RV Value Trends: What to Expect in 2026’s Market

December 8, 2025 |

Category: Buying an RV

New RVs are stunningly beautiful and equipped with many new features to improve your comfort, safety, and enjoyment. But all these extra features come with trade-offs. When shopping for a new RV and sorting through the new features, you just need to consider and do these four things to cut through the noise and find the perfect RV value for you and your family.

Take your time
Ask questions
Decide what your priorities are
Shop for those features that are most important for you.

Many of the features that were only available in luxury RVs in the past, are now making their way into mainstream RV manufacturing and even into the economy class of RVs. For example, several years ago you could only get a fireplace in luxury Class A motorhomes. Today fireplaces are ubiquitous. I even read about a truck camper that boasted about it’s two recliners in front of a gas fireplace. Double pane (thermal windows) are now available in small trailers, 5^th wheel trailers, and Class C and A motorhomes.

Some of the newer features include stronger construction materials and techniques in the bodies of the RVs for a stronger safer RV that provides maximum protection in extreme weather. High density foam insulation, thermal windows, insulation under the floor, and heated tanks makes cold weather camping safer and more fun.

In addition to obvious new features, many RV manufacturers are focusing on providing better customer experiences with their brands. These experiences are measured in the number and type of customer complaints about such things as roof leaks and plumbing problems or problems with defective appliances or systems. With the rise in social media usage, customer experiences are an important aspect of the RV industry’s future.

Brands can’t play fast and lose with shoddy products and service anymore because they’re no longer able to hide from their current and future customers. Perhaps one of the most important features in your new RV will be brand integrity. In addition to considering brand integrity the four steps shown above you help you when shopping for a new or replacement RV.

rv value — *Cut through the noise and choose the RV that fits you.*

Take Your Time

Rushing through the shopping process when buying an RV can be disastrous. You might have a pre-conceived expectation of what you want or what is available and this pre-conceived idea could force you into a restrictive channel of available possibilities.

Perhaps you think you’ll want a travel trailer because you think they are less expensive per foot of livable space, (but after you factor in the cost of the towing vehicle) the cost difference between some van conversions, Class C motorhomes, and travel trailers, begins to fade. Perhaps your first RV was an R-Pod and now you’re only looking at comparable small trailers.

Don’t arbitrarily limit the scope of your search to save time or to conform to your pre-conceived notions. There is a huge world of RV types, brands, floorplans, features, and price points out there and it will take some time to learn all you need to know to make an informed decision. Slow down, don’t get in a rush to buy your new RV before the 2026 camping season gets underway. After all, you will have your new RV long after this season comes to an end and you’ll want to enjoy your RV for years to come.

Ask Questions (Do your Research)

While you’re in the shopping mode be sure to ask lots of questions. The more direct and specific, the better and more accurate the answers. But it’s not enough to ask the questions, you have to actively listen to the answers. Sometimes people conceal information even when asked a direct question related to a particular issue, by over answering the question and burying critical information in a sea of unnecessary words.

This is what penetrating direct questions and active listening are all about. For example, if you ask about the driveability of a Class A motorhome and the salesperson goes on and on about wind resistance, wind speeds, and the way semi-trucks maximize gas mileage by using wind deflection after-market attachments, it’s probably safe to assume that that particular Class A motorhome will be challenging to drive at highway speeds.

You need to be curious and inquisitive. Talk to RV sales people, RV owners and one of my favorite sources of information are RV repair people. Repairmen see the worst of the worst and they remember these problems. They also have experience with brand support and can tell you which brands are willing and able to supply replacement parts without a lot of extra hassle.

Once when I was talking to a repair person in an RV park in Southern Oregon, he related a story about an elderly couple who lived in their top brand motorhome a few miles from where we were camped. They had a few parts that needed to be replaced, one of which was in their water heater.

Without that part the water heater wouldn’t work, but the manufacturer refused to work with the mobile repairman, stating that the RV was still covered by the warranty so the repairs had to be done in a certified repair facility (not by some unknown mobile repair guy in Oregon). Unfortunately, there were no certified repair shops in Oregon or northern California. In fact, the closest repair facility was in Alabama at the manufacturer’s production plant.

The owners of that RV were taking cold showers every day and not physically, mentally, or financially prepared to drive across the country just to have a part replaced in their water heater, especially when the Oregon technician could have fixed the water heater in a short amount of time if he could just find or access the replacement part. Needless to say, the repair technician and that elderly couple were not apt to recommend that brand of RV to anyone who asked.

Now that you don’t need to talk face to face with RV owners to get the scoop. You can save yourself a lot of time in this section of your new RV quest by doing your own research. There are multiple on-line resources including brand forums where people are happy to share their personal experiences, both positive and negative. Read what you can on-line about RV types, brands, and features, but do so knowing that people tend to exaggerate their negative experiences when they are frustrated. And some glowing positive reviews may have been submitted by the manufacturer to tilt the scale back to a more favorable viewpoint.

