Pros and Cons of Renting vs Buying an RV for Your Roadtrip

RV Rentals Pros:

• An RV comes at a much cheaper rate when rented for a few days or weeks instead of getting prescribed by dealerships for years together. Also there are no hidden costs involved in rentals that may surprise you like: insurance, RV accessories that may be added without your knowledge, etc.

• You can drive your RV as per your requirements and not as prescribed by the dealership. Some people have seen RV dealerships making them sign contracts for a year or more which doesn’t suit their road trips at all. In such cases it is better to rent an RV for a shorter time period so as to have more flexibility in driving and exploring places. 

• RV rentals give you much more freedom to choose from a wide range of RV models, sizes and types available. It would be difficult for you to purchase a large RV if suddenly a small one catches your eye while on roadtrip. The choice of model has the power to make or break your RV trip.

 RV Rentals Cons:

• RV rentals are mostly limited to local RV rental companies, so one may not get many options when it comes to choosing RV models. And there is almost no chance of getting RV accessories added in the package without paying extra money. So if you want certain RV accessories like a custom mattress or RV generator, then you either have to pay extra or forgo your desired RV accessory when renting an RV.

• Some companies force you to rent from them for an entire week which doesn’t allow you to explore areas of interest at your own pace.

• RV rental companies usually require a large deposit amount upfront and sometimes they charge extra fees like: cleaning fee, damage waiver fee etc., besides charging daily rates for renting an RV which can be expensive for RV novices. 

Owning an RV Pros:

• You have control over several aspects of the RV to make it your own, like customizing your mattress or adding monogrammed pillows. You can choose how long you want to travel for and even go off course if you’d like because it’s not rented out by multiple people.

• You can enjoy unlimited mileage without worrying about extra costs or if you can pay daily, weekly or monthly rate etc., all these things are included in the RV purchase price.

• You will get a warranty of at least 1 year unlike most RV rentals which don’t even come with basic warranty coverage. 

Owning an RV Cons:

• RV insurance is mandatory, so the first cost RVers have to bear is RV insurance because it protects you from all kinds of damages and theft, but be prepared for higher premiums if you own an RV because insuring an RV costs more than insuring a car .    

• Paying loan installments every month can give you a headache, because you will be spending large sums on a monthly basis after purchasing the RV. And before applying for a loan, make sure to calculate all your financial resources as well as potential income (if any) which can help you in RV financing .

• RV maintenance is another factor that RVers have to keep in mind when purchasing an RV, because even big RV companies cannot guarantee perfect maintenance every time and it’s always better to avoid spending large sums on unplanned RV repairs or maintenance.