New data from German association Caravaning Industrie Verband e. V. (CIVD) revealed that 65,289 new recreational vehicles were registered in the country between January and July this year. This figure represents a slight decline of 3.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Of that figure, 51,827 were motorhomes (only 1.7 per cent below the same period in 2024), and 13,462 were caravans, which is around 10 per cent below the previous year’s figure.

CIVD suggests that this slight decline is due to weaker performance in the commercial sector, driven by oversupply of inventory, which has led to many commercial providers to temporarily reduce investment in their rental fleets. The association does not believe this represents a sustained trend as the number of RVs on dealers’ yards is normalising.

High demand from private owners is good reason for optimism in the industry, according to CIVD. Of the 51,827 newly registered motorhomes in the first half of 2025, 32,760 of them were purchased by private owners, which is 9.6 per cent higher than the previous year.

There is a clear differentiation within the vehicle segment: classic motorhomes – including panel vans with bathrooms and semi and fully integrated models – are maintaining their central market position and recorded an overall increase of around 3.3 per cent (42,595 new registrations). In contrast, the compact panel van segment without sanitary facilities, which is mainly offered by car manufacturers, recorded a decline of over 19 per cent to 9,232 units, thus having a dampening effect on the overall result.

Demand for used vehicles also remains high in Germany: 52,273 caravans and 68,823 motorhomes had changes of ownership from January to July 2025. Overall, this is 3.8 per cent up on the already high level of 2024.

CIVD Managing Director Daniel Onggowinarso explains: “The temporary oversupply of vehicles and the associated price movements have placed considerable strain on manufacturers and dealers in recent months.

“These effects are also reflected in the current new registration figures, which are below last year’s levels but still remain at a remarkably high level overall. At the same time, the new and used car markets show that demand from private customers remains strong. These developments highlight the great importance of our form of holiday in Germany and underline the stability of the industry even in a challenging environment.

“As the supply situation is gradually easing, the framework conditions for industry and trade are continuously improving. These developments are not only an encouraging sign for this year’s Caravan Salon (pictured above), but also for the rest of the year and the medium- and long-term prospects for the industry.”