RV means Recreational Vehicle. From the moment that name was coined, it has been a work in progress. There are now three almost distinct classes of motorhomes, Class A, Class B, and Class C, and who knows how many classes of towable travel or camping trailers. There are the little SUVs which, once the back seats are folded down and you stretch out qualifies as a Class B motorhome or camper; and there are ATVs which in the minds of many aren’t good for anything but recreation and doctor bills.
Let’s try to make a little sense of this. We will start with the three classes, A, B, and C.:
Class A motorhomes are generally defined by some as “if it has a flat front end, fromtop to bottom, it is Class A.”
These motorhomes are purpose-built or conversions, usually built on bus chassis. They range in length width and height all over the map, and are powered by whatever fuel the manufacturer currently prefers for its vehicles. Class A motorhomes are generally considered the luxury class of motorhome, and the prices of these units range into the seventh significant digit, and you needn’t consider that to be an upper limit.
Class C motorhomes include most truck chassis purpose-built and conversions and are often in a cab-over configuration. As the field of RVs has grown over the years, the size of these vehicles has also grown, and now you can get a Class B RV to rival the dimensions of a Class A. The appointments in some Class C motorhomes rival Class A motorhomes or hotel suites or condos. C may be the third letter in the alphabet, but it is not taking a back seat to the Class A’s these days.
Class B motorhomes is the least defined class in the industry. Sometimes defined as a “camper van.” Class B motorhomes can range from an old VW microbus or Westphalia to the latest conversion of a large van or a purpose-built motorhome which can still be classified as a “van.” These motorhomes, too are forging ahead with slide-outs and features which used to be only available in Class A motorhomes.
Towed RVs or “trailers” range from huge fifth wheelers to lowly homebuilt pop-up tents on utility trailer frames. They come in all shapes and sizes and shapes and vary in accessories from nothing to tons of stuff packed into an old or new “airstream.” Pick your size; pick your style; pick your price range. Go RV’ing and take your “stuff” with you.
Questions like the ones below are covered in our RV Comparison Guides:
Which manufacturers are rated best?
What are the top selling brands in each category?
Should I buy a new or used RV?
How do I determine the overall quality of construction?
What is the depreciation factor when buying new?
How do I know if I am getting a good deal?
Should I trade in my old RV or sell it?
How do I select the right RV dealer for me?
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New & Used RV Models - from 1995 to 2010
Our staff has spoken with RV owners, attended various RV shows and interviewed most of the RV manufacturers in North America. We have also collected data from RV websites, forums/blogs, customer survey polls and RV related organizations.
In addition to this, we have also gathered valuable insight from our best-selling publication, “RV Comparison Guide”. We receive customer feedback on a regular basis and we are able to put this information into our ratings.
