Wicked Campers has been rolling out its iconic spray-painted fleet across Australia for over 25 years. Based in Brisbane, they operate depots in every major
Some companies apologise for their vans. Wicked is not one of them. Since 1997, they have been parking brightly spray-painted campervans in front of national parks, surf breaks and outback roadhouses across Australia — and the art has only gotten louder. That is the whole point. You are not renting a white box that blends into traffic. You are renting a billboard with a kitchen.
But the vehicles themselves have changed considerably since the early days. The Wicked of now is a different company from the Wicked that gave budget travel a bad name a decade ago. The fleet now spans proper kitchen-equipped 2-berth campervans up to fully rigged 5-berth 4WD adventure rigs with compressor fridges, 300W solar and 70-litre water tanks. If you are still picturing a rusty hatchback with a foam mat, you are looking at old reviews.
The campervan lineup starts with the Budget Mini Camper — a Hyundai i20 or similar fitted with a rooftop tent for up to three people. No kitchen, no frills, the cheapest way to sleep outdoors without booking a site. Above that, the core of the fleet is the Wicked Van 2 and Wicked Van 2-3, both built on Toyota Estima or similar vans with a rear kitchenette, gas cooker, ice cooler and a double bed that converts to a lounge. Manual and automatic options are available on most models.
The Mystery Machine range adds the signature Scooby-Doo-inspired paint scheme to the same mechanical package — same kitchenette, same bed, different artwork. There is a 2-berth, a 2-3 berth built on a Toyota Regius, and a Hi-Top 2 with a raised roofline and fresh and grey water tanks included. If you want standing height without paying premium rates, the Hi-Top is the pick.
At the premium end of the campervan range sits the Johnny Feelgood — a Nissan Elgrand or similar running on automatic, with a 25-litre water tank, a 20-litre solar-powered fridge drawer, 300W solar, and a stainless steel prep table with a pull-out chopping board. This is the van Wicked built for people who want the Wicked vibe but also want a functioning camp kitchen. It also has air conditioning, which in northern Australia is not a luxury — it is a medical device.
If you are heading off-road — the Gibb River Road, the Oodnadatta Track, Cape York — the campervan fleet is not the answer. Wicked knows this. Their three 4WD models cover serious ground.
The D5 4x4 Adventure Camper, based on a Mitsubishi Delica or similar, is the compact option: automatic transmission, a double bed with a premium mattress, 300W solar, a 20-litre fridge drawer and all-terrain tyres. It is built for couples who want actual 4WD capability without hauling a 5-berth beast through single-lane tracks.
The Desert Sands 4x4 and Grip 2-5 4x4 both run on a Nissan Navara or similar with automatic transmission and a 2.3-litre turbo diesel. Both sleep up to five across dual hardshell rooftop tents. The Desert Sands adds a 70-litre water tank, a 38-litre compressor fridge, stainless steel prep bench and a full camping setup including table and chairs. The Grip is built along the same lines with a 45-50 litre compressor fridge. These are the vehicles for multi-week outback expeditions — the ones the Wicked website rightly lists as suitable for the Kings Canyon track and Oodnadatta, though they are honest enough to warn you off the Gibb River Road crossing in wet season.
Wicked operates depots across 11 Australian cities: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Hobart, Alice Springs, Broome and Exmouth. One-way rentals between depots are available, which makes the classic east coast loop or a top-end crossing genuinely doable without a return flight to retrieve your car. For budget travellers planning a one-directional adventure — Sydney to Cairns, Perth to Darwin — this network is one of the strongest arguments for going Wicked over a smaller operator.
If you are comparing options for the east coast, it is worth reading our Travellers Autobarn review for a similar budget-price bracket with a different vehicle style, or our Maui review if you want to see what the premium end of the same trip looks like. For Western Australia specialists, WA Experts runs a tighter network but with vehicles built specifically for the west.
The honest version: Wicked has a chequered history, but the type of complaint has changed. The pre-COVID reputation was earned through mechanical failures — vans breaking down mid-trip with little support to get travellers moving again. That specific complaint has become rarer. What now dominates review sites is administrative: bond and security deposit refunds routinely taking well beyond the 14-to-30-day window Wicked's own terms promise, sometimes stretching into months and pushing customers toward credit card chargebacks or consumer affairs complaints. The other recurring theme is inconsistency at handover — some depots send travellers off in clean, fully-equipped vans with zero issues, others draw complaints about dirty vehicles or minor faults (a jammed drawer, a worn mattress) that should have been caught before the keys changed hands.
It's a genuinely different problem to a decade ago. Fewer people are stranded on the highway; more are frustrated waiting on their bond. The flip side is real too — plenty of current reviews describe fast pickups, staff who went out of their way to help, and 4WD models that performed exactly as advertised on rough terrain. The experience now looks less like a fleet-wide reliability issue and more like a lottery on which depot you're assigned — worth factoring in when you book, and worth photographing the van thoroughly at pickup regardless of which city you're in.
