Who are the new RV buyers?

The United States’ RV Industry Association (RVIA) has commissioned a survey of new American buyers to discover who they are, what they’re buying and their preferred destinations. 

The results of the survey reveal what many have already suspected for some time about the new people coming into the RV hobby – they are younger (median age of around 41) with a breakdown of 38 per cent are millennials, 31 per cent are Gen X, 22 per cent boomers and 9 per cent Gen Z, and they are more diverse: 64 per cent white, 14 per cent black or African American, 6 per cent Asian, 9 per cent Hispanic and 7 per cent other ethnicities. 

As well as revealing who these new RV buyers are, the study also created data about their spending habits. The average amount spent on an RV is US$ 75,000 and 88 per cent of buyers purchased some kind of aftermarket accessory for their RV.

The motives for buying RVs were also interesting: 33 per cent wanted to travel in comfort, 33 per cent wanted to explore, 27 per cent were looking for an outdoors recreation basecamp, 22 per cent wanted the ability to work remotely and 17 per cent cited the ability to take online classes. Perhaps most interesting, just 16 per cent of new RV buyers cited restrictions on other travel due to COVID-19 as their reason for buying, blowing a hole in the theory that this is still the key driving force in the RV market boom. 

The survey also revealed useful information about where new RV buyers like to travel and who with. The full findings can be found via the RVIA’s infographic.

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