San Diego is located along the Pacific Coast in California and is famous for its sandy beaches, warm climate, and theme parks. It's also known for the iconic San Diego Zoo!
The best way to explore this trendy city is by hiring a camper van, as you'll find plenty of awesome campgrounds in the area.
Although many people choose to convert a camper it's a lengthy process, and if you're short of time then you're better off just renting one.
Being a hub for road trippers, San Diego has so many different RV rental companies on offer, that it can be hard to choose...
That's why we've compiled the best campervan and RV rentals on offer in San Diego, to make the decision that much easier for you!
For some of this list, we've included links to GoSee. We have used them several times and think they are by far the best website for RV comparison.
Their easy-to-navigate website is the perfect tool to find the right campervan for you in your chosen location at your chosen time.
With San Diego being so popular for RV rentals, many get booked up quickly, especially in high season! With GoSee, you can easily see which motorhomes are still available from their safe and trusted websites.
If that hasn't convinced you, there are a few other reasons why you should choose GoSee:
For more info, read our in-depth review of GoSee Travel (Motorhome Republic).
Pick-up and drop-off locations: Spring Valley in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and 124 other locations
Price range: $$$
Best suited for: Couples, families, and larger groups
Availability: Check here
If you're planning on some onward travel after exploring San Diego, Cruise America might be your best bet. With 127 different drop-off locations, renting an RV from a larger company gives you that added reliability and flexibility.
Cruise America is known for being an experienced RV Rental Company with great customer service, and 24hr assistance is included in the rental price.
They are popularly used by large families, especially those with four-legged friends! All of the RVs offered by Cruise America are pet-friendly and welcome dogs on board.
Cruise America has 3 different RVs available to rent from their Spring Valley branch in San Diego. These include their Compact RV Rental which sleeps 3, their Standard RV which sleeps 5, and their Large RV Rental which sleeps 7.
All the vehicles that Cruise America has on offer come with features you would expect from an RV rental including air conditioning, a power generator, a shower, and a gas stove top.
The Compact RV Rental would be especially good for first-time RV drivers and couples alike. The RV is designed to be slimmer than other models making driving along bendy roads and parking easier without taking away any of the amenities of the larger rentals.
If you're traveling as a larger family or group, the Large RV Rental easily sleeps 7 and has the amount of storage needed for larger groups, which some RVs lack.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: All across the US!
Price range: $-$$$
Best suited for: Everyone!
Availability: Check here
Another large RV and motorhome online marketplace which helps trustworthy motorhome owners rent out their vehicles.
Outdoorsy has so many filters so you can list your preferences and find the perfect campervan for your needs.
Luckily, Outdoorsy provides insurance that protects both the RV renter and owner, so rest assured your trip can go as smoothly as possible!
For more information about this platform, check out our in-depth Outdoorsy review!
Outdoorsy has thousands of vehicles currently listed on their website all ranging in different sizes and prices.
Looking currently, there are several high-quality vehicles available for pick-up from various locations within San Diego.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: San Diego (Santee), Los Angeles (LAX), Denver (Littleton), and 25 other locations!
Price range: $-$$
Best suited for: Large groups and families
Availability: Check here
El Monte has been in the business a LONG time, meaning they really know their stuff! They try to make the process of renting an RV as simple and stress-free as possible.
With pick-up and drop-off locations all over the US, they are one of the few that offer a one-way service, making them the perfect company for booking epic road trips!
With over 50 years of experience, El Monte knows that things don't always go to plan, luckily they have 24/7 multilingual support for all customers and provide free generator use on all of their motorhomes!
This makes them one of the best options if you're looking to rent an RV in San Diego!
El Monte has a huge selection of RVs on offer so they will definitely have something that meets your needs.
The two main types of RV that they hold are Class A and Class C.
Class A’s are designed to look more like buses than your classic motorhome style and usually have a more spacious interior with open floor plans. Their Class A Family Sleeper is ideal for larger families as this particular RV sleeps 7!
Their Class C’s are the more classic model of motorhomes with the sleeping compartment being situated above the driver's seat. El Monte has several different sizes of Class C RVs, all 2022 models, and available to rent from San Diego.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: Downtown San Diego or Los Angeles
Price range: $$$
Best suited for: Luxury campervan vacations
Availability: Check here
Expedition Motorhomes specializes in luxury motorhomes in Southern California.
