Caravan market cools as motorhomes surge

Australia’s recreational vehicle industry is undergoing a significant transformation, marked by a cooling towable market, a surge in motorised vehicles, and the rapid rise of import-focused brands.

That's the take-out from the latest July 2026 Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) data, compiled by the Caravan Industry Association of Australia and reported by GoRV.

Overall, 3728 RVs were entered onto the register during July, representing a 10.8% decline compared to the same month last year.

The data reveals a complex picture for a market facing various economic headwinds, that have led to a number of company collapses in recent times.

The traditional towable sector, comprising caravans, hybrids and camper trailers, bore the brunt of the July slowdown.

RAV entries fell 14% year-on-year to 3362 vehicles. For the month of July, Regent RV (Snowy River Caravans) claimed the top spot with 356 entries, followed closely by industry giant Jayco with 318.

Also heading the list in July was Austrack Campers (226), Crusader/Dreamhaven Caravans (207 combined), Ezytrail (196), Market Direct Campers (179), Leader/Supreme Caravans (145 combined), and Stoney Creek Campers (88).

The monthly data highlights a widening performance gap between legacy local manufacturers and import-focused businesses, such as Ezytrail surging 26.5% compared to July 2025, and Stoney Creek Campers growing by 14.3%.

By comparison Australia's top selling RV builder Jayco dropped 19.9% year-on-year for the month, while fellow Victorian manufacturers Crusader and Leader fell 17.4% and 16.7% respectively.

Looking at the broader year-to-date (YTD) picture from January to July 2026, a total of 27,110 RVs have entered the RAV, including 24,720 towables.

While Jayco maintains a commanding YTD lead in the towable category with 3180 entries, import-heavy brands like Snowy River (1875), Austrack (1864), MDC (1625) and Ezytrail (1437) are now firmly entrenched at the top of the leaderboards alongside long-established Australian names.

In stark contrast to the caravan and camper trailer market, motorised RVs are experiencing a major boom.

July entries for motorhomes and campervans jumped a massive 36.1% year-on-year, rising from 269 vehicles last year to 366 this July. This brings the YTD total for motorised RVs to 2390 for the first seven months of the year, with Jayco leading the named motorised makes at 651 entries.

Next on the list is Avida (344), followed by Avan (240), Talvor (147), and Sydney campervan specialist Frontline (88).

Jason Magee from the Melbourne Frontline dealer said while Sydney's Frontline factory has maintained its regular four van-a-week production rate this year, he's seen a recent uptick in enquiries and orders.

"This winter hasn't been as quiet in relation to previous winters in terms of enquiries," Magee said.

"We're still building and registering as many vans as any other year but we didn't see as big a dropoff (this year in orders)."

Among Frontline's biggest sellers at the moment are the latest range of Ford Transit conversions, including some recent sales of the just-released BEV battery-powered Transit campervan.

Some of the rise in motorhome entries could be accounted for by the rental rather than retail market, with Jayco also supplying vehicles for sister business Lets Go Motorhomes, for example.