The truth about RVMAP

It’s the industry ‘seal of approval’ but what does it mean and is it worth it?

At caravan shows, holiday parks and in driveways around the country, you see plenty of RVs with the Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Accreditation Program (RVMAP) key.

The small, key-shaped badge that looks like a fridge magnet attached to the side of the van isn’t advertising for a locksmith if you happen to lose your keys! It’s the RVMAP (Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Accreditation Program) key, signifying that the RV is made by a member of RVMAP.

But what does that mean, and is it worth seeking out a van with the RVMAP badge?

So what’s RVMAP?

Launched around five years ago, RVMAP is an accreditation program for caravan, motorhome and camper trailer manufacturers run by the Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA). The manufacturers pay the CIAA a fee for each RVMAP badge as well as an annual membership fee.

The CIAA says that these fees pay for employing inspection teams, undertaking educational activities, liaising with government, and to market the program. The whole thing is designed to break even with surpluses re-invested in the program.

In March 2016, the requirements for RVMAP membership tightened, with the introduction of a contractual agreement in which members (the RV manufacturers) had to agree to a more rigorous inspection regime.

What are RV manufacturers obliged to do after joining RVMAP?

When joining RVMAP, the manufacturers have to supply product for inspection. The CIAA says that the application process includes extensive inspections to ensure that the CIAA is satisfied that the prospective member is capable of consistently manufacturing compliant RVs.

Once they demonstrate they have an understanding of their federal compliance obligations and can supply a compliant RV, manufacturers are required to sign a contractual licence which includes submitting their RVs to random and regular inspections against compliance standards.

The manufacturers have to agree to RVMAP inspections not only at their factory but at consumer shows and retail dealerships.

In recognition of signing a licence, the RV manufacturer then has to purchase and fit the RVMAP accreditation badge to their RVs to show their participation in the program.

What does an RVMAP inspection involve?

The RVMAP program checks members' RVs against more than 250 points of federal regulations (the relevant Australian Design Rules and Australian Standards) in a full inspection. Inspections are carried out on a sample basis (covering approximately five per cent of total RVs sold, according to the CIAA).

The CIAA says that average problems identified within the program decreased by 41.3 per cent between 2015 and 2016, with a further nine per cent improvement between 2016 and 2017.

This year, to the end of October, there have been 963 individual inspections -- up from 707 individual inspections in 2016, 177 in 2015, 64 in 2014 and 83 in 2013.

In February this year, a third qualified engineer was added to the RVMAP inspection team.

The CIAA says that 90 per cent of all RVs currently being manufactured in Australia today are covered within the program.

How often do RVMAP inspections occur?

The RVMAP members are subject to twice-yearly full inspections at their manufacturing premises of individual product as well as agreeing to blitz inspections conducted randomly throughout the year, looking at the most common problems identified through the program.

In addition, random inspections are conducted at retail dealerships and consumer shows. Incidentally, the CIAA says that some products outside of the program are also inspected at consumer shows to “generally improve compliance understanding and for comparative purposes to understand trends and issues in the broader industry”.

What does RVMAP not do?

RVMAP inspections do not cover quality issues as, according to the CIAA, these do not present themselves until after use. Where a common quality problem is identified however, the CIAA advises the manufacturer and expects them to correct issues within their processes or supply chain.

The CIAA claims that in transitioning members across to the new licensing agreement, it saw a decrease in members as some did not meet the strict entrance requirements or agree to the tougher inspection regime.

What if a RVMAP member’s products are not ADR-compliant?

Where issues are identified, manufacturers are subject to breach notices and in the last year a number of show cause letters have been written to manufacturers with a couple of these manufacturers having their RVMAP licence revoked.

There are fewer manufacturers in the program than last year (although the CIAA claims that the number of RVs within the program has increased significantly). There are currently 13 manufacturing businesses at some stage of the application process, none of which are guaranteed to be offered a licence.

What about new imported RVs?

RV importers can be RVMAP members. They have to submit an RV for inspection prior to being offered a licence, and the individual product is subjected to a similar inspection regime to local RVs. The accreditation key is branded ‘International’ to show that the RV has not been locally produced.

Are RVMAP RVs better than non-RVMAP RVs?

The CIAA says it’s done comparative inspections between RVMAP product and non-RVMAP product, seeing three times the number of issues identified with non-RVMAP product than within the program.

However, there’s the problem that not all RVs manufactured by members are inspected and therefore the RVMAP accreditation badge alone cannot guarantee compliance for any individual product -- or that it’s fit for the purpose intended by the consumer.

The CIAA admits it doesn’t act as a consumer guarantee of any individual product purchased, due to it only being a sample inspection program.

The truth about RVMAP

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