The 2025 RV buying season has officially concluded, and the data offers a clear roadmap for 2026. Stability defined the year, as evidenced by the modest 1% decline for both new and used units. Looking deeper into these numbers allows dealers to strategize before the 2026 high season begins, and win buyers when they’re most engaged.
Statistical Surveys (SSI) tracks nationwide RV registration data, drawing insights into what converts in the market. This data also provides a comprehensive, end-to-end view of the RV buying trends, from where the market is shifting to where it is growing, enabling a detailed analysis of national, large-market, and mid-market performance to surface the trends that matter most for 2026.
1. The Overall RV Market Showed Stability and Resiliency
2025 marked a year of steady year over year purchasing patterns, with a 1% decline for across new and used units. While overall volume remained stable, the composition of purchases shifted slightly across certain new RV segments.
New travel trailers, Class C units, and truck campers each gained less than 1.5% in share of total new registrations. Meanwhile, new fifth wheels, Class B units, and Class A units saw modest share contraction.
Taken together, registration patterns suggest buyers are gravitating slightly toward more cost-conscious segments within the new RV category, as higher-priced units represent a marginally smaller portion of total new registrations.
At the same time, higher-end buyers remain active in the market, with a modest uptick in used registrations indicating some premium consumers may be reallocating spend toward pre-owned inventory.
2. Travel Trailers Grow Market Share Across All Buyers
Travel trailers, already a popular category, saw a 2% increase in registrations for the $0-$25k band across nearly all income brackets and age groups.
The only exception is a -2% decline in sales among buyers aged 18 to 24. It marks a surprising development, as younger generations typically make up a large market share of travel trailer buyers.
3. Luxury Units Captured an Increasing Share of the Used RV Market
Used premium units recorded a slight increase in registrations, even amid broader economic variability.
Across the used market, the $25K–$50K price band captured the largest share of registrations. Higher-priced used units in the $50K–$250K range also maintained strong representation within total registrations (see chart below for full breakdown).
In contrast, more affordable used models priced $0–$25K experienced a modest decline in share of total registrations, indicating a relative shift in purchasing mix within the pre-owned segment.
4. In the Short Term, Consumer Sentiment Isn’t Strongly to Correlated RV Sales
The wider market saw decreases in short-term consumer confidence in 2025. The overall RV market remains stable, with some shifts.
Consumer sentiment stood at -0.24%, suggesting that overall RV registrations are not directly impacted by consumer confidence. Instead, financing constraints like interest rates and the federal funds rate correlate with shifts in registration trends. Sensitivity to these financing conditions seem to impact buyers more significantly than overall market confidence.
5. Regional Trends Follow an Overall Stable Market
Regionally, RV demand remains consistent with the national trends, with a few shifts across regions.
The West saw a 0.8% slight increase in used RV purchasing. Other regions experienced a slight decline in RV purchasing, with the Midwest at -1.5%, the South at -1.6%, and the Northeast at -2.6%.
New RV purchasing remains closely in line with last year’s habits. It saw a mild decline, with Northeast sales decreasing by -0.2%, Midwest sales decreasing by -0.3%, and both West and South sales decreasing by -1.3%.
Several states outperformed the market, achieving increases in used and new sales. Texas and Kentucky experienced upswings in both markets.
Top Five States for Used RV Sales:
- Kentucky (+11.5%)
- Idaho (+5.4%)
- Texas (+3.0%)
- Utah (+2.5%)
- Wyoming (+2.4%).
Top Five States for New RV Sales
- Kentucky (+7.6%)
- Louisiana (+6.85%)
- Texas (+4.7%)
- Pennsylvania (+4.3%)
- Washington (+4.3%)
Translate 2025 Stability into Strategic Advantage in 2026
Despite tariffs and economic impacts, 2025 represented a stable year for RV sales. Statistical Surveys recorded steady demand and even a slight growth in consumer interest in select markets. Using this data from 2025, dealerships can finetune their strategy for continued equilibrium in 2026.
All data was collected from Statistical Surveys Jan ‘25 – Dec ‘25
