We have done both: a two-week RV rental with five children and a series of trips in a rented 12-passenger van with hotel stops. The cost difference was smaller than expected. The comfort difference was larger. Here is the honest comparison.
Sleeping Six or More: The Real Comparison
A 30-foot Class C motorhome sleeps 6–8 people with a mix of a rear queen bed, a cab-over bed, and a convertible dinette. The cab-over bed is typically accessed by a ladder and is not safe for children under 6. A 12-passenger van sleeps zero — you are stopping at hotels, Airbnbs, or campgrounds with tent capacity. The RV advantage is enormous for flexibility: you stop when children fall asleep, you do not have to move a sleeping child into a hotel room, and you never pay for accommodation separately. The van advantage is that you are driving a normal vehicle on normal roads and parking in normal spaces.
Car Seat Installation in RVs: The Overlooked Problem
This is the detail most RV rental guides skip. RV passenger seats are often not certified for car-seat installation under FMVSS 213 standards. A typical Class C motorhome has forward-facing seats with lap belts only in the rear seating area, which are not approved for child-restraint installation. The only location in most RVs where car seats can be legally and safely installed is the cab-area seats — typically two seats, sometimes three with the center cab-over position. For a family needing three or more car-seat positions, this is a disqualifying limitation unless the specific RV model has been confirmed to have compliant belt geometry in additional positions. Verify this with the rental company before booking. For the van side of this decision, see how to rent an 8+ passenger vehicle and our checklist for traveling with car seats.
Cost-Per-Night Math
A 30-foot Class C RV rents for roughly $175–$300 per night from mainstream rental companies (Outdoorsy, RVshare, Cruise America). Add campsite fees ($30–$65 per night at full-hookup sites) and fuel (Class C motorhomes average 8–12 mpg). A comparable hotel for a family of 7 requires two rooms at $120–$200 each. Over a 10-night trip the RV total might be $2,800–$4,000 including fuel; two hotel rooms run $2,400–$4,000. The gap is narrower than the RV usually appears. The RV wins on flexibility; the hotel wins on comfort and connectivity.
Which Is Right for Your Family
The RV makes more sense when: children are all above car-seat age (or you can confirm compliant seat positions), you are traveling to destinations where campsite availability is high, and your family genuinely enjoys proximity for extended periods. The van-plus-hotels approach makes more sense when: you have multiple children requiring car seats, you are traveling to urban destinations with limited RV parking, and your family values having separate sleeping spaces at the end of a long day.
Still deciding on a daily driver for the family? Compare a minivan vs SUV for a family of 7.
