The 8 Best RV Generator Options: The Ultimate Buying Guide for 2023

If you’re looking for the best RV generator to keep your batteries topped off or to run your favorite camping appliances, this buying guide will help you make the best decision before you buy!

There’s a time and a place for everything, especially popcorn. For everything from midnight snacks in the middle of nowhere to keeping the climate controlled, you may want to think about traveling with some portable power. 

Although planning an adequately sized battery bank should take priority, and having a great solar panel setup should be standard for RV living, if you are planning on spending more than a day or two away from shore power you should seriously consider traveling with a portable power bank.

Without a generator, you can kiss your air conditioner, microwave, blender, or any other taxing electronic equipment adieu. 

We’re not saying that you absolutely need a generator for your next boondocking trip.

But there are very few trips that wouldn’t benefit from a power boost. That being said, RV generators are a significant investment, both financially and in terms of your motorhome’s valuable space. 

Prices of top-quality generators will cost more than a month or two of campsites with hookups, and reaching too low on a budget generator could leave you in the dark when you need power the most, so we’ve got to make the right choice. 

That’s where we step in. As van life has taken us across countries on country roads, there are three pillars we are always willing to invest time and money in – power, water, and plumbing. 

If you have those three things, you’ve got everything you need to live in a van.

Knock the first necessity off your list with the best that portable power has to offer. 

The Best RV generators:

Power up your mobile home with the quiet power of these best-in-class options. The RV generators below stood out in our search by combining quiet performance with efficient operations across all sorts of watts. 

Honda 2200 

When you’ve got a large set-up, sometimes one generator won’t cut it. Honda 2200s are easy to hook into parallel connection, meaning you can double your power generation capabilities.

Two generators together are more than enough to power your A/C unit through hot summer boondocks in the desert. 

The model ranks highly in fuel efficiency, although we wish the tank was a bit bigger. You can expect your portable generator to power your RV living for 6 hours at a medium load.

These RV generators are an industry leader in quiet operation. At 48 dBAs on good days, power won’t sound like you’re running your lawnmower right next to your vehicle.

We couldn’t believe that Honda packs all this performance without raising the noise level. 

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Champion 2500

The user interface next to these plugs makes operation modernized and includes an electric start switch alongside parallel-ready connectors. Included dual-fuel technology lets disconnect from shore power no matter the fuel type.

The generator runs on both propane and gasoline, so you can power up your recreational vehicle with whatever you’ve got more of this week.

This technology lets the generator last for an incredibly long time: 11.5 hours on gas power, 34 hours with a 20-pound propane tank, for a whopping 45.5 hours of electricity.

All these features are packed into a beautifully lightweight generator,  just under 40 pounds! Some camping electronics can come with complicated installation processes, but this generator ships ready to rumble.

The cherry on top is the sheer amount of choice you have in this particular champion generator. Its signature dual-fuel portable product comes from 2000-4500 watt capabilities, so you can find the perfect gas-powered generator no matter how many watts you need.

Sitting towards the middle of the lineup, we love the 2500 for smaller RVs with significant energy needs.

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Yamaha EF2000 watt 

For anyone who just wants an emergency power source or to keep the laptops charged through the afternoon games, you can trust this gas-powered generator to get the job done quietly. 

If you’ve made it this far into this product’s review, you’ve probably noticed the lightweight, 44-pound stature. 

Some heavy-duty RV generators need their own cabinet, but this option will fit in any trunk or closet space.  Yamaha made sure this small RV generator was quiet enough to run in the heart of the woods without disrupting the night and fuel-efficient enough to take you to the morning.

The best generators come with backup, and Yamaha looks to protect your purchase with a 3-year warranty. 

Safe is better than sorry when dealing with engines, so we love to see companies protect these large purchases.

All these specs and consumer safety make this a fantastic small generator choice.

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Sportsman 4000

READ MORE: If you are looking specifically for propane generators, or are interested in why they may be the best generator for you, check out this post!

A proper sportsman loves the outdoors, so they made sure to fit every trip’s budget with one of the most affordable portable generators on the market that still packs a peak rating of 4,000 watts.

The propane-only model is fuel-efficient and incredibly cheap for an RV-ready generator with this kind of power. 

