Star RV Motorhome Hire Arvostelua 

lots of little things didn't work, took it back to them 3 times to get stuff sorted,
fuel tank was empty wastewater was full, not happy with them at all, they obviously turn them around as quickly as possible and don't check stuff properly,
certainly wouldnt recomend them

Don’t use this company!!!
Our group had two camper vans . Neither were fully equipped as advertised for example no gas in the gas bottle .
After two days one van was taken off the road as it was unroadworthy.(faulty brakes). The replacement van was also ill equipped had a small old foam mattress that was infested with mould. The other van lost all electrics twice and the repair dept seemed to have no idea how to fix it. We had no fridge , no lights , no hot water or running water and we had to throw away food. One night was spent in a BnB which after about two months we finally got reimbursed.
The second van also had faulty brakes. While driving down the very steep Haast Pass the low brake fluid warning came on.
We spent hours being put on hold on the phone. No one ever called us back and we lost between 3 and 4 days of our 15 day holiday with vehicles off the road or waiting in their depot in Queenstown for repairs to be done. The bloke behind the counter in Queenstown said “ It’s not my problem “ This pretty much sums up the company.
The only person who was willing to help was Fabian at Christchurch . After numerous calls and emails and much frustration we eventually received a piddly amount of compensation.
As I said at the start, don’t use this company.

We hired a motorhome from Auckland for 18 days and returned it at Christchurch for our flight home.
Our flight arrived in Auckland late so we didn’t get to pick the motorhome up the first night which I know isn’t star RVs fault but after calling them multiple times at 4 pm and then calling the after hours number to be greeted with someone that can’t speak English was no help at all to me. We decided to go and get a room for the night and get a taxi to the rv in the morning.
Arrived in the morning to pick up the RV and was pretty much laughed at when we mentioned how upset we were that we missed them the day before.
Ask them why they hadn’t taken the payment out of our account like they were supposed to 2 days beforehand. She said we would have to pay on Card and it has to go through as a Credit. which they charged us $130 surcharge fee. Had a very quick tour of the van.
the girl said that the grey tank light will stay on, It’s faulty but the grey tank is empty. Driving along all the shelves in the fridge collapse because they are all flimsy and broken so all our food smashes and spilt everywhere. When we start to use the water to clean the mess up we realise the grey tank is full and clogged and can’t be emptied so we had to go and find sticks to unblock it. The smell was horrendous.
Next we go to use the toilet and there is pee up the walls and behind the toilet absolutely disgusting. I had to clean it all and disinfected before we could use it.
Bedsheets were all stained.
the cutlery and the crockery was dirty and there was food and drinks stains all through the drawers. We went and purchased paper plates and bought our own saucepans because they were so gross we didn’t want to eat out of them. The cupboard under the sink with the bin in it didn’t open it was jammed shut.
Then we ran out of gas after just cooking for a few days, no showers.
So obviously there wasn’t a full gas bottle put in them when we hired it
Then the ad blue light came on.
So we had to buy some of that.
We did some research and one full tank of ad blue will last 10,000 km so it obviously hadn’t been checked for quite a long time.
Paid extra for outdoor chairs and table, the chairs with flimsy crap and all broken and bent, we couldn’t sit on them. Returned the van, we didn’t even bother to tell them how upset we were with it because nobody there seemed to care.
then we had to pay an RUC fee.
WOULD NEVER EVER EVER HIRE FROM THEM AGAIN.

I rarely leave reviews like this, but this was honestly one of the worst rental experiences I’ve had.

We paid close to $2000 for a campervan and received a vehicle in very poor condition. From the start, multiple things were not working properly:

The fridge didn’t work, which resulted in us having to throw out food worth around $150
The diesel cap was faulty, meaning we were actively spilling diesel while driving – not only wasteful, but potentially dangerous
We were told at pickup that the AdBlue sensor was faulty but that the tank had just been filled. When returning the vehicle, we found out this same story had been told to all other customers, who were all expected to buy and refill AdBlue themselves

Throughout the trip, I was in contact with their team via email about these issues. Despite the clear inconvenience and costs on our side, no compensation was offered at any point.

