A $100,000 RV Loan Runs $911 to $1,427 a Month in 2026

Get RV Travel Agency posts first in Google→

The Payment on $100,000 at Every Common Rate

$911 to $1,427 a month. That is what $100,000 costs at the average RV loan rates LendingTree found on its 2024 closed loans. Excellent credit, a score of 720 or more, averaged 9.17% APR. Good credit, 680 to 719, averaged 11.87%. Fair credit averaged 13.89%, and poor credit averaged 16.12%.

The table runs those rates, plus the lowest posted credit union rate we found, through a standard loan formula. We checked our math against Patelco Credit Union's posted examples. Patelco lists $9.56 a month per $1,000 at 7.99% for 180 months. Our formula gives $9.55, so the numbers land within a penny.

Credit moves the payment more than the term does. At 15 years, poor credit pays $453 a month more than excellent credit on the same RV.

Most RV lenders stop at 20 years. LendingTree lists terms up to 240 months, and so does LightStream. Nobody we found writes a 30 year RV loan the way banks write a house loan.

The Price Tag Is Not the Loan Amount

Sticker price is only the start. Tax, fees and insurance land on top, and most of them get rolled into the loan.

• Price $100,000, plus $8,750 Hemet sales tax.
• Minus $10,000 down, so $98,750 financed.
• 20 years at 9.17% comes to $899 a month.
• 10 years at 9.17% comes to $1,260 a month.
• Add about $50 to $90 a month for insurance and $54 for the license fee.

Sales tax comes first. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration lists 8.75% for Hemet, San Jacinto, Riverside and Temecula, as of October 2026. On a $100,000 RV that is $8,750. Palm Springs and Cathedral City run 9.25%, which makes it $9,250.

A motorhome also pays the yearly vehicle license fee. The California DMV sets it at 0.65% of the value, so $650 on a $100,000 coach. The base registration fee is $76, and the CHP fee is $34.

Insurance is the last piece. LendingTree puts a year of RV coverage at about $594 to $1,052, depending on the type of RV.

So the real monthly cost on a 20 year loan sits near $1,000, not $899. Put the tax and fees on paper before you compare payments.

A Longer Term Doubles the Interest

$118,565 in interest. That is what a 20 year, $100,000 loan at 9.17% costs. The 10 year loan at the same rate costs $53,117, so the cheaper payment buys $65,448 more interest.

Good credit makes the gap wider. At 11.87%, the 20 year loan pays $162,089 in interest, and you pay back $262,089 in all. Trident Funding's own example makes the same point, with $108,423 between a 5.25% and a 9% rate on $200,000 over 20 years.

Look at the last column. After 36 payments on the 20 year loan, you've paid $32,785 and still owe $93,955. Only about $6,000 of that went to the RV.

A short term costs more each month, and it builds equity fast. If $1,276 is too much, a $75,000 RV on 10 years runs about $957 at the same rate.

What People Get Backwards

The first myth is the rule of thumb. Some lenders say to expect 1% to 1.5% of the price each month, so $1,000 to $1,500 on $100,000. At 20 years and 9.17%, the payment is 0.91%. The low number looks safe, and it hides the biggest interest bill on the table.

The second myth is that the RV holds its value while you pay. J.D. Power's 2026 Q2 RV report put the average used Class C at $117,545 in May and June 2026. A year earlier it was $130,521, a drop of 9.9%. The average used Class A fell from $220,899 to $211,199.

Now set that next to the loan. On a 20 year loan at 11.87%, you still owe $98,696 after 12 payments. That is under 2% paid off, while the rig may have lost 10%. That gap is how owners end up upside down and stuck with a rig they can't sell.

The third myth is the tax break. IRS Publication 936 does count a house trailer, boat or similar property as a home when it has sleeping, cooking and toilet facilities. The loan has to be secured by the RV, and it has to be your main home or second home. You also have to itemize deductions on Schedule A. If you take the standard deduction, the interest saves you nothing.

Where to Find a Lower Rate

• Get a preapproval from a bank or credit union before you visit a dealer.
• Ask each lender for the APR, the term and the total of payments in writing.
• Compare the 10 and 15 year totals, not just the monthly number.
• Check that the loan has no prepayment penalty, so you can pay it down early.
• Skip add ons in the finance office that you didn't come in for.

Shop the rate before you shop the floor plan. Patelco Credit Union posts new RV rates of 7.24% to 18.24% for loans up to 60 months. For 121 to 180 months the range is 7.99% to 17.49%, as of October 2026. Used RVs from 2016 to 2024 start half a point higher.

Mission Federal Credit Union in San Diego posts RV rates from 8.99% for 84 months on 2017 and newer models. That works out to $16.09 a month per $1,000 borrowed. LightStream writes RV loans from $5,000 to $100,000, with terms of 24 to 240 months, and its rates run 0.50 points higher without autopay.

Credit Karma notes that some lenders want at least 10% down, and others suggest 20% or more. More down means a smaller loan and less time upside down.

The best rates go to short terms, newer models and big down payments. Older RVs carry higher rates, and Patelco only finances used RVs back to the 2016 model year.

Try the Rig Before You Borrow

Twenty years is a long time to pay for a floor plan you've never slept in. A week in the same type of RV tells you if the size, the bed and the drive suit your family.

Our Class C RV rentals page shows the motorhomes we book most, and the 2026 RV price guide shows which types are getting cheaper. Buying used? Read about the 10 year rule before you finance an older coach, since some parks turn away rigs past that age.

What Folks Ask

Backing for the Numbers

Written by The yard team. Call or text (909) 259-7837 if you want to try a rig for a week before you sign for twenty years of payments.