The art is worth addressing directly. Wicked has faced legitimate criticism over some of their past spray-paint designs, some of which crossed from edgy into genuinely offensive. They have since moved away from the most controversial designs, and the current fleet leans toward psychedelic, adventurous imagery rather than the shock-value approach of earlier years. That said: if the outside of your rental is important to you, look at the photos before you book. Some vans are wild.
On the insurance side, the standard excess is AUD $3,000 on campervans and $5,000 on 4WDs. You can reduce to $1,000 with a credit card and a daily liability reduction fee ($32/day on campervans, $50/day on 4WDs). Critically for backpackers: Wicked will rent to drivers under 21, which most of the mid-range operators will not. If you are 18 and want to drive a campervan from Sydney to Cairns, Wicked is one of your few options at this price point.
Wicked Campers today is a budget operator with a genuinely wide network, a fleet that now ranges from entry-level to legitimately capable 4WD rigs, and an aesthetic that polarises opinion. The art is the brand. If it is not your thing, there are quieter vans at similar prices elsewhere. But if you want to park at Uluru in a van covered in a screaming eagle and not pay luxury prices to do it, Wicked remains the original and still one of the best-networked operators in the country.
Wicked operates depots in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Hobart, Alice Springs, Broome, and Exmouth — one of the widest networks in the budget campervan segment. One-way hire is available between most locations. The Brisbane depot is the operational hub.
18 years old — Wicked is one of the most accessible operators in Australia for young drivers. Surcharges may apply for under-25 drivers; confirm at booking.
In the campervans (Wicked Van 2, Mystery Machine, Johnny Feelgood) — no, sealed roads only. The D5 4x4, Desert Sands 4x4, and Grip 2-5 4x4 are purpose-built for unsealed tracks and offer genuine off-road capability for the Gibb River Road, Cape York, or outback routes. Always check which roads are covered in your insurance before departure.
Confirm directly with Wicked at booking — pet policies vary by depot and vehicle. Given the wide depot network and fleet variety, pet-friendly options may be available on selected vehicles.
Standard excess varies by vehicle class. Campervans carry a lower excess than 4WD models. Daily reduction options are available. The 4WD models carry higher base excess that reflects the off-road coverage — confirm the exact amounts for your chosen vehicle at booking. See our campervan insurance guide for how the Australian excess system works.
All three target budget and young travellers. Wicked has the widest depot network (including Alice Springs and Hobart), the most distinctive fleet personality, and genuine 4WD options. Travellers Autobarn has a custom-built automatic model and a longer independent operating history. Mighty Campers brings thl's backing (the same group behind Britz and Maui) across a wider, more standardised fleet of ten models and ten depots — plain, sticker-branded vans rather than full-body art. If the 4WD range or the painted livery are important to you, Wicked is the clear choice.
Wicked Campers is one of the most misunderstood operators in Australia. The old reputation — for rough, unreliable vans and controversial artwork — hasn't fully caught up with what Wicked actually offers today: a wide depot network spanning every major city and several remote gateways, a genuine 4WD range capable of serious outback travel, and campervans like the Johnny Feelgood that offer air conditioning and 300W solar at budget pricing. The art has always been the point. The fleet has quietly become a genuine product.
The honest comparison with Travellers Autobarn and Mighty Campers: Wicked wins on fleet personality and genuine 4WD variety, loses to Mighty on thl-backed consistency and fleet presentation. If the itinerary includes Alice Springs, Darwin, or genuine off-road tracks and the budget is tight — Wicked is one of the few operators that can actually deliver it.
Book the Johnny Feelgood or a 4WD model early. The basic Wicked Van 2 is usually available last-minute; the premium models are not.
Wicked Campers Australia offers budget campervan and 4WD hire across 11 Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Hobart, Alice Springs, Broome and Exmouth. Their fleet ranges from compact 2-berth campervans starting from around $38/day to fully equipped 5-berth 4WD adventure rigs with compressor fridges, 70L water tanks and 300W solar. One-way rentals between all depots are available, making Wicked a popular choice for east coast loops, top-end crossings and extended outback expeditions.
Wicked Campers is one of the few campervan hire companies in Australia that rents to drivers under 21, with options available from age 18. Their campervans include kitchen-equipped models with gas cookers, ice coolers and double beds, while their 4WD range — including the Desert Sands and Grip models — supports multi-week off-road travel on tracks including the Oodnadatta and Kings Canyon routes. Prices vary by season, with daily rates ranging from approximately $29/day for the Budget Mini Camper to $350/day for the Desert Sands 4x4 in peak season.
