UK, other European Economic Association (EEA) country as well as Australian and New Zealand, etc driving licenses are sufficient for renting a motorhome in Canada. However, you are recommended to take an international driving license if your license does not contain the required information in English and this should be presented alongside your national license. There is normally a minimum age limit for vehicle hires. We have dedicated a special section entitled 'Important rental info' within our website for each of our rental company partners where you can obtain more specific information on this subject.
You are required by law to wear a seatbelt in Canada and the traffic drives on the right hand side. The roads are generally well developed and the slow flowing traffic makes driving very enjoyable. It is normally not permitted to drive your motorhome in New York City (or to leave your motorhome unattended in Montreal) and motorhomes are only permitted for use on fully sealed public roads. For more details please refer to the 'Important rental info' provided for each rental company within their respective section on our website.
The amount you pay for fuel is reasonable because petrol and diesel prices are relatively low, e.g. they are as much as 50% cheaper than the UK/European average. Please note that the vehicle generators (and not all campervans and motorhomes have these) take petrol and this naturally increases the total consumption level.
For insurance reasons it is not possible for you to collect your motorhome on the day of your arrival. You can therefore spend the first night in a hotel (or other form of accommodation) and get some rest before the adventure begins. We suggest that you do not plan too much on the first day of your hire. By the time you pick-up the vehicle and obtain instructions on how to use it, make yourself at home it it and buy your groceries the afternoon will normally be well under way. For detailed information about pick-up and drop-off times please refer to the 'Important rental info' for the rental company in question.
The Canadian government levies a VAT tax (GST) of 5% on the purchase of goods and services. Depending on which state you are in, an additional tax is levied on top of this (PST) - ranging between 0% - 10.5%. As opposed to the norm in UK/Europe or Australia and New Zealand for example, these taxes are not normally included in the displayed price and this rule also applies to all prices payable locally at the rental depot which are quoted on our web pages in CA$.
However, the prices for anything you purchase with us always include taxes.
For goods that you take home with you you can apply for a GST tax return at the end of your trip. Information about this procedure can be found at airports and in many shops throughout Canada.
Canada has a huge number of camping grounds available and of various standards. Most of the state-owned camping grounds are generously proportioned - the campsites are well spread out and each one normally has its own picnic table. The bathrooms and toilets are basic but usually well attended to. The cost per motorhome ranges from CA$ 10 - CA$ 30 per night.
Private camping grounds are often more luxurious and - aside from the normal sanitary rooms, they also often provide recreation rooms, shops, a swimming pool and washing machines. You also have the use of 'full hook-up' spots with fresh water, electricity, and waste water connections. Here you can expect to pay between CA$ 25 - CA$ 50 per night. Most of our rental company partners provide KOA Kampground cards at pick-up time which give you a 10% discount off accommodation. Alternatively, you can visit www.koa.com and contact them directly.
The national parks are very popular so we recommend that you make a reservation for a motorhome site during the busy Summer months. We are not aware of a central website where you can make online reservations. However, many of the parks have their own websites which allow you to make bookings.
Canada is a huge country with various climate zones. The Summer months are an excellent time for travel anywhere in the country. Autumn is an ideal time to visit Eastern Canada, especially with its spectacular Autumn colours. From as early as September there is a chance of heavy snowfall in the upper mountain areas of Western Canada. If you are planning on visiting an area where the temperature is likely to go below zero degrees your vehicle will need to be winterised. You can find information about the winterisation process in each rental company section on our website via the link 'Important rental info'. For 24-hour information about the weather in Canada you can visit https://weather.gc.ca/