The final issue—and the most frustrating one—was the wireless charging dock in the dashboard. It overheated a phone to the point where it was too hot to hold. We tested it again with another phone and the same thing happened. The result was a damaged camera, confirmed by two independent repair specialists as being caused by overheating.

Star RV has completely denied responsibility, claiming no fault was found. They also refused to provide any inspection report or details on how this was tested, while simultaneously calling their decision “final.”

What’s most disappointing is not just the issues themselves, but the way they were handled:

Problems were dismissed rather than properly investigated
Communication felt dismissive and procedural
No accountability was taken, despite multiple faults during the rental

For a company operating in this space, this level of service and vehicle condition is simply not acceptable.

I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

What a nightmare
Hi,we are 3 weeks into our trip in New Zealand with 3 weeks to go.
We paid over $9000 for our star RV van & we expected some sort of comfort but we got the opposite.
If you are looking to hire a van please look at other companies, star RV would be the last company I would deal with.
Yours sincerely
Mathew Carmichael

This company should not be in operation. We experienced the worst holiday possible with Star RV Australia. Our van was old, covered in bog, the fridge didn't work and were told by their call centre to purchase ice packs, the stove top didn't work and told to purchase a gas cooker!! We had warning lights appear on dash, was told to drive it to their closest base which was 5 hours in the opposite direction we were going. Airbag malfunction light came on and they finally sorted an auto electrician who told us their were 23 errors. Van failed to start the following day, we waited 3 days for a replacement, which was smaller 6 berth down to 2 berth. We were told by the company to book extra accomodation while we waited for replacement, which they said they would refund. My son had to catch a bus back to his home as he had work and we weren't able to get him home.
Have approached them for compensation and the refunds for the accomodation, still waiting and now we are being ghosted, they aren't replying to emails and when I call am told I am a priority and they will call back. Have heard nothing. Totally disgusting!!!

Hired Polaris 6 from Auckland for a two week trip for our family of 5. The short version is:
Van 1
- Had a faulty gas hot water system. It failed repeatedly. Calls to the support line showed that there is little knowledge of the functionality of the vans. I was told the system used both gas and Diesel??
- Missing smoke alarm
- Drawers repeatedly flew open when locked while driving. Clearly an ongoing issue if the tape marks on the drawers are anything to go by.
- I reported that the gas heating had failed again. Was told they would investigate a repairer in the area. Heard nothing back despite repeated emails.
- Spoke to someone 4 days later who couldn't say if any effort to find a repairer had occurred.
- I requested a replacement vehicle be driven to us given the ongoing nature of the issue and the inconvenience. I was told this is against policy.
- I requested the case to be escalated and was told the manager may take a while to call (spoiler - I'm still waiting).
- after 5 hours I was eventually told that a replacement vehicle may be able to be provided - still no call from management.
- after a flurry of emails including request that we further change our plans to accommodate a vehicle 18 hours later. We still have no idea when the replace vehicle will arrive.
- 4pm the next day we are told a vehicle will be delivered in 4 hours. Instead it is almost 6 hours (9.30pm) as the driver had to wait for the vehicle to be ready!?
- 10pm settle my overtired 2, 6 and 9 year olds in the new van. No walk through with different features as the driver knew nothing.

New van:
- Couldn't get the fridge to work but due to sheer exhaustion dealing with Star didn't bother phoning this one in.
- Found stinky sheets and towels from the previous client in a cupboard - gross.
- When dropping back to the depot the staff couldn't figure out the right road user charge. Luckily we took photos to prove we hadn't driven 5 times the distance.

All in all I certainly won't be trying them a second time. What a joke

... And I didn't even get into the complete farce how some vans have completely different quality of specifications I e. Combined shower toilet in some (awful!!) vs separate in others.

