mastercard = zero. Well, I also did not know that and was asked to use my card "on file" and ended up paying with my Amex.
In my case the Liability Deposit (bond) charge was $5,145 to my credit card. When I returned the vehicle, I was refunded $5,000. That's $145 of my holiday out to someone else's pocket. So, please use a Visa or MC.

Cleanliness is not their focus either. Plan to stop at the first place possible and give the whole van and utensils a full clean up before you can cook your first meal in the van. Mine was disgusting with oily pans, cutlery and cupboard surfaces.
Finally, mechanically the van's engine light came up during my trip, which resolved by the phone support team. Another different story.

After complaining to senior management, the scripted responses I got were all the same: "we guarantee nothing" and "you should have read the T&Cs". But they resolved my requests in the end.

I chose Apollo thinking they have the biggest network and newer vehicles, but it's not quite like that.

Great experience when we dropped off the motorhome. In and out in 10 mins... picking up not so much. Had to wait an hr when we got there at 9am sharp. Would be beneficial if the motorhomes were ready the day prior since the booking was made 6 months in advance not last minute. With a wide range of fleet available i was shocked that they didnt already have that setup in place.

Friendly staff and the car was in an appropriate condition. We had no issues at all. The pick up took longer than expected but drop off was quick and easy!

We rented an EuroTourer Mercedes van. 93000 km. It was not suitable for rental:
- structural 'creaking' of van body made for noisy trip
- door alarms constantly coming on (due to structural van issue around big side door)
- batteries did not last over night - compromising what we wanted to do with the hire. (The company did rectify this and refund some money at end - thanks.)
- static coming through radio from reversing camera - took 48 hours for person on help line to 'click' to this as problem.

It must be challenging to run a business with depreciating stock, and ensure stock is kept working long enough to make the business viable. But this van either needed to be put out to pasture, or better maintained.

Overall services and vehicle are good enough.

We waited for over 2 hours to receive our van from the original time of pickup which was 9am. Due to the delay we missed planned activities. I asked to speak with the manager, "Mel"at the time of collection to express my frustration. Employees said "she will not speak with you". After asking twice Mel still refused to come and speak with me, claiming that she was busy "doing a van safety check" when she was located the entire time in her office. I knocked on the door after staff had told me where she was. She rudely responded "WHAT DO YOU WANT?", not knowing who I was. I then told her that I wanted to speak with her and she said that she "didnt have time" and i explained id waited 2 hours she said "your not the only one" . I explained that in her role she should be making time to speak to communicate with clients. When I said that I was going to put in a complaint about her, I was encouraged by other staff. When i entered the building one last time she rudely said, "I can speak with you now." This was at the time of our departure from the Perth collection point after waiting for such a long time. I told her I would be putting a complaint in. Her response was "Go for it". Appaling management in that Perth office.

Fantastic camper. Everything we needed was there. Even the dogs . Definitely hiring again.

Camper was in good condition.

The process of collecting the van was very poor. Too many people collecting at the same time, no process to spread people across the day. Just sit over there and wait in the queue. More like attending a cattle auction than someone spending a lot of money with them.
We inspected the van to find one of the side windows was held in by gaffer tape, so obvious that no one could miss it. A branch was sticking out of the roof and over hanging the side and as we could not see the roof top no one could say what had been damaged. This’s was after supposedly being made ready for collection. They had to take the van away and sort out adding to the time we had to wait.
On a positive note the girl who looked after us was excellent and went the extra mile to sort out the issues with the van.