{"id":33458,"date":"2026-06-03T17:31:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T05:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www..com\/nz\/?p=33458"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:17:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:17:56","slug":"earn-hiring-out-your-campervan-nz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www..com\/nz\/earn-hiring-out-your-campervan-nz\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Can You Earn Hiring Out Your Campervan in New Zealand?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\"A<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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In short:<\/strong> Across the 2025\/26 season, the average campervan listed with Quirky Campers NZ returned c.$16,000 to its owner after our fee, and the top performers reached nearly $28,000. This guide gives an honest look at those numbers: what you as an owner can earn hiring out your campervan, how many bookings and days of hire it took, the running costs to weigh against it, and what a sensible first year looks like.<\/p>\r\n

By James O’Hern \u00b7 General Manager, Quirky Campers NZ \u00b7 Published June 2026<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The honest picture on owner earnings<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Understanding the financial side is a big part of deciding whether to hire out your campervan. Buying and converting a van to a high standard is not cheap, so it is fair to want a clear view of the return before you commit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We have already written about what being a Quirky owner involves: the joy of it, what we look for, the work, and the compliance side. You can read that here: How to hire out your campervan with Quirky Campers NZ<\/a>. This article looks at the numbers from last season and gives you a straight answer on what the returns can look like.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One thing up front. The figures below come from vans that were listed with us for a full season. We removed any that joined partway through the 2025\/26 financial year (April 2025 to March 2026), because a half year of earnings would distort the averages one way or the other. So what you are seeing is what an established van earned across a full year, not a best case picked to flatter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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“I’d always dreamed of owning a camper van, but until I hit upon the idea of renting one out to help cover the costs (and even provide some additional income!), it felt like something that would remain a pipe dream. After some quick Googling, Quirky Campers NZ completely stole my heart. I loved everything about the brand, and the beautiful handcrafted vans on the site really captured my imagination.”<\/p>\r\n

Julia Walker, owner of Sunny<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

What Quirky owners earned last season<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"Infographic\r\n
What the average Quirky van earned across the 2025\/26 season.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Last season, the average van on our platform returned approximately $16,300 to its owner. That is after Quirky’s fee, so it is money in the owner’s pocket before their own running costs (more on those shortly). A handful of our highest earners returned $26,000 to $28,000.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Chart\r\n
The realistic spread of annual owner earnings, 2025\/26.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At the quieter end, a van might return around $10,000 across the year. That still typically covers the running costs of keeping a van safe and legal, with something left over: for the upgrades you have been meaning to do, a few trips of your own, or simply chipping away at the cost of the van itself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Owner earnings, 2025\/26 (full-season vans)<\/th>\r\nReturned to owner (NZD)<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
Average<\/td>\r\n$16,300<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Median (the typical van)<\/td>\r\n$17,300<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Top performers<\/td>\r\nup to $26,000 – $28,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Quieter vans<\/td>\r\n$10,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Figures are the owner’s share after Quirky’s fee, before the owner’s own running costs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The other numbers: bookings, hire days and kilometres<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Earnings are the headline, but a few other figures fill in the picture of a typical year on the platform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
A typical van’s year<\/th>\r\nFigure<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
Bookings across the season<\/td>\r\n5 to 10 (average just over 6)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Average booking length<\/td>\r\n15 days<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Days on hire<\/td>\r\n90 to 100 days<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Distance covered while on hire<\/td>\r\n14,000 km (depending on pick-up location)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A van out for 95 days a year still leaves much of the year for your own use. That is part of the benefit to owners, as the van earns its upkeep and is still yours for the weekends and holidays you want it for.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

When the bookings happen<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"Bar\r\n
Share of bookings by season across the platform, 2025\/26.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Demand is highly seasonal, with more than half of last season’s bookings in summer, with spring and autumn making up the majority of the remaining bookings. Winter is generally quiet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Your own use of the van between roughly October and March is the single biggest lever on your income. Every peak week you keep for yourself is a week the van is not earning. That is entirely your call, and plenty of owners happily trade some income for their own summer trips, but it is worth thinking about this before going too hard on calendar blocks. Second, vans that stay available through the busy months, and are set up for cooler-weather travel, tend to earn more steadily across the year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What drives your income<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No two vans earn the same, and a handful of things explain most of the difference.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n