Sometimes if the reviews are all positive you could balance out your research by talking to current owners of the RV under review. You can usually find current owners if you visit a few campgrounds and RV parks. Don’t be shy. Knock on their door and explain what you’re looking for. Most people are happy to talk about their RV. You can also go to RV shows and talk with the sales staff for the brand you are researching and also talk to the sales staff from competing brands to see if they have a broader view of the brands within the category and price range you are researching.

rv worker outside — Do your homework and listen closely to find a reliable RV.

Decide on Your Priorities

It’s easy to get tunnel vision and just focus on the price point of different RVs. Of course, it’s essential that you know what your budget is for your new RV and you certainly do not want to put any unnecessary strain on your finances but the price of an RV should be just one aspect of your decision-making process.

At some point in your quest for the perfect RV you’ll need to determine who will be using it and where and for how long. Will this RV be used by you and your children? Will you need to live in it full-time? Will you be traveling to remote locations, off the beaten highway? Do you intend to boon dock? Will you camp in your RV year around? Answers to all these questions will help to inform you as to the features that are going to be critical for your enjoyment.

If you’re going to have your kids in the RV, how many beds will you need? What about an all-weather insulation package and thermal windows? If you’re going to boon-dock will you need solar panels and a battery management system? Is a residential refrigerator the best choice or would a propane/electric fridge better meet your needs?

These are personal questions and only you can answer them. The more you know about what’s available from steps 1 and 2 the better you will be able to define your priorities which will help you shop for and find the perfect RV for your needs. This leads us to the final step in evaluating the trends in the 2026 RV marketplace.

rv kitchen clean grey 1 — *Choose the RV features that fit your lifestyle and plans!*

Shop for What YOU Need

There are so many great new features in the 2026 RV line up, that it would be easy to get distracted. One brand brags that they use no wood products in the construction of their RVs. Another brand brags that they only use hardwood for all the cabinetry. What part of this distinction matters to you. Perhaps you don’t care either way. In that case don’t get bogged down by all the noise.

Focus on the features that matter to you. For example, you need bunk beds for the kids and an indoor play area. Perhaps a toy hauler will best meet your needs. Perhaps, you intend to use your RV on back country hunting trips with no hook ups or shore power. If it’s a trailer, can it handle the back country towing? Is it properly insulated with high density foam insulation to keep you warm and to keep the tanks from freezing up? Does it come equipped with enough solar panels to operate your RV systems while boon-docking?

If these are the things you need in your RV, shop specifically for those features and floorplans. There are enough competing RV types, brands, and floorplans to meet just about every need but it’s up to you to sort through the clatter about all the upcoming new features in the 2026 line up to find exactly what you are looking for. And then only after you’ve found the right configuration for your needs can you start to compare price. But don’t forget to also consider the brands reputation. After all, you don’t want to have to drive to Alabama just to take a hot shower in your new RV.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will be the key factors affecting RV resale values in 2026?

One often overlooked factor affecting RV resale value is brand integrity. If the brand is well known for supporting its customers and dealer network it will be easier to resell one of those RVs. Another factor that will positively impact resale value are foul weather features, like thermal windows, high density foam insulation, and heated tanks. The global financial climate will also impact RV resellers in 2026. See FAQ below.

How should sellers prepare their RV now to maximize value in 2026?

The most important thing to remember when preparing your RV for a future sale is to declutter the RV. Clean, clean, clean and declutter. People want to buy things that look new. Have you ever chosen a product over the exact same one just because the wrapper wasn’t torn and the other ones where? Even if you’re going to tear the wrapper off and throw it away, you want a product that is as close to perfect as you can get and that goes for your RV.

Clean the outside, and inside until it looks like it is brand new, even clean the closets and storage spaces. Then take well-lit photos of every aspect of your clean and tidy RV. These pictures will positively influence future buyers.

How do interest rates, inflation and tariffs impact RV values?

Clearly the macro world economy is affecting RV values just like it does everything else. If interest rates and inflation are high and there are excessive tariffs on everything imported from China and other trading partners then the costs for the material goods going into each unit goes up which in turn raises the total cost of manufacturing for each RV. That extra cost is passed on to consumers which raises the selling price. And higher interest rates makes it more expensive to finance expensive purchases, like a new RV.

These factors are adversely affecting new RV sales but if you have an older RV that you want to resell it can work in your favor, since your older RV was not priced to include these global increases. Comparably speaking you paid a lower price for your RV which means you can sell it for less and still cover your costs, so it looks like a better deal to potential buyers then buying a new RV with tariffs and inflation costs built in.