They manage a large fleet of privately owned RVs and take pride in their world-class service.
Expedition Motorhomes require you to complete a mandatory training program before renting from them in order to ensure your safety and the smooth running of your trip. But not to worry, the customer service team is with you every step of the way to ensure you get on the road in no time.
Part of their services includes airport pick up and delivery, and pick up services from a bunch of locations within California.
If you're looking for luxury RV rentals in San Diego then this may be the perfect rental company for you!
Expedition Motorhomes claim they have the best fleet of motorhomes available in California!
They do have a wide selection ranging from Class A, B, C, RUVs, and even Travel Trailers.
You will find that any of the vehicles available to rent on the Expedition Motorhomes website is clean, spacious, well maintained, comfortable, and to a high-class luxury standard. They even offer free WiFi in all of their campervans which is so handy for long trips.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: Oceanside, San Diego
Price range: $-$$
Best suited for: Outdoorsy couples and small groups.
Availability: Check here
If you're looking for the perfect southern California road trip adventure, Van Craft will be the best place to rent your van!
All of Van Crafts' vans come fully equipped with camping gear, an outdoor hot shower, kitchenware, and a stove!
The company is run by passionate explorers; in fact, there are a variety of itineraries and road trips on their website to help plan your perfect trip. They also try to be as sustainable as they can, so all the vehicles are self-sustaining, meaning you don't need to find electric hook-ups at campsites.
While the vans are simple and will make you feel at one with nature, you do still have the security of 24/7 roadside assistance if anything does go wrong.
Van Craft has three different types of vans on offer.
The smallest, seating and sleeping 2, comes with all the classics that they offer including the free 150 miles per day, a sink, a fold-out stove with a good amount of under-bed storage, and a roof rack.
The Short Wheelbase seats 4, and sleeps 2 inside the van but has the space to add on an optional 2-person roof tent and a large awning. The roof is also a lot taller making it a lot more spacious.
Finally, their Long Wheelbase has space to seat 6 inside, sleep 4 inside, and then an additional 4 in a roof tent. The long wheelbase also comes with a surprising amount of storage space which always comes in handy.
All the vehicles have optional add-ons including a portable toilet and a bike rack.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: All around San Diego and all across the country!
Price range: $$
Best suited for: Couples and small families
Availability: Check here
Go Camp has an amazing selection of campervans on offer and they all look like they've come straight off a Pinterest board!
Go Camp has been curating its fleet since 2017 and now has the perfect selection of trustworthy van owners looking to connect with people who want to experience van life and camping.
They pride themselves in only having the best quality of campervans!
With raving reviews, it's clear to see that Go Camp provides unbeatable customer service and a really personable experience. If you rent a van, not only will you have a direct line to the customer service team but also to the van owner themselves.
Currently, there are over 20 different campervans all high quality, individual looking, and available to rent in San Diego!
Their fleet all have individual names (our favorites are Luca and Wendy!) and individual features but all contain everything you will need for your trip including camping gear, cooking supplies, and bedding.
All the vehicles on offer look as if they have their own personality so we have no doubt you'll be able to find a campervan that meets all of your needs.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: San Diego and North County
Price range: $$
Best suited for: Everyone!
Availability: Check here
RV Rentals San Diego is a San Diego based rental company that pride themselves on their huge fleet of privately owned RVs and their straightforward rental process.
The fact that they are a smaller local family-run business means they can go above and beyond to make sure you have a great experience, including helping with the route plan, and an hour-long tour and explanation process of the van.
RV Rentals San Diego has pages and pages of raving reviews so you can be sure they will provide the best service and the best vehicle for your needs.
The company constantly has deals on offer including free parking, free drop-off, free mileage, free gas, and free motorhome generator so be sure to check their website for the best offers!
RV Rentals San Diego has a huge fleet of over 50 vehicles, split between their two sites in San Diego.
The vehicles on offer vary in size and price but all of them are clean, new, and kitted out to a great standard.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: All across San Diego
Price range: $-$$$
Best suited for: Everyone!