If you don’t plan to use gasoline for your RV appliances, this is the only unit on our list powered by LPG.

Using an alternative fuel type is all fine and dandy, but the fuel source doesn’t matter if the generator is powerful. This portable generator can fire up any RV air conditioner simultaneously as kitchen appliances and other electronics.

The units may not keep up with the power needs of a whole house’s worth of equipment, but it is more than enough to get you camping in style.

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DuroMax XP2200

While we love the shape of these portable generators, we do wish Duromax had managed to keep the weight down.

For an RV generator that looks to be lightweight at first, it still weighs in at 50 pounds, which is heavier than many generators in its power class.

As long as you don’t mind bringing on a few extra pounds, your RV will have full use of its accessories and devices with this inverter generator built for camping.

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Westinghouse 4500

Durable wheels provide a slight boost to these RV generators’ portability, but we wouldn’t recommend planning on moving this generator around too often.

Store it in the cargo hold and let it go to work. An LED data center and an electric start work together to run this generator for 18 quiet hours.

Intense electric equipment or kitchen appliances are no match for the power of this unit. On a 3.4-gallon tank,  you can operate a 15k BTU A/C, microwave leftovers, charge your coach battery, and keep the Lacroix cold, all at the same time. 

It’s big, not noisy. Less than 55 Dba means the noise level will not match the output. Thanks to the 120V, 30V, and two USB outlets on the mainframe, the inverter engine can even accommodate sensitive electronics.

You’d be hard-pressed to find RVs with electric needs with higher watts than this gas generator.

Recreational vehicles that don’t always need to keep an arsenal fully charged can keep their air conditioners and heaters on while staying in this RV generator’s economy setting.

For a splash of luxury, the unit comes with great accessories, like its remote start/stop feature.

It works on gas or propane to open up your playbook even more and comes with remote start/stop features. 

If you’re not playing around when you talk about bringing your home on the road, look to the Westinghouse 4500 to keep everything running smoothly.

You can get your fifth-wheel camper charging while you’re still getting everything level at the push of a button.   

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WEN 56235i

You’ll be hard-pressed to find any specs across the sheet that are significantly worse on this RV generator than they are on the industry-leading options, all at a lower price.

The WEN is strong enough to power an air conditioner for 7 hours on 1 gallon of gas while staying quiet.

If that all sounds too good to be true, you do have reason to be wary. Affordable RV generators rarely come with the delicate operation needed to charge sensitive devices directly.

But WEN added USB charging ports to help take the edge off, and it is more than capable of turning on power equipment.

We don’t like going risky when it comes to complicated equipment or anything that can leave us powerless on the side of the road. That makes this option stand out among budget RV generators.

WEN’s 2-year warranty has been around as long as the company, over 60 years! Your purchase comes with more security than most budget generators. 

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Honda EU 3300i

Keep your kitchen appliances on, your devices charged, and the air conditioner on for 20 hours on one gas tank.

It leads the way in scores of categories: one of its power class’s lowest weights, quietest noise level, and most extended run-time. 

That across-the-board efficiency helps justify its high price.

As soon as you pick it up, you’ll be happy with your purchase, as the units are 10 pounds lighter than the competition. 

If it sounds too quiet, it could be because of this portable generator’s automatic shut-off feature, which helps protect your motorhome from low fuel, oil, and overload situations. 

If price isn’t a factor while you search for the perfect way to power your next camping trip, you won’t need a clunky generator with awkward wheels to keep heavy-duty equipment ready to roll.

Your air conditioner will thank you, and your RV will genuinely feel at home with the watts provided by this high-class generator.

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Choosing the Best RV Generator

As you can see from the many varying sizes on our list, RV generators have evolved differently. 

Some options provide lightweight and portable relief to save space and stay ready to power the little things, while other behemoths take two to load onto the back of larger RVs and power up your entire motorhome for hours.

It all comes down to what you need to power up in your camping situation. 

Take a scroll through these standard generator features and decide which factors are most important to your search. 

Power Output 

You should know exactly what you want to power up before you start looking for your generator. Two separate numbers will define your generator’s power output: surge watts and rated watts. 

