Camper excess, explained honestly.
While the camper is in your care you're responsible for damage — even damage you didn't cause — a careless knock in a car park, a stone on the windscreen, a storm. Every vehicle is insured through Camplify, which offers two excess-reduction packages that set how much that can actually cost you. Here's exactly what each one means, with real numbers — no fine-print games.
- $19/dayRisk Taker · default
- $4,000Risk Taker excess
- $39/dayHappy Camper
- $500Happy Camper excess
- At costglass & tyres always
- Per incidentnot per hire
Two choices, one decision.
| Camplify AER package | Risk Takerdefault | Happy Camperrecommended |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cost | $19 / day | $39 / day |
| Max excess per incident campervans | $4,000 | $500 |
| Driver under 25 loading | + $600 | None |
| Accidental / weather / vandalism damage | Capped at $4,000 | Capped at $500 |
| Windscreen, glass & tyres | At cost | At cost |
| 10-day trip — package cost | ≈ $190 | ≈ $390 |
| Worst case on a $2,800 repair | You pay $2,800 | You pay $500 |
| Best for | Happy to carry the risk to save daily | Capping your downside — most people |
Roughly $20 a day buys your worst-case bill down from $4,000 to $500. Over a typical trip that's a couple of hundred dollars to take a few grand of risk off the table — which is why most people take Happy Camper. Risk Taker only makes sense if you're genuinely comfortable wearing up to $4,000 on a knock that may not even be your fault.
One reversing bingle. $2,800 vs $500.
You're backing into a tight campsite bay at dusk, misjudge a low bollard, and crunch the rear corner — cracked bumper, busted tail light, scraped panel. No big deal, it happens; the van still drives fine. The owner gets it quoted and the repair invoice comes back at $2,800. That's standard accidental body damage — covered by your excess package (not a glass or tyre item).
On Risk Taker: you're liable up to $4,000, so you
wear the full $2,800.
On Happy Camper: you're capped at $500 — you pay
$500 and Camplify covers the other $2,300. One
low-speed bollard is the whole argument for excess reduction.
Different story for glass: a stone flicks up off the gravel access road and stars the windscreen. That's at cost on either package — so on the dirt, ease off and keep your distance.
What it covers — and what it never does.
- Accidental damage while in your careCAPPED
- VandalismCAPPED
- Weather / storm damageCAPPED
- Collisions beyond normal wear and tearCAPPED
- A knock from someone else while you're parkedCAPPED
- Windscreen chipsAT COST
- Full windscreen replacementAT COST
- ADAS camera recalibrationAT COST
- Tyre replacementAT COST
Glass and tyres are charged at the actual repair cost on the owner's invoice — the renter pays exactly that, not an excess.
- Excess is the max per event/incident — not per hirePER INCIDENT
- Driver under 25 — extra excess on Risk Taker+$600
- Chip bigger than a $1 coin in driver's sightlineFULL REPLACE
- Lane-departure / forward-collision carsADAS CALIB.
- Tyre damage from misuse / breach of terms— · NOT COVERED
- Awning damage from misuse / poor weather care— · BREACH
Minimum hire age is 24 across the fleet — you can book at 24, the under-25 loading above is a separate Camplify AER rule.
How to keep your liability low.
- THE BIG ONE
Take Happy Camper
$20/day to move your ceiling from $4,000 to $500. On almost every trip the maths favours it — and it removes the under-25 loading entirely.
- PARK SMART
Mind the car-park knocks
The most common claim is a parked bump — a clipped bumper while you're off having lunch. Park nose-out, away from tight bays and trolley bays. Most knocks happen while you're not even in the van.
- GLASS & TYRES
Mind the windscreen on gravel
Glass and tyres are never capped. Drop speed on the approved gravel access roads, keep distance from other vehicles, and you sidestep the one cost no package reduces.
- STAY IN BOUNDS
Don't void the cover
Off-road, soft sand, beach driving (outside approved spots) and ignoring weather warnings with the awning out are breaches — and a breach means no excess cap applies. Clear your route with us first.
The questions worth asking before you book.
Q.01 What actually is the excess?
It's the maximum you're liable to pay per incident for accidental damage while the camper is in your care — including damage you didn't cause, like someone tapping it in a car park or a storm dropping a branch on it. Camplify's two Accident Excess Reduction (AER) packages set how high that ceiling is: $4,000 on Risk Taker, $500 on Happy Camper (per incident, for campervans).
Q.02 Risk Taker or Happy Camper — which should I pick?
Risk Taker ($19/day) is the default: cheaper daily, but you carry up to $4,000 per incident. Happy Camper ($39/day) costs $20 more a day and drops your exposure to $500. On a 10-day hire that's roughly $200 extra to take $3,500 of risk off the table — most people take Happy Camper. Pick Risk Taker only if you're comfortable potentially wearing $4,000 on someone else's mistake.
Q.03 What's NOT covered by either package?
Glass and tyres are charged at cost regardless of which package you choose — windscreen chips, full windscreen replacement, ADAS camera recalibration, and tyre replacement. You pay the actual repair cost against the owner's invoice, not an excess. Excess reduction only applies to accidental damage, vandalism, weather damage or collisions beyond normal wear and tear.
Q.04 I'm 24 — does that change anything?
You can hire from age 24 across the whole fleet. But Camplify applies an additional $600 excess on the Risk Taker package for any authorised driver under 25 — so as a 24-year-old on Risk Taker your ceiling is effectively $4,600. Happy Camper avoids that loading; for under-25 drivers it's usually the better-value choice.
Q.05 Who pays for a windscreen chip?
You do — at cost, on the owner's invoice, regardless of package. A small chip that doesn't affect roadworthiness is a minor repair. But a chip bigger than a $1 coin in the driver's line of sight usually means a full windscreen replacement — and modern vehicles with lane-departure and forward-collision systems need ADAS recalibration on top, which isn't cheap. Treat the windscreen carefully on gravel.
Q.06 Where do I choose my package?
At the Camplify checkout, when you request to book — you select Risk Taker or Happy Camper there and the daily cost is added to your total before you pay. The figures on this page are Camplify's current AER amounts; the exact numbers for your booking are shown and confirmed at checkout.