Availability: Check here
RVShare is a huge online platform for renting a motorhome peer-to-peer. Taking out the middleman, this platform allows people to rent out their RV when they aren't using them, think Airbnb but for campervans!
The platform has over 60,000 RV owners listing their vehicles for rent across the country so there is likely to be a vehicle available that meets your needs.
With RVShare, it's a more personal experience, allowing you to talk to the campervan owner and make arrangements that suit you both.
So if you're looking for San Diego RV rentals then make sure you check out this platform!
If you want to learn more, check out our RVshare review!
As this is an online platform for private motorhome letters, the vehicles available can change from day to day. Currently, there are over 1000 vehicles on offer in and around the San Diego area.
As these RVs are people's family vehicles, prices can be a lot more reasonable than renting from a larger company. While being more affordable, it does mean you might not get the same level of customer service or quality as other rental companies.
Whether you're looking for small RV rentals in San Diego or a large campervan, RVShare has something for everyone!
Pick-up and drop-off locations: All around San Diego
Price range: $-$$$
Best suited for: Everyone!
Availability: Check here
RVezy is a large company that only started in 2016 and now operates all over the US.
It's an online marketplace that allows private motorhome owners to advertise their vehicle that is available for rental.
After a lot of hard work and a successful appearance on Dragons Den, the company has grown and now has thousands of 5-star reviews about RVezy’s amazing customer service and easy renting system.
As all of the vehicles on RVezy are listed by private owners, there's a huge variety of campervans on offer, all ranging in size and price.
Currently, there's a large selection of vehicles available in San Diego, with some of them even including a drop-off service!
For San Diego rentals, prices seem to start at around $80 a night but that will likely depend on the time of year that you rent.
Pick-up and drop-off locations: Everywhere
Price range: $-$$$
Best suited for: Everyone!
Availability: Check here
Go RV Rentals, similarly to a few others on this list, are an online marketplace that helps to connect campervan renters to rentals.
They have a huge assortment of vehicles that are all available to rent from various locations around San Diego.
The company has an online blog that they regularly update suggesting various road trip routes and tips for traveling in an RV which can help with planning your trip.
Go RV Rentals has a huge selection of vehicles available to pick up all around the country.
These vary in size and price so you can be sure you'll be able to find the perfect RV for you.
They have some tiny 1 person vans and trailers ready for an adventure, but also list some huge 8-man buses, all available to pick up in San Diego.
It's likely to cost anywhere between $80-$250 per night to rent a campervan or RV in San Diego depending on the size and quality of the vehicle.
Yes, most of the campervans on this list are pet-friendly, although sometimes for a higher price or deposit.
Yes! There are several places you can wild camp (or dispersed camp) in San Diego, specifically in Cleveland National Forest, Pine Creek Wilderness, and Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Wild Camping is unfortunately not allowed in areas such as Torrey Pines state beach and nature reserves, but there are campsites nearby!
You should check with your rental company where's best to camp as they'll know all about the area's hidden gems!
It's standard for most RV rental companies in San Diego to not rent to anyone under the age of 21, however, some even require you to be 25 years of age for insurance reasons.
Best to check with the individual companies!
Unfortunately, most of the rental companies on this list do not allow their vans to be taken to the Burning Man festival due to the amount of dust that comes with it!
However, Van Craft will allow you to take their vehicles for an extra cleaning fee and deposit so it's best to ask the individual renting company.
Yes! California is notoriously expensive for accommodation and renting a motorhome not only saves on that but also on transport.
California is a beautiful area to explore and so many famous road trips can start from San Diego!
We are confident that you won't regret renting an RV in San Diego, especially if you rent from our recommendations.
As you can see there are plenty of awesome campervan rentals in San Diego so you won't be short of options!
Which one do you think you'll choose for your epic road trip?
Now, onto the most important question... where do you plan to visit?
Of course, you can just explore San Diego if you wish but there are plenty of other awesome cities in California including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara.
You've also got a variety of spectacular national parks in this state including Death Valley, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree!
There's also the option of exploring more of the United States and opting for a one-way rental...
If you've found this guide helpful then we've got plenty more where that came from:
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