Caravan registrations on the rise

Recreational vehicles are the fastest growing vehicle type in Australia, a report released by the Caravan Industry Association of Australia has revealed.

According to the 2014 Caravan and Campervan Data Report, there were 556,844 caravan, camper trailer and motorhomes registered in Australia by the end of January 2014; an increase of 27,975 or 5.3 percent compared to a year earlier.

Campervan and motorhome registrations were up slightly to 55,757, while caravan and camper trailer registrations sky-rocketed by 5.5 per cent overall, to 501,087.

The next fastest growing vehicle category by registrations was motorcycles, which were up by around five per cent, followed by light commercial vehicles (four per cent).

Victoria has more than a quarter of registered RVs, accounting for approximately 146,281 vehicles. The Garden State also has the most caravans, with 26.7 per cent, while Queensland has almost a quarter of all registered campervans and motorhomes, with 23.9 per cent.

RVs are also increasingly popular in the Sunshine State, which accounted for about a third of the gross increase in RV registrations across Australia between 2013 and 2014.

However, NSW accounted for almost 40 per cent of the increase in campervan registrations across Australia.

The rising number of RV registrations correspond with a booming RV manufacturing sector in recent years. Annual RV production in Australia has eclipsed 20,000 for the last five years and shows no sign of slowing down, with statistics for the first quarter of 2015 indicating a year on year increase of 8.3 per cent.

Here are some other interesting findings from the report:

>> The average age of Australian campervans remained steady at 17.6 years

>> About half of all registered campervans in Australia were manufactured in the last 15 years

>> Just over two thirds of all campervans run on diesel, compared to about half in 2006

>> Almost three quarters of registered caravans and camper trailers weigh less than 1.5 tonnes, and just over a quarter weigh between 500kg and 900kg.

>> The biggest growth in towable RVs was in the Prado-friendly 1600-2500kg weight range. This category accounts for around a quarter of all registered caravans and camper trailers.

>> Almost three quarters of registered campervans and motorhomes weigh between 1500kg-5000kg. The biggest growth in motorhomes is in the 3000-5000kg (Tare) category.

>> Mandurah, Western Australia (just south of Perth) has the highest number of RV registrations of any post-code (4727), followed by Queensland’s Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Toowoomba and Mackay regions.