Should You Hire a Motorhome Before You Buy? The Complete Guide

Buying a motorhome is a big financial commitment, so it pays to try before you buy. Hiring first lets you test different layouts and sizes, get comfortable with life on the road, and work out which features you actually need, all without the upkeep, insurance, storage, and depreciation costs that come with ownership. At Dicksons of Perth, a trial hire is even more worthwhile because part of your hire fee can be credited towards a motorhome purchase. Book a few nights, explore Scotland’s NC500, and make your next big purchase with confidence.

Why Hire a Motorhome Before You Buy?

A motorhome is one of the biggest purchases most people make outside of a house or car, so it’s worth being certain before you commit. Renting first is a low-risk way to find out whether the motorhome lifestyle genuinely suits you, rather than discovering the hard way after you’ve signed on the dotted line. See the full benefits of hiring with Dicksons of Perth for more detail.

Hiring answers the questions a brochure or showroom visit never can. Are you comfortable living in a more compact space? Can you get to grips with onboard water and electrical systems? Do long drives, campsite check-ins, and cooking in a galley kitchen feel like freedom, or a chore? A weekend or week away in a hired motorhome will tell you far more than an afternoon walking around a forecourt.

It’s also the best way to compare models. Motorhomes range from compact two-berth campervans built for couples, right up to six-berth family units with separate sleeping and living areas. Renting lets you try a few configurations before deciding which layout, size, and feature set actually fits your travel style, whether that’s a fixed bed versus a drop-down one, a shower room versus a wet room, or a modest kitchenette versus a full cooking setup. Our buying guide goes into more detail on the models and specifications worth considering once you’re ready to narrow things down.

There’s a practical side too. Hiring gives you first-hand experience of driving a larger vehicle, judging fuel consumption, and navigating unfamiliar roads, all useful information before you commit thousands of pounds to a model that might turn out to be bigger, thirstier, or harder to manoeuvre than you expected.

What to Expect from a Trial Hire

A trial hire is designed to feel like a real preview of ownership, not just a holiday rental. Here’s what that typically involves:

1. Choosing your vehicle

Our fleet spans 2 to 6-berth campervans and motorhomes from brands including Malibu, Dreamer, Pilote, Roller Team, and Itineo, so you can hire the type of vehicle closest to what you’re actually considering buying.

2. Living with the features

Heating systems, entertainment set-ups, kitchen facilities, bathrooms, storage, and bike racks are all things that sound good on paper but feel very different in daily use. A trial hire lets you prioritise what matters and dismiss what doesn’t.

3. Getting a feel for the road

Expect to spend real time behind the wheel, motorway driving, single-track roads, and manoeuvring into a campsite pitch are all part of the experience, and all useful practice.

4. Exploring Scotland properly

Scotland is one of the best places in the world to test a motorhome, thanks to its combination of quiet roads, dramatic scenery, and excellent campsite network. Many customers use their trial hire to explore the Highlands, Loch Ness, the Cairngorms, or the Isle of Skye. For a proper road trip, the NC500 is a favourite: over 500 miles of coastline, castles, and beaches, ideally covered in 7–10 days.

5. Extras that make it easier

Options like bedding packages, pet-friendly hire, additional drivers, and airport collection for visitors flying into Scotland mean your trial run can be as comfortable as ownership itself.

Cost Comparison: Hire vs Buy

Buying and hiring involve very different cost structures, and understanding both is key to making the right decision.

Buying a motorhome means an upfront purchase price followed by a long list of ongoing costs: insurance, road tax, servicing, MOT, storage (if you don’t have space at home), depreciation, and general upkeep. Even when the motorhome isn’t in use, most of these costs continue year-round.

Hiring a motorhome means you pay only for the time you actually use it: there’s no insurance to arrange, no servicing to book, no storage fees over winter, and no cleaning or maintenance responsibility.

For anyone weighing up the two, a short trial hire is the cheapest possible way to “own” a motorhome for a few days and see whether the total cost of ownership is genuinely worth it for how often you’d use it. And with Dicksons of Perth, the comparison tips further in favour of hiring first: as part of our Try Before You Buy scheme, a portion of your hire fee is credited back towards the purchase price if you go on to buy a motorhome from us. In effect, your trial run doesn’t just inform your decision, it helps pay for it.

How to Book a Trial Hire

Booking with Dicksons of Perth is straightforward:

1. Check availability: Use our online booking system to enter your pickup and drop-off dates and times. We recommend a minimum hire of three nights to get a genuine feel for life on board.
2. Choose your motorhome: Browse available vehicles by berth size, layout, and brand.
3. Add your extras: Select options such as additional drivers, bedding packages, pet-friendly features, or airport collection.
4. Confirm your booking: Book and pay online, or email our hire team for a quote if you’d like to confirm details first.
5. Collect and go: Pick up from our North Muirton Industrial Estate site in Perth and start exploring.

If you’re ready to talk it through, our team can also advise on which model best matches the motorhome you’re eyeing up for purchase. Call us on 01738 626287 or email [email protected] for hire enquiries and [email protected] if you’re already thinking about buying.