What a campervan rental costs from Bengaluru, per day and per km

If you want a campervan for a weekend out of Bengaluru, the number to plan around is ₹13,000 a day. That is what TravelHomes lists for its Bangalore campervan, the THB1, a four-seat and four-sleep unit with a kitchen, shower and WC. The rate covers the vehicle and a professional driver. It does not cover fuel, parking charges or toll taxes, and it is capped at a maximum of 300 km a day. Billing is garage to garage, so the operator's run from its yard to your pick-up point counts against you.

Per day or per kilometre: get both quotes

Indian operators use two different meters, and that is what catches first-time renters. On the same TravelHomes list, the Bangalore campervan and a five-seat Mumbai caravan (THM5, ₹11,000 a day) are priced by the day. Almost everything else there is priced by the kilometre: ₹60 a km for the Jaipur eight-seater and the Delhi twelve-seater, ₹70 a km for the Pune camper and the Thane motorhome, ₹80 a km for the Hyderabad caravan, a Mumbai Urbania and a Delhi five-seater, and ₹90 a km for the Ahmedabad camper and the Ultra Luxury Urbania.

A day rate rewards you for sitting still, which is rather the point of a campervan trip. A per km rate rewards short hops and punishes a Hampi or Gokarna run, because the meter never stops. So ask three things in writing before you pay: is the rate per day or per km, what a kilometre beyond the cap costs, and whether the clock starts at your gate or at the garage. Ask where the driver sleeps, too. A four-berth van with a driver aboard leaves three berths for the family.

Kerala prices it a third way. The KTDC caravan package reported in Kerala Tourism's newsletter of May 2022 was ₹3,999 per person per night plus tax, with ₹40 per km on top, for up to four adults and two children, and it included breakfast and parking.

Is it cheaper than a tented camp

This is the comparison worth making, because the campervan is both your room and your car. Jungle Lodges and Resorts lists its Bheemeshwari Tent package at ₹5,108 per person per night, about 105 km from Bangalore, and that rate carries three buffet meals, a welcome drink, an evening barbecue with camp fire, a nature walk, a coracle ride, forest entry and GST. Single occupancy adds 30 percent.

Split ₹13,000 four ways and the campervan looks cheaper per head, but only until you add diesel, tolls and every meal, and only if you actually fill four berths. Two people on a two-night trip will almost always pay less at a camp or a homestay.

Where it still makes sense

Rent the van when the journey is the holiday, when you have four people, and when you plan to park in one or two spots rather than cover distance. The weak link is legal overnight parking. Maharashtra's caravan tourism policy, passed on 19 February 2021, set up registered caravan parks and requires caravans to be registered with the transport commissioner as well as the tourism directorate, with a ₹5,000 registration fee and a ₹2,000 licence renewal. That network is still thin, so confirm with your operator exactly where the van will stand at night before you hand over the deposit.

Sources

• TravelHomes caravan and camper van rentals in India
• TravelHomes THB1 campervan in Bangalore
• Jungle Lodges and Resorts, Bheemeshwari Adventure and Nature Camp
• Kerala Tourism newsletter: KTDC caravan tourism package
• Autocar India: Maharashtra government passes caravan tourism policy