Model Year Best Practices Improve The Consumer Experience

In 2020, the RV Industry Association Board of Directors approved a voluntary, recommended best practice on RV model year changeover in an effort to improve the RV buying experience by alleviating a common source of confusion that consumers experienced when purchasing RVs. The approved best practice recommends that RV manufacturers make their annual model year and major product design changes between July 1 to August 31 each year.

The initial rollout of this Board-approved practice was designed to be implemented from 2021 through 2023, with subsequent annual evaluations by the Model Year Task Force. In September, the Model Year Task Force met and reaffirmed its endorsement of the best practice recommendation for RV manufacturers to make their annual model year and major product design changes between July 1 to August 31 each year. The taskforce had previously reaffirmed the endorsement earlier this year.

“The RV industry has pulled together to help improve the customer experience on many fronts, and this reaffirmation of the best practices recommendation model year changeover period greatly assists consumers in distinguishing between model years,” said Model Year Task Force Chair and President of Alliance RV Coley Brady. “This is a win for all RV industry businesses too as it allows RV dealerships to manage their inventory and communicate model year information to shoppers more efficiently. A consistent model year enables component part suppliers to more efficiently produce and stock the changing part needs of manufacturers, and finance institutions can better establish RV valuations which further reduces potential confusion at time of purchase.”