RV manufacturers have shipped fewer units to dealers each month in 2026 than they did in 2025. The pullback has hit fifth wheels and Class A motorhomes hardest, while camper vans are moving in the opposite direction.
September continued the pattern, with wholesale shipments falling 9.2% from September 2025. Through the first nine months of the year, shipments were down 13.7%.
Those figures show the industry is still cutting back, but the decline is far from uniform across all RV types.
September brought another drop in RV shipments
Manufacturers shipped approximately 23,300 RVs to dealers in September, according to the RV Industry Association’s latest report.
Total shipments have fallen from their year-earlier level during all nine months reported so far in 2026. Monthly declines have ranged from 9.2% to 18.7%.
Keep in mind, these are wholesale shipments from manufacturers to dealerships. They measure how many new RVs dealers receive, not how many customers buy.
Fifth wheels and Class A motorhomes took the largest hits
Towable RV shipments fell 9.7% in September and are down 15.6% year to date.
Travel trailers held up somewhat better during the month, falling 5.5%. Their year-to-date total remains nearly 15% behind 2025.
Fifth wheels have experienced a much steeper decline. Manufacturers shipped 4,047 fifth wheels in September, down 20.8% from the same month last year. Shipments for the first nine months were also down about 20%.
Class A motorhomes recorded the largest September decline among the major RV categories. Manufacturers shipped only 365 units, down 31.5% from September 2025. For the year, Class A shipments were down 17.4%.
RV News reports that September’s overall shipment total was the lowest recorded for that month since at least 2016.
Camper vans are moving in the other direction
Class B camper vans were one of the few growing segments.
Manufacturers shipped 766 Class B motorhomes in September, up 23.3% from the same month last year. Through September, Class B shipments were up 10.1%.
Class C motorhomes slipped 7.9% during September, but their year-to-date shipments remained 5.2% ahead of 2025. Total motorhome shipments were up 2% for the year, even with the sharp Class A decline.
The shipment data doesn’t explain what is driving those differences. Smaller motorhomes may appeal to buyers looking for easier driving, better fuel economy, or fewer campsite limitations. New products and dealer stocking decisions could also influence the numbers.
What the figures show is that dealers have continued accepting more camper vans and Class C motorhomes while ordering fewer towables and large Class A coaches.
The slowdown reaches beyond dealer orders
Lower wholesale shipments could happen when dealers reduce excess inventory, even if customers continue buying at a steady pace. Retail-registration data also show that consumer purchases have weakened.
In its latest annual filing, THOR Industries cited Statistical Surveys data showing 159,030 new RV registrations in the United States and Canada during the first half of 2026. That was 14.8% below the same period last year.
Towable registrations fell 15.5%, while motorized RV registrations declined 9.3%. The difference follows the same general pattern as wholesale shipments, with motorhomes outperforming towable RVs.
Used RVs have been more resilient. In a quarterly filing, Camping World reported that new U.S. RV registrations fell 16.4% through May. Used registrations increased 2.4% during the same period.
The 2026 forecast has been cut by nearly 60,000 RVs
The industry entered 2026 expecting modest growth.
In March, RVIA projected approximately 349,000 wholesale shipments for the year. At the time, the association expected 2026 to become the industry’s third consecutive year of shipment growth.
That forecast has changed substantially.
The latest RVIA forecast calls for approximately 290,000 shipments, down 15.3% from the 342,220 units shipped in 2025. The new projection is about 59,000 units below the March forecast.
If shipments finish below 300,000, it would be the industry’s first year under that mark since 2012, when manufacturers shipped approximately 285,900 RVs.
RVIA points to persistent inflation, elevated interest rates, higher fuel prices, weaker consumer confidence, and cautious dealer ordering as pressures on the market. The association expects shipment declines to ease during the first half of 2027, followed by possible year-over-year growth later in the year.
Fewer shipments will not affect every RV buyer equally
A drop in factory shipments doesn’t guarantee lower prices at a local dealership. Dealers may have too many units from one category and limited availability in another.
For buyers, the best opportunities are more likely to appear among slower-selling models or older inventory. Meanwhile, growing Class B shipments could give camper-van shoppers more choices, but likely fewer discounts, as potentially seen in other types.
For now, the RV market is splitting into distinct groups. New towables and Class A motorhomes are falling sharply, smaller motorhomes are holding up better, and used RV registrations continue to outpace last year.
The next few shipment and retail reports will show whether September’s smaller decline marks the start of a steadier market or just another uneven month in a difficult year.
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