RV Loan Calculator

What this RV loan calculator does

Enter the RV’s price, your down payment, any trade-in, sales tax and fees, the rate and the term, and the page gives the monthly payment, the total interest and the total cost, with a month-by-month schedule. It works for motorhomes (Class A, B and C), fifth-wheels, travel trailers, pop-up campers and truck campers.

RV loans differ from car loans in one way that matters most: the term. They often run 10 to 20 years, so the monthly payment looks small while the interest grows large. Under the result, the page sets the same loan at 10, 15 and 20 years side by side, payment against total interest.

Where to go next

For a car, use the auto loan calculator; for a loan with no RV as security, the personal loan calculator. To compare two offers side by side, the loan comparison calculator.

Assumptions and formula

payment = A × r(1 + r)ⁿ ÷ [ (1 + r)ⁿ − 1 ]

A

the amount financed: price + sales tax + financed fees − down payment − trade-in credit (+ any amount still owed on the trade-in)

r

the annual rate divided by 12

n

the term in months

Can RV loan interest be tax deductible?

Sometimes. IRS Publication 936 (2025) says “A home includes a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer, boat, or similar property that has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities.” So a RV with all three can count as your main or second home for the home mortgage interest deduction, if the loan is secured by the RV and you itemize deductions. Motorhomes and many fifth-wheels and travel trailers have all three; check a pop-up camper for a toilet. The page does not work out a tax saving; check the conditions in Publication 936 or with a tax adviser.

What this page assumes

The calculator takes your down payment and trade-in value off the vehicle price, adds any sales tax and fees you are financing, adds back anything still owed on the trade-in, then works out a level monthly payment.

Sales tax is charged on the price after the trade-in credit, which is how most US states do it, and it is added to the loan rather than paid in cash. If you still owe more on the trade-in than it is worth, the shortfall is added to the new loan and carries the same rate. If the annual rate is zero, monthly payment equals amount financed divided by term months. Otherwise, the periodic monthly rate is annual rate divided by 12.

Worked example

A $90,000 RV with $18,000 down leaves $72,000 to finance at 7.5%. Leaving tax and fees out to keep the figures clear, the term changes the picture like this:

$72,000 at 7.5% over three terms

Stretching from 10 to 20 years lowers the payment by about $275 a month and adds about $36,648 of interest. If the payment fits at 10 or 15 years, the shorter term is much cheaper.

Where RV loan estimates go wrong

• Judging by the payment. A 20-year term makes almost any RV look affordable. Compare the total interest at 10, 15 and 20 years before choosing.
• Leaving out tax and fees. Sales tax and dealer, registration and documentation fees are often added to the loan. Leaving them out understates the amount financed and the payment.
• Forgetting the cost of owning it. Insurance, storage, maintenance, fuel and campground fees can add a large share of the payment again each year. Budget for them before deciding what payment you can carry.

What this calculator leaves out: the lender’s rate for your credit and the RV’s age, the RV’s value over time, insurance and running costs, and any tax deduction.

Frequently asked questions