• Consumer surveys.
• By staff evaluations. We visit dealer lots,attend RV shows, and make unannounced visits to RV factories.
• Consumer complaints. We review the type of complaint against a brand and compare it to the input received through surveys and staff evaluations.

Reliability is generated from a database that consists of input from consumer surveys and staff evaluations. The results are further broken down so that the end score reflects 1/3 input from the evaluations and 2/3 from the satisfaction polls. The results from the satisfaction polls are calculated using equally the summary of averages from both brand and manufacturer.

An example of reliability rating:

Brand A, Brand B, and Brand C are manufactured by Manufacturer Z . From a total of 450 satisfaction polls, the average score received for Brand A = 70; for Brand B = 75; and for Brand C = 79. Thus, Manufacturer Z's average satisfaction score from the satisfaction polls is 75.

If the staff has had an opportunity to evaluate Manufacturer Z's brands by physical inspections, those scores are entered into the database. For this example Brand A received an evaluation score of 65, Brand B received 70, and Brand C was not evaluated.

Results for Brand A: Brand A consumer satisfaction score = 70; Manufacturer Z's consumer satisfaction score = 75; RVCG staff evaluation score = 65. The total for Brand A = 210, which divided by 3 will give Brand A a reliability rating of 70.

Results for Brand B: Brand B consumer satisfaction score = 75; Manufacturer Z's consumer satisfaction score = 75; RVCG staff evaluation score = 70. The total for Brand B = 220, which divided by 3 will give Brand A a reliability rating of 73.

Results for Brand C: Brand C consumer satisfaction score = 79; Manufacturer Z's consumer satisfaction score = 75; RVCG staff did not evaluate Brand C. The total for Brand C = 145, which divided by 2 will give Brand C a reliability rating of 77.

Our database is programmed to search for duplicates by name, email or other data. We also do a record-by-record "eye" search to keep the database as clean as possible. We are firmly convinced that this rating is 95% pure when reflecting reliability.

Highway Control is generated with data received from the RV's manufacturer, often supplemented by information furnished by consumer users. Because most handling characteristics have been proven to be a result of good or bad engineering and assembly, it is relatively easy to show that driver control can be easily lost when the RV is overloaded, out of balance or, in the case of motor homes, designed with an inadequate wheelbase for the vehicle's length.

About wheelbase for motor homes: Because it is easier for motor home manufacturers to build and sell short-wheelbase motor homes, this is an area of controversy for the RVCG ratings. Manufacturers know that overloading and being out of balance are both dangerous situations which are easily reflected by chassis capacities, total weights, and at-wheel weights. They are aware that their customers will know if the motor home is severely out-of-balance. There is no argument here. What they won't acknowledge is something the rest of the world knows — a short-wheelbase vehicle is difficult to control when driving on slippery, gravelly, or wet roads and that they have a propensity to wander. RVCG uses long-established empirical data to reflect wheelbase into the Highway Control Rating. There is no guesswork here.

About hitch weights: One thing that is absolutely clear about highway control when towing a fifth wheel or trailer coach is that proper hitch weight is critical to the prevention of an accident. RVCG looks at the optimum hitch weights that have been established by the RV industry for over 30 years and uses that data to determine extremes. It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that too light of a hitch weight has caused more accidents than all other deficiencies combined and that too heavy of a hitch weight is the second most common cause of trailer-related accidents. RVCG uses the manufacturer's own numbers backed up by consumer input to arrive at this part of the Highway Control Rating.

Weights in general: Every active RVer knows that it is unsafe for the RV's weight to exceed the capacity of the chassis. Whether it's a motor home or a travel trailer, it has been long established that every RV must have enough payload capacity for the average RVer to load persons, personal belongings, food, equipment, miscellaneous supplies, water, and fuel while still having something left over as a safety buffer. We take the manufacturer's specifications, enter them into the computer, and then compare them with other data to check for possible discrepancies. After a good audit and double-check, we allow the computer to calculate the highway control from all base numbers.

Getting a good Highway Control Rating is both delicate and complicated. Although we use other factors in addition to those discussed here, weights and wheelbase are of extreme importance.

RVCG has full confidence in the ability of the formulas to arrive at the final number, but we acknowledge that the manufacturer must provide accurate information for this system to work. After many years of working with manufacturers, we know that most manufacturers provide reasonably accurate data. However, there are those few who appear to have little inclination to give the consumer complete data even though it is the standard in the industry to do so. In our rating system we inform the consumer when it appears that a manufacturer provides incomplete or questionable data.

Value is computer generated by our own appraisal system of average depreciation — which is then compared with data from long-established appraisal systems that have been providing depreciation and value data to the industry for over two decades. Our value rating also reflects general trends in brand and manufacturer quality through consumer input. It is a rather simple formula that works for keeping the consumer abreast of important data reflecting investment factors.

Our database analyzes the many factors that influence value in the long haul. As an example, vacation-class RVs tend to deteriorate faster when they exceed an optimum length of 26 feet and deteriorate more slowly when the RV is shorter than 26 feet. This deterioration factor greatly affects the value of the RV. Length and depreciation are, however, only two of many factors that our database uses to determine a Value Rating. Ratings are based on a 1-to-100 scale.

We show each of the three ratings numerically from 1 to 100 and an overall star rating.

Star Award: This 5-star designation is another quick-reference feature of the RV Ratings Guide CD. One to five stars are awarded to those models that have achieved across-the-board ratings of 50 or higher, using the lowest of the ratings as the basis for the star awards. The higher the overall ratings, the more stars are awarded. However, you should never use stars by themselves for the selection process. They should be used in conjunction with the three primary ratings of Value, Reliability, and Highway Control. The stars are meant to be a quick-reference visual guide to the following:

1-star rating: Expect overall performance to be "barely acceptable." If you like a floor plan in a model with a 1-star rating, study the individual ratings carefully so that you understand the risk involved in potential financial losses, frustration from excessive problems, or your safety and that of your passengers. Scale: 50-59.

2-star rating: Overall performance is "fair" with risk indicated by the lowest of the individual ratings. Many models with 2-star ratings may be acceptable if the individual ratings are clearly understood. Scale: 60-69.

3-star rating: Indicates a "good" record of overall performance. However, some weaknesses may be indicated by the individual ratings. Be careful when studying the numbers themselves because a 3-star rating has a wide range between 70 and 79 on our number scale. 70 is close to a 2-star rating and 79 is close to a 4-star rating. This should make a difference in your choice. Scale: 70-79.

4-star rating: Means the brand overall has no serious complaints registered with us through owner-satisfaction polls, our used-RV appraisal program, or new model evaluations. We consider 4 stars a "very good" overall rating for performance in Value, Reliability, and Highway Control. We are very conservative in awarding 4-star ratings. Scale: 80-89.

5-star rating: To get this rating a brand needs to have an "excellent" record of performance in Value, Reliability, and Highway Control, indicated by ratings of 90 or higher. Performance includes the manufacturer's willingness to stand behind their product. Any serious problem recorded with us could drop a model or an entire brand from a 5-star rating. This rating has little bearing on price range or use designation. It is strictly based on performance. You will find very few 5-star models in this edition, but by studying the numbers of 3-star and 4-star models, you should be able to get an indication of which models and brands will be climbing the "starcase" toward the greatest award we can give an RV manufacturer. Scale: 90-100.

A half-star indicates that the model is at least halfway towards getting to the next star level.

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