This was the absolute worst experience a traveler could have. Two hours out of Adelaide we discovered we had no water. We emailed, texted and messaged but no one got back to us until many hours later. When we finally found a campsite that had both water and power, we learned the hose they supplied had the end cut off with no way to hook up to water. Late that night we also discovered we had no power.
The 1-800 number was completely useless - every time we called they told us we were calling New Zealand and they couldn't help. There were no phone numbers for the physical business, either in Adelaide or Melbourne.
We did the best we could and lived with the piece of garbage they'd stuck us with for a week, until we got to Melbourne, where they told us they would have a replacement vehicle waiting fur us, but the crew in Melbourne had no idea we were even coming and had no vehicle. They asked us to wait while they checked
out the vehicle and after several hours told us the water pump was broken and the alternator was also broken. They wanted us to wait for a few days while it got fixed! They never seemed to understand we were on the trip of a lifetime, from the US, and they had already wasted three days of that trip, and caused us terrible stress.
We have a record of 53 pages of emails, Whatsapp messages and phone calls and are fighting the charges through our credit card company.
We used Rat Pack as a sub rental and they were not able to get anyone to help us.
A word of great warning to all future renters: Don't! Caveat emptor.

We made a RV booking with Star RV through Ratpack travel and sadly 2 weeks before arring in Australia had to cancel due to middle east travel restrictions . Both Ratpack and Star RV were fantastic with us when we cancelled. Our deposit understandingly was not refundable but Ratpack travel and Star RV have offered to hold our deposit for 2 years allowing us to use it on a future trip next year . Brilliant service from day 1 and wonderful customer service .

Premium Price for a Maintenance Nightmare – Management Ignoring Issues

​Avoid Star RV if you expect a "Premium" service. We even completed the Online Check-In days in advance, yet the handover in Sydney was a disaster.

​The Reality:

​Infested with cockroaches upon pickup.

​Major repairs needed mid-trip: In Melbourne, the team had to RE-SEAL a leaking window and REPLACE the broken range hood.

​Safety Risks: Worn-out tires and old wipers for a 4,000km journey across the Nullarbor.

​Disorganized: Despite the online check-in, items were missing and we were given the wrong pickup address.

​Management Failure:

While the staff in Melbourne and Perth were helpful, the Sydney Branch Manager, Robert, has been unprofessional. He offered a small $500 refund and has been ignoring my emails for over 8 days now. It seems they prefer to sweep safety and hygiene issues under the rug.

​Save your money and your nerves – this is NOT a premium provider.

Picked up the motorhome (Polaris 6) from Perth branch and plan was to leave for a trip across the Nullarbor to Melbourne the day after. So on the day of pick up, only drove 20 minutes and then had the motorhome overnight in front of the house, unused. Next day, when we wanted to leave, engine did not start. The service subsequently provided was horrendous, worst experience of my life. It took 20 minutes to get connected to a real person, who then connected us to RAC - they hung up on us. Had to call and wait again, another 15 minutes gone before we spoke to someone. Mechanic was sent out (RAC) and arrived 1.5 hours after issue encountered. He replaced the battery, it was leaking and overall the engine was very badly maintained, oil everywhere. We also did not get a call through number, had to call via the hotline again only to be hung up on again. We were lucky that the mechanic was actually capable and checked everything for us again.
Further issues encountered:
- motorhome had an empty gas bottle installed at pick up, that was only replaced with a full one upon request
- fly screen door broken; overall condition of fly screens not acceptable
- mould in fridge
- driver's seat plastic cover on left-hand side not attached anymore
- outside compartment hatches are difficult to open / close properly
- cleanliness of basically everything was insufficient
- toilet cassette seams to be leaking - chemical residue found in compartment
- waited 90 minutes with an already later pick up time

Do not use this company! Got left stranded in the dessert after our van broke down for 30hrs. They provided no roadside assistance and told us to make our own way back home, without any compensation of travel costs. Holiday is now cut 5 days short with no sympathy

Worst company to deal with , picked rv Polaris 6 berth up and an hour into trip had fridge problems, failed to assist an hep and only support was troubleshooting with emails of incorrect information. Policy to compensate until after matter is fixed when your waiting ages for a repairer and service manager to call you. Don’t use this company at / rv.

We rented a Polaris 6 campervan from Star RV, picking up and dropping off at Queenstown Airport, from 23 to 29 January 2026. Unfortunately, the vehicle had multiple issues throughout the trip, several of which raised genuine safety concerns for our family.

