What's Actually Included — The Gotchas

The daily rate advertised by Irish campervan operators is a starting point, not a total. Most renters are surprised at pickup when they see the list of optional add-ons and are surprised again at return when charges are applied they didn't anticipate. This guide covers every non-obvious cost item in Irish campervan hire — what the charges are, and how to avoid the ones that aren't worth paying.

Mileage caps

Most Irish campervan hire agreements include a daily kilometre allowance rather than truly unlimited mileage. Typical daily caps are 150–250 km/day. This sounds generous until you start planning:

• Wild Atlantic Way full run: ~2,500 km over 14 days = 178 km/day. Fine on a pure coastal route, tighter if you're taking inland detours or driving from Dublin to your starting point.
• Ring of Kerry: 179 km loop from Killarney. One day's allowance if you're doing it gently; feasible as a day trip within your allowance.
• Dublin to Kerry dead leg: Roughly 300 km each way. If you're picking up in Dublin and your route starts in Kerry, you've used 300 km of your allowance before you see a single Atlantic view.

Overage charges when you exceed the cap are typically €0.15–€0.30 per km. Small individually, but on a 2,500 km trip with a 200 km/day cap over 14 days, you have 2,800 km included — fine. At 150 km/day you have 2,100 km included, and a 400 km overage at €0.25/km is €100 you weren't expecting.

Indie Campers (at time of research) offered unlimited km on most Irish hirings — verify this directly when booking, as policies change.

Fuel policy

Irish campervan hire is almost universally "full to full": you collect the vehicle with a full tank of diesel and are expected to return it with a full tank. This is the fairest policy for both sides.

What goes wrong:

• Returning less than full: If you return the van with a half tank, the operator refuels it and charges you at their own flat rate — typically 20–30% above pump price, plus a refuelling fee. At a Dublin diesel pump, this can add €50–€100 to your final bill for the sake of a 10-minute stop.
• Finding a petrol station near the depot: Many depots are in industrial or airport-adjacent areas where the nearest petrol station is not obvious. Look up the route from the depot to the nearest station before your return day, not on the morning of.
• Wrong fuel: Putting petrol in a diesel vehicle (or vice versa) is not covered by CDW. It's an expensive mistake — €500–€1,500 for a full fuel system drain and flush. Most modern campervans on the Irish market are diesel. Confirm before fuelling.

Bedding and kitchen equipment

Bedding and towels: This is the most commonly missed add-on. Most Irish campervan operators do not include bedding (sheets, duvet/sleeping bag, pillow) in the base rate. A "linen pack" for two people typically costs €20–€40 per booking. The easy saving: bring your own sleeping bag and a compact camping pillow. A decent 3-season sleeping bag compresses to the size of a football and saves you €20–€40 per trip.

Towels: Similarly not included at base rate in most agreements. Bring microfibre travel towels — they dry faster in a van environment and take up no space.

Kitchen equipment: Most standard campervans include basic kitchen kit — a two-burner gas hob, pots, frying pan, plates, cutlery, and a basic set of utensils. "Camper-car" style vehicles at the budget end of the market are sometimes bare-bones — confirm what's actually in the van before you plan to cook. Gas bottles for the cooking system are usually included (at least for the duration of a short rental); confirm this at pickup and check how much gas is in the bottle.

Leisure battery and generator

Modern campervans come with a leisure battery — a separate secondary battery that powers the habitation electrics (lights, USB charging, fridge, water pump) without drawing from the engine starter battery. The leisure battery charges while the engine is running.

For most Irish rental trips, this is entirely adequate. The fridge runs continuously, the lights and USB ports work overnight, and the battery recharges on each day's driving. Where it becomes a consideration:

• Non-driving days: If you park up for two days without driving (a common occurrence at a beach or festival), the leisure battery will drain. A 100 Ah battery running a fridge continuously gives you roughly 24–36 hours without a recharge.
• Mains hook-up (EHU): Most Irish campsites have electric hook-up points. The campervan should have a CEE 16A blue socket to plug in. Plugging in recharges the leisure battery and powers everything at full capacity. Wild camping (not on a hook-up site) relies entirely on the leisure battery.

Some campervans (larger motorhomes) come with a separate generator. If yours has one, confirm the fuel type and whether generator fuel is tracked separately. Some operators expect you to provide your own petrol for a fitted generator — ask explicitly at pickup.

Cross-border restrictions

This catches people who assume their hire van can go anywhere on the island. It can't without checking. Most Irish operators explicitly state their restrictions in the hire agreement — but the agreement is a long document that most people sign without reading in full.

Standard restrictions to confirm before you book:

• Northern Ireland: Most operators cover ROI–NI crossings, but not all. Confirm explicitly. Ask: "Is my rental covered in Northern Ireland without any additional fee or permission?"
• Great Britain: England, Scotland, and Wales are a separate matter. Ferry crossings from Dublin or Rosslare to Welsh or English ports with a rental vehicle usually require advance written permission from the operator and may incur an additional premium. Some operators refuse GB crossings entirely.
• Continental Europe: Ferries to France or Spain with a rental van are generally only available through operators with a pan-European network (Indie Campers). Most Irish-only operators don't permit continental travel at all.

Late returns

Late return fees in Irish campervan hire are universally punitive. The standard penalty is €50–€150 per hour after the contracted return time. This is not a suggestion — operators charge this automatically because a late return can cascade into a delayed preparation for the next booking.

Budget time for the return process:

• Fuel fill (20–30 minutes to find the station and fill)
• Basic cleaning of the interior (15–20 minutes)
• Driving to the depot (allow for traffic, especially around Dublin Airport)
• The handover inspection itself (15–30 minutes)

If your return is at 9am, don't plan to be at the petrol station at 8:45am. Allow at least 90 minutes before the return time for the whole process.

The deposit

Most Irish operators hold a security deposit at pickup, pre-authorised on a credit card. This is separate from the excess — the deposit is the operator's security against non-insurance costs (cleaning, missing items, fuel shortfall), while the excess is your liability on an insurance claim.