RV Sales in 2026: Why New RV Sales Are Falling, by the Numbers

RV sales by year

The long view: a boom, a bust and a second dip

Before COVID, the industry shipped between roughly 400,000 and 500,000 RVs a year, with 2017’s 504,599 the record at the time (RV PRO). Then camping became the safest vacation in America. Shipments reached 430,412 in 2020 despite a nearly two-month factory shutdown (RVIA), and 600,240 in 2021, an all-time record (RV PRO).

The hangover came fast. Shipments slipped to 493,268 in 2022 (RVIA) and fell 36.5% to 313,174 in 2023 as dealers worked through crowded lots and rising loan rates (RV News).

2024 and 2025 looked like a slow recovery: 333,733 units in 2024, up 6.6% (RVIA), and 342,220 in 2025, up 2.5%, worth about $20.4 billion at retail (RV PRO, RV News). That recovery has now reversed. If the 290,000 forecast holds, 2026 will come in below even the 2023 low.

Why it matters: the post-pandemic reset is over, and this is a new downturn driven by the economy, not by leftover inventory from the boom.

RV sales by quarter

Quarter by quarter, the slide deepened in peak season

2025: a fast start, then flat

The first quarter of 2025 jumped 13.9% to 97,848 shipments (RVIA). Much of that was dealers buying ahead of new tariffs (Inside Indiana Business). In Canada, dealers pulled orders forward to beat expected retaliatory tariffs (CRVA via RV PRO). After that rush, the rest of the year was flat. The second quarter finished about even with 2024 at 92,857 units (RVIA), and the third quarter was down 1.7% at 76,529 (RVIA).

2026: down every quarter

The first quarter of 2026 fell 12.1% to 86,051 units (RVIA). That’s partly a tough comparison with the tariff rush of early 2025, but the decline kept growing. The second quarter, which includes the spring selling season, fell 16.4% to 77,593 (RVIA).

July and August together came to 43,547 shipments, about 14% below the same two months of 2025 (RVIA, Modern Campground). September’s numbers are due from RVIA in late October.

Not every type of RV is falling

• Travel trailers and fifth wheels are driving the decline. Towables were down 16.8% through June (RVIA), and THOR’s fifth wheel shipments fell 34.7% in its May to July quarter (THOR Industries).
• Motorhomes were up 9.8% through June, then fell 25.6% in July (RVIA, RVIA).
• Park model RVs, the small cabins sold to campgrounds and resorts, are the bright spot, up about 24% for the year through July (RVIA).

What’s behind it

Why RV sales are falling in 2026

The year started soft, with January down 10.7% and February down 11.1% (RVIA, RVIA). The declines got bigger after the war with Iran began at the end of February, reaching 17.4% in April and 18.7% in May, the heart of the buying season (RV PRO). RVIA’s CEO pointed to persistent inflation, high interest rates, higher fuel prices, geopolitical uncertainty, and more cautious ordering by dealers (RV PRO).

Fuel prices jumped

Gas averaged $4.33 a gallon nationally in mid-October, up 45% from $2.98 on Feb. 27, the day before the war began. Diesel rose about 68%, to $6.30 (CNN, citing AAA). That raises the cost of every road trip, and it hits motorhomes and diesel tow trucks hardest.

Why it matters: fuel is a cost buyers can see every time they fill up, so it weighs on the decision to buy a bigger rig.

Borrowing got more expensive

On Sept. 16, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by a quarter point, to 3.75% to 4%, its first hike since 2023, and officials signaled another increase is likely this year (CNBC). Many buyers finance an RV, so higher rates mean bigger monthly payments. THOR’s CEO named stubborn interest rates, fuel costs and inflation as the strain on household budgets (THOR Industries).

Shoppers feel worse about the economy

The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell to a record low of 44.8 in May (Scripps News) and was at its second-lowest reading on record in September (CNN). Moody’s estimates the war has cost the average household about $2,000 in higher prices (CNN). An RV is a want, not a need, and it’s one of the first big purchases families put off.

Dealers are ordering cautiously

Dealers don’t want to finance lots full of unsold trailers, so they’re ordering less. THOR says independent dealer inventory was down 11.5% from a year earlier (THOR Industries). Camping World, the largest RV dealer, chose to clear out aged and prior-model-year units after a weak May and June, and its same-store new RV sales fell 16.3% in the second quarter (RV PRO).

The bright spot: used RVs

While new registrations fell 16.4% through May, used RV registrations rose 2.4% (RVBusiness). Camping World’s same-store used unit sales grew 5.2% in the second quarter (RV PRO). People still want to camp, and many are choosing a cheaper used rig over a new one.

Where we get the numbers

The five best sources for RV sales data

If you want to follow the RV market yourself, these are the sources we check, in order of how often we use them.

RV Industry Association monthly shipment reports

The official count of RVs shipped from manufacturers to dealers in North America, by type, released about three to four weeks after each month ends (RVIA Reports and Trends). Best for: the fastest read on where the industry is heading.

Statistical Surveys retail registrations

Counts of new and used RVs actually registered by buyers, by state, brand and type, usually reported a couple of months after the fact (RVBusiness coverage). Best for: what buyers are really buying, including used.

RV RoadSigns forecast

RVIA’s quarterly outlook, prepared by ITR Economics, with a full-year range and the next year’s projection (RVIA RoadSigns). Best for: where the industry expects to finish the year.

Earnings reports from THOR, Winnebago and Camping World

Quarterly results that reveal dealer inventory, pricing, used sales and what executives expect next (THOR, Winnebago, Camping World via RV PRO). Best for: the why behind the numbers.

RV trade press

RV PRO, RVBusiness and RV News cover every report above within days, and add dealer and supplier news (RV PRO, RVBusiness, RV News). Best for: one place to catch everything.

We also watch three outside signals that move RV demand: AAA gas prices, Federal Reserve rate decisions, and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index.