Whether you’re a veteran RV enthusiast or someone who’s thinking about buying one for the first time, it’s a good idea to understand the differences among the nine major types of RVs.
DIFFERENT CLASSES OF RV
Those differences have a significant bearing on what you’ll pay to maintain and insure your RV.
Class A Motorhome
Class A motorhomes are the 800-pound gorillas of the RV world. They’re big—sometimes as long as 45 feet, or three times as long as a Honda Civic.
They’re also expensive—prices range from about $60,000 up to $400,000.
It takes a lot to fill them up, since most models can only give you single digit miles per gallon, and insurance doesn’t come cheap.
Maneuvering around town can be a hassle, especially for inexperienced drivers. Finding parking or storage space can also be difficult, but there are some perks to owning one, especially if you’re planning to live in them full-time.
First, they’re easy to drive on highways and provide great views because of their elevated position.
They’re roomy and luxurious—think bedroom suites, expandable rooms (some can even fit king-size beds), lavish audio/video systems, plenty of storage capacity, laundry facilities, full kitchens and bathrooms, and high-quality fixtures and finishes.
Additionally, they can accommodate several people with some models able to fit up to 12 passengers, and, despite their size, you don’t need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to drive one.
Class B Motorhomes
Somewhat smaller than Class A motorhomes are (surprise, surprise) Class B motorhomes. These may be modified vans or custom-built bodies that are mated to a commercial van chassis.
They are versatile and useful for one or two people though, given their small size, if two people take a long trip in one, they better be very good friends. They’re easy to drive and can be stored or parked just like a regular van.
Some come in a 4x4 option, which provides good fuel economy. You can expect to pay between $40,000 and $80,000 for a new model, though a fair number of these vehicles are home-built rigs that cost considerably less.
However, since they’re smaller than their Class A counterparts, storage and cargo capacities are limited, with room only for basic amenities, making them better suited for day trip excursions.
Class C Motorhomes
You’d expect that since Class B motorhomes are smaller than Class A motorhomes, Class C motorhomes would be smaller still. Though logical, it’s incorrect.
These vehicles—which are also known as camper vans—are built on a truck or van chassis and often have an over-the-cab bedroom that makes them more spacious than their Class B brothers.
They are basically self-contained and can easily accommodate a family of six; some can even fit queen-size beds, a full kitchen, and separate tub and shower. They’re available with gasoline or diesel engines and are good for towing other vehicles.
However, this extra room does not come cheap—prices run from $50,000 to $140,000 and can carry expensive maintenance costs.
Additionally, Class C motorhomes have a less residential floor plan and fewer upgrade options than those available for Class A models.
Conventional Trailers
Also called travel trailers, these RVs don’t have an engine and drivetrain of their own, but are towed behind a vehicle. If you’re familiar with the iconic, silvery Airstream trailers, you have some idea of what these living spaces on wheels look like.
One of their significant advantages is that they can be detached from the towing vehicle. This makes it easy, for example, to run out to the grocery store without taking your whole house-on-wheels with you.
Trailers come in many sizes, meaning you can tow them using a car, truck, or SUV.
Other considerable advantages are that most of them fit in many national park campgrounds and their maintenance won’t cost you a fortune since they’re less likely to experience mechanical failures than their motorized counterparts.
Something worth noting is that passengers can’t ride while the trailer is moving and some of them aren’t big enough to accommodate kitchen appliances or restrooms, which can be problematic, particularly for larger groups.
Trailers cost anywhere between $12,000 and $40,000, depending on how they're tricked out—and, of course, that’s in addition to the cost of the vehicle that does the towing.
Fifth Wheel Trailers
Like conventional trailers, fifth wheel trailers are towable wheel estate. They’re generally longer and wider than conventional trailers and must be towed behind a pickup truck. Instead of connecting to a simple trailer hitch, fifth wheel trailers connect to an assembly that’s bolted to the pickup bed.
This type of assembly makes them more stable than conventional trailers since it gives them a better center of gravity. They have an overhang, like Class C motorhomes, that projects over the pickup cab and creates additional interior space.
Many of them have expandable sides that make the interior space even larger, and some of them are tall enough to have ceiling fans.
Like Class A motorhomes, fifth wheel trailers are often outfitted with an impressive array of commodities like large kitchens with full-size appliances, laundry area, basement storage, full-size shower stalls, and other luxuries such as bay windows or electric fireplaces.
Pop-Up Tent Trailers
If Class A motorhomes are 800-pound gorillas, pop-up tent trailers are more like Chihuahuas. They’re compact boxes on wheels that are towed behind another vehicle. Once parked, they open and expand, usually with tent-like canvas or nylon sides and tops.
One of their main disadvantages is the possible failure of the folding hinges. They also have higher weather exposure and less storage space than other types of trailers. Additionally, they’re less private, as the walls are made out of materials that make it easier for others to look or hear through.
On the positive side, they’re inexpensive, easy to pack up, and great for people who are looking for little more than a tow-along to sleep in.
Mounted Truck Campers
Often called truck bed campers or just truck campers, these units slide into or drop onto the bed of a pickup truck and are attached with brackets, chains, or cables. As with fifth wheel trailers and Class C motorhomes, their forward edge projects over the truck cab.
They are usually entered through a door at the back, which hangs over the edge of the tailgate. Truck campers are very popular due to their compact size, which makes them easier to maneuver than towable trailers or large motorhomes.
They also offer better fuel economy than motorhomes and are cheaper to insure, since some states consider them as cargo rather than as recreational vehicles. However, their compact size is also their weakness, since they don’t offer much room for anything beyond sleeping and (maybe) cooking.
They can also be very heavy, so you’ll most likely need a big pickup truck that can handle the weight.
Additional modifications to the truck, such as adding airbags or a sturdier suspension system, may be necessary to support it. But they’re great for people who want a go-anywhere RV that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Toy Haulers and Horse Trailers
Where fifth wheel trailers are like houses on wheels, toy haulers are like houses on wheels with a garage in the back. They have a large rear door, hinged at the bottom, that becomes a ramp when opened, and leads to the garage space.
That area can be up to twelve feet long, more than enough to stow motorcycles, ATVs, and other vehicles. On some models, the rear door/ramp doubles as a back porch, making them ideal for larger families who need extra living space as well as for those who want more room for pets to run around.
This kind of storage doesn’t come cheap, of course. Many models are priced above $100,000—and that doesn’t include the extra-large pickup needed to tow them.
One variant of these RVs is equipped to carry horses, rather than motor vehicles, in the back—and these are, unsurprisingly, called horse trailers.
Cargo/Utility and Single Horse Trailers
Cargo/Utility trailers, with only a few exceptions, are used to haul stuff, not to accommodate people. Essentially metal boxes on wheels about the size of a pop-up trailer, they can be towed with a regular trailer hitch behind a car or truck.
Some are equipped with a ramp in the back for easy storage and transport motorcycles, bicycles, and the like. Some of the benefits of owning this type of trailer are that once you purchase it, there aren’t any other expenses related to its maintenance and you can purchase a permanent license for it at the DMV.
Insuring them is also cheaper since many insurance companies allow you to include the cargo trailer in your auto insurance policy, as long as it is properly attached to the towing vehicle.
As you can see, RVs come in many shapes and sizes that accommodate different lifestyles and needs. When choosing a model, it’s important to assess whether you’ll be using it as your primary residence, seasonal, or if you have any particular storage needs.
Additionally, it’s important to have the right coverage by choosing a carrier that offers protection for your belongings, attached items and total loss replacement coverage, among other things, to keep your investment safe.