According to a survey conducted this spring by the RV Rental Association (RVRA), Numerous RV dealers, who also rent RVs, said they will do more business this yearcompared to 2022, a high-demand year for RV rentals.
For 2023, 26% of rental operator respondents said their rental revenue will be higher than revenue was in 2022 while 42% percent think rental revenue will be the same.
Of respondents, 9% predicted their revenue will be up 21% or more and 6% said revenue will be up 11% to 20%.
RVRA Chairman Scott Krenek said, “There still will be plenty of choices for those looking to rent an RV because a little over 70% of the rental dealers surveyed believe manufacturers will be able to supply them with enough rental units this year. That is why so many RVRA members are looking forward to a great summer.”
The RVRA survey found 97% of rental dealers’ customers rented an RV for at least three nights last year. Krenek said families looking to spend more than one weekend in a rented RV need to know the demand for longer stays will be strong again this year.
“Seventy-six percent of rental dealers believe the average length of rental contracts this year will be the same as last year,” he said, “and 11% think they will be longer.”
For families renting RVs, the bigger the better. The survey found 89% of rental dealers saying RVs sleeping at least three adults were their most popular rentals.
A little more than 80% of respondents rent towable RVs. More than half of dealers renting towables said 20% of their customers had their own tow vehicle.
Consumers can access the complete list of RVRA member companies at www.rvra.org.
Rental Dealers Better at Fixing Problems
Renting an RV from private owners through peer-to-peer digital platforms has grown in popularity. The survey found about half of rental dealers post at least some of their rental fleet units on peer-to-peer platforms.
Krenek said prospective renters should keep this in mind because dealers know more than the typical owner about how RVs work, how to maintain them and how to fix them if they break down while in use.
RVRA is a unit of RVDA and its goal is to enhance the rental industry’s professionalism and service to rental customers. The survey was conducted through the RV Retailer Intelligence program, a service of the RV Assistance Corp. (RVAC), a wholly owned subsidiary of RVDA.
