One of the questions that pop up the most around motorhomes is how fuel efficient they are and what you can do to improve the fuel efficiency. Before you invest in a motorhome, it is useful to understand the conversation around fuel economy and motorhomes.

Motorhome Manufactures Don't Have to Test Fuel Mileage

Passenger vehicles are required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test the fuel mileage and fuel efficiency of their vehicles. Passenger vehicles are actually expected to meet specific fuel efficiency goals by specific deadlines. The purpose of these goals is to provide motivation to car manufactures to make their vehicles more energy efficient in order to protect the impact vehicles have on the environment.

However, motorhome manufactures do not have to meet these same EPA standards for emission and are not required to test the fuel efficiency of their vehicles. That means that there is not set standard for testing fuel efficiency for motorhomes.

Multiple Factors Affect Motorhome Fuel Efficiency

There are multiple factors that affect the overall fuel efficiency of motorhomes. Things such as the type of engine, transmission and axle ratio of the individual type of motorhome influence its fuel efficiency. More variable factors, such as how much weight you are carrying in your motorhome, the types of road you are driving on, the weather conditions and even your driving style can have a serious impact on the fuel efficiency of a particular motorhome. This can result in two people with the same motorhome getting dramatically different fuel efficiency reading from the same vehicle.

Outside Sources Are the Best Source for Fuel Efficiency

Since the manufactures of motorhomes are not required to test for fuel efficiency, you need to go to outside sources to get this information. Luckily, there are multiple outside sources that you can consult for this information. On RV forums, most RV owners are more than willing to share the miles per gallon that they are able to get with their specific motorhome, as well as strategies they employ to get better gas mileage.

There are also numerous motorhome magazines that rate motorhomes and test out the fuel efficiency of the motorhomes that they review. Most magazines have an internal process that keeps the testing process streamlines from one motorhome to the next. This is a solid way of finding out the fuel efficiency of different motorhomes before you invest in one.

Motorhomes are not known to get the best miles per gallon, however, some do have better fuel efficiency than others. If you want more information about the fuel efficiency of a particular vehicle before you purchase one, contact companies such as Topper World.