The bathroom door would sometimes fly open while driving. Kitchen drawers and overhead cupboards also opened in transit, and on one occasion bottles of water fell out of an overhead cabinet into the cabin. We were very lucky our children were not injured. We had raised a drawer issue at pick-up and staff adjusted one drawer, but the problem continued with that drawer and others for the rest of the trip. In the end, we had to buy gaffer tape ourselves to keep drawers shut while driving.

Other problems included constantly squealing brakes, a faulty grey water gauge that showed full even after emptying, a stove knob that had fallen off, air conditioning that blew hot air even when turned down, and a table in the middle seating area that slid along its rail while driving, including while our children were seated there.

We raised these issues with staff when we returned the vehicle and later wrote to request a partial refund equivalent to one day’s rental. What has been most disappointing is that the company has not even bothered to reply.

We enjoyed our time in New Zealand, but this campervan was not in a condition that met a reasonable standard for a family hire, and the lack of response afterwards has made the experience even worse.

If only there was an option for zero stars.

Possibly the worst customer service at time of pick up that I have ever experienced.

Arrived 15 minutes prior to our pick up time (945am) and was informed that our allocated time was 10am - which I was very aware of. Also told the vehicle was having a final check.

Around 45 minutes later checked with them as to the delay to be told the tyres were being checked.

Yet more waiting, after around an hours wait checked again and told that because people returned vehicles late it meant there was a delay in pick ups.

After almost 2 hours I enquired again for them to shrug their shoulders as to the reason for the delay. Thereafter all the customer service people disappeared out the back. There was another customer waiting and he was ordering a pizza delivery given the delay and another couple were given keys to use a vehicle to go away and come back. A couple returning their vehicle said they also waited an hour and a half at pick up and were told they would be to given a half day refund but that had not happened.

Eventually, I drove out in the vehicle at 1215pm. I had to request a show around the vehicle as they simply wanted to hand me the keys.

I was told we would receive a half days refund but, unsurprisingly, nothing has appeared.

The only saving grace was when the fridge would not work that the guy on the help line was actually helpful and we got it set up and working.

I went through RatPack to hire and therefore did not read reviews prior - wish I had as would never have used this company and will never again use them.

Avoid at all costs.

We rented a mobile home from StarRV. It was dirty, pick up was delayed while they fixed the brakes, the cupboards and rear seats were dirty with exhaust muck (inside).
We persevered and put up with that but gave up when it started raining and the window frames leaked, making the beds wet and the van uninhabitable. We cut our trip short, complained snd were ignored. Avoid them at all costs

Nous avons loué un polaris 6 ,en très mauvais état , douche inutilisable et climatisation aussi ,aucune réponse à notre réclamation une entreprise à éviter

We booked the Polaris 2 through Ratpack Travel, to drive from Brisbane to Cairns. We had to wait around a hour for the camper to be sorted on pick up despite booking a pick up time. The camper van was fairly clean and in a good condition, modern and exactly how it was advertised. Unfortunately we didn’t check our electric cable before we left and when we got to our first powered campsite it was partially melted. It was resolved by a phone call to the emergency number who stated we’d be reimbursed for buying a new cable, which we were. Just make sure you check the state of the camper before you leave the pick up location, check the cables and watch the help videos that they have. Overall we had a great experience.

This was by far the worst rental experience we have ever had.

We were given three different cars during our trip because of serious technical failures (engine warning lights, broken refrigerator, windshield replacement, complete breakdown). We lost multiple travel days, ferry bookings, prepaid campsites, paid for hotels and Ubers ourselves, and spent countless hours on the phone with call centers who promised call-backs that never happened.

There is no proper 24-hour support, no clear communication, and no responsibility taken when things go wrong.

Despite being promised refunds several times, we still have not received our money back.

Our road trip in Australia was heavily ruined because of this company.

Do yourself a favor: rent somewhere else.

We picked up the Polaris 6 for our 7,5 week road trip from Auckland, staff were friendly and helpful. The camper is very spacious and we had plenty of room with the 4 of us.

Along the way we stopped at the other locations of StarRV to swap our linen, which is a great service when your on the road for so long.

If your planning on doing a road trip with a family of 4 or 5, then definitely check out the Polaris 6 of StarRV.