You’ve found the RV you want, and the seller is waiting on an answer. An inspection is the step that turns “it looks great” into a written report, and it’s the cheapest money in the deal. On the price lists inspectors publish, a pre-purchase inspection runs from a few hundred dollars for a small trailer to a thousand or more for a big motorhome. Short safety and systems checks cost less. What moves the price most is the size and type of rig, then travel, fluid analysis, and the RV’s age.
Every price below comes from an inspector or shop that publishes it, with the date we read it.
What does an RV inspection cover?
There are two common levels. A Level 1 is a visual survey of the RV and a check of its systems and features, the roof, the appliances, the plumbing, the electrical, the slides. It takes about half a day. A Level 2, which Progressive notes is sometimes called a pre-purchase inspection, adds fluid samples from the engine and other systems for lab testing. It takes a day or more, and the lab results can take up to two weeks.
Many inspectors name their own packages instead, like Essential and Premier, or Basic and Standard. Ask what each one includes, and whether the report has photos.
Some inspectors list training from the National RV Inspectors Association (NRVIA). That’s a named association, so it’s fair to ask an inspector for their NRVIA member number. The site lists what each business says about its own training and links to where it says so.
What an inspection costs, by type of RV
Price lists usually go by type and length, because a bigger rig has more systems and more roof.
Travel trailers and fifth wheels. Matthews RV Repair in Hondo, Texas lists $250.00 for a travel trailer or a fifth wheel. Stay RV’ing Mobile Service in Florida lists $330.00 for a travel trailer and $380 for a fifth wheel at its location. Precision RV Inspections in Northwest Arkansas lists $495 for a small travel trailer under 21 feet, $695 for a larger one, $795 for a fifth wheel and $845 for a fifth wheel toy hauler. Shamrock RV Service in Michigan lists travel trailers at $625 - $950 and fifth wheels at $650 - $1250. All Points RV Solutions in Fort Worth starts at $499 for its Essential inspection on a travel trailer.
Motorhomes. Matthews lists $400.00 for a gas Class A and $500.00 for a diesel. Apache RV Customs in Las Vegas starts Class A inspections at $450 and Class B or C at $250. REC TEC in New Jersey starts Class A at $450 and Class B, Class C and travel trailers at $350. Precision lists $895 for a Class A, and Shamrock lists Class A at $895 - $1495.
By length. Trek Tech Mobile RV Services in South Carolina prices by length: its Basic inspection is $575 under 37 feet and $875 over, and its Standard inspection is $975 and $1295. PDI RV in Georgia prices its tiers per foot of rig, at $15, $20 and $30 a foot.
The top tier. RV Trek in Georgia lists its Essential inspection at $645-$795 and its Premier inspection at $995-$1,495. Rob The RV Guy in Washington lists Class A motor coaches at $2250-2750 and fifth wheel trailers at $1250-$1750. Mission RV Mobile Services in West Virginia puts its whole range at $400 - $1200, depending on the type and complexity of the RV.
What a shorter safety or systems check costs
If you’re not buying, or you want a check before a long trip, a shorter inspection costs less. Shamrock lists an RV safety inspection at $200. RV Inspection Specialists in Pennsylvania lists safety inspections at $248.00. Midwest Camper Repair Co in Ohio lists a pre-purchase inspection at $249. Jim’s Certified RV Inspections in Massachusetts says a less time-demanding inspection might run as low as $420 with the client present.
The extras that change the price
Travel. Mobile inspectors drive to the RV, and most include some distance. Moore RV Inspections in Texas includes 50 miles and charges $1.50 per mile beyond. Texas Best RV Inspections charges $2.00 a mile to and from the inspection. Jim’s Certified RV Inspections charges a flat fee and trip charge of $260 on every inspection, covering up to an hour of travel each way.
Fluid analysis. The lab tests on engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant and generator oil are what a Level 2 adds. My RV Hero lists a fluid analysis add-on at $120. Finest RV Inspectors in Tennessee lists $150 for the first fluid and $100 for each additional one.
Age. Rig Ready RV Inspections in Pittsburgh adds $100 for each five years of the RV’s age. Older rigs take longer to go through, and some inspectors price that in.
No hook-ups. An inspector can’t test what can’t run. Texas Best RV Inspections charges a $150.00 fee if the RV site has no hook-ups for a full functionality inspection. Plan for the RV to be plugged in, with water and propane, on inspection day.
Is it worth paying for?
On a used RV, almost always. Even the top-tier inspections on this page are a small slice of what the rig costs, and the report either finds something worth negotiating over or tells you the rig is what the seller says it is. Roof damage, a failing cooling unit, a slide that doesn’t track, or a generator that’s never been serviced are all things an inspector finds and a test drive doesn’t.
The case to skip it is a cheap rig you plan to rebuild top to bottom anyway.
Some inspectors also sell their time by the hour for advice before you buy. Good 2 Go RV in South Carolina lists pre-purchase consulting at $125 an hour.
What to ask before you book
- Which level or package is it, and what does it leave out?
- Is fluid analysis included or extra, and for which fluids?
- How many miles are included, and what’s the charge beyond?
- Will the report have photos, and how soon will I get it?
- Who is the inspector working for? It should be you, not the seller.
The next step
Before you put down a deposit, ask the seller for a day and place where the RV can be plugged in and run, then book the inspector for that day. Be there if you can. To find inspectors near the RV, open the state and town pages and look for the inspection tab, and to compare what mobile techs charge to come out, the mobile RV repair cost pages list published trip fees and hourly rates by state.