What does it cost to own a caravan a year?

Beyond the purchase, a caravan costs registration, insurance, warrant, storage if you cannot keep it at home, servicing and the running costs of trips. Divided by the trips you take, a lightly used caravan can be expensive per holiday.

Is owning a caravan cheaper than renting?

It depends how often you use it. A caravan used many weekends a year can be good value; one used a few times can cost more per trip than hiring. Working out the cost per trip is the honest comparison.

If you cannot store a caravan at home, paid storage can be a significant yearly cost. Include it, as it applies whether or not you use the caravan.

Caravan Ownership Cost Calculator

This New Zealand calculator works out the true annual cost of owning a caravan or motorhome, including registration, insurance, warrant, storage, servicing and trip running costs. Divided by the trips you take, it reveals the real cost per holiday, which can be eye-opening for a lightly used van. You enter your figures, and the tool shows the yearly total and the cost per trip, so you can compare owning against hiring.

Rego and WOF per year

Insurance per year

Storage per year

Servicing and maintenance

Trips per year

Running cost per trip

true annual cost of the caravan

Cost per trip$0

Fixed costs (whether used or not)$0

Cost per trip divides the annual total by your trips, which is the honest figure to compare against hiring a caravan or staying elsewhere. Excludes the purchase price and depreciation. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator adds the fixed yearly costs (rego, insurance, storage, servicing) to the running costs of your trips, then divides by the number of trips for the cost per trip. The fixed costs apply whether or not you use the caravan, which is why a lightly used van costs so much per holiday. Comparing the cost per trip with hire rates shows whether owning stacks up for you.

Worked example

With $200 rego, $600 insurance, $1,200 storage and $600 servicing, plus 6 trips at $150 running cost, the total is about $3,500 a year. Over 6 trips that is roughly $583 a trip, before the purchase price is even counted.

Related calculators

Holiday Home Cost Calculator: bach costs.
Campervan Hire Cost Calculator: hiring instead.
Travel Budget Calculator: holiday budgets.
Vehicle Running Cost Calculator: towing vehicle.

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