Surge power defines how much you can generate in short spurts. Turning on your air conditioner or heater or firing up the microwave will require a quick burst of energy to get started, and a different amount of energy to keep the device in operation.

Surge power is the amount your generator can provide for less than a minute at a time. 

Rated Watts shows how much power your generator is comfortable providing continuously, or as long as there is gas in the tank. Using up every bit of your power source’s rated wattage will cause poor fuel economy and lessen the generator’s lifespan.

We recommend calculating what your maximum wattage drain would be and purchasing a generator with at least 500 watts to spare. 

Use this chart to get an idea of average electronic equipment needs or check out this power consumption calculator. 

	Surge Watts	Rated Watts
LED lights	30	3
Fan	100	40
Laptop	220	220
Microwave	1500	600
Washer Dryer	1900	600
Air Conditioner	3500	1000

So, if you need something that will keep the lights, fan, and microwave on at once, look for a generator of at least 2500 watts.

Anything you are shopping for to start up your air conditioner will need a surge wattage of at least 4000 to feel safe. 

Space

So why doesn’t everyone go for the most powerful generator possible? Because of intense weight and size differences between models. 

Most generators rated for 4000 watts will weigh close to 100 pounds. Technology has not figured out how to create powerful engines that you can still carry in one hand. 

Not only will larger generators be heavier, but they’ll also be annoyingly cumbersome. They’ll take up more space than their worth in most smaller class B campers.

The only realistic way to fit a 4000 generator into a small camper is to strap it on the roof or the back of your trailer. Strapping your generator outside exposes them to the elements, and puts thousands of dollars of equipment one lock away from wandering off in the middle of the night.

You’d better not forget to lock them down! 

No matter how large your RV is, you aren’t going to fire up your generator inside. Powerful generators are also smellier and louder.

Balance out your power needs with your space needs to find your generator. Lightweight models will weigh between 38 and 45 pounds while easily fitting in the trunk or under the couch, presenting a compelling argument. 

Noise

Nobody heads out to the woods to hear the dull hum of a gas engine in motion. As far as we know, there is still no such thing as a silent generator out there. But some high-quality options have figured out ways to keep the noise level down. 

There is a reason campgrounds across the country restrict or outright ban generators from being used on the premises, besides encouraging campers to pay extra for shore power. The reason is the noise level. 

Lightweight generators will always have lower decibel levels. Unless you are shopping for something strong enough to power your air conditioner, I would look for my next generator to work a quarter load at less than 60 decibels. 

48 dBA	Honda 2200
60 dBa	Rainfall
61 dBA	Yamaha EF2000 watt (at peak load)
65 dBA	Westinghouse 4500
69 dBA	Sportsman 4000
90 dBA	Lawn Mower

Ease of Use and Maintenance

How much do you want to monkey around with your new machine? Modern options will let you control your generator completely from your cell phone or at least offer a remote electric start.

More barebones or old-school options feature a hand crank and may require a few more trips to the mechanic. 

You should prepare to change the oil, spark plugs, and air filters every few years, no matter which generator you choose.

None of the generators on our list will require anything more complicated than a few check-ups, but please make sure there is a service center for the brand of generator you choose before it ships to your house. 

If you use your generator long enough, it will eventually need some TLC.  Check out the maintenance requirements of your specific model and make sure you have professional help close by to get the job done. 

Fuel Source

Generators on our list take gasoline, diesel, or propane. Some models are dual-fuel capable, which means you can use them with either gas or propane. 

There are only minor differences between each fuel type. Propane generators are the cleanest and cheapest burning fuel, but not every campervan has a 20-pound LPG tank already installed. 

Don’t spend too much time thinking about which fuel source to use in your RV generator. Every vehicle runs on gas, which makes gas generators the most common option.

They are easy enough to fill simultaneously as you fill up your car, and a 3.4-gallon tank will still power your motorhome for hours. 

Let the rest of your camping gear impact your decision. If you’re not already hauling a propane tank in your rig, don’t start just for the generator’s sake.

Choose the fuel source that is easiest to come by in your van life. 

Conclusion

Shut it down. There is nothing more to say about this powerful piece of the RV market. The best generators for your camping needs will provide a peak and rated wattage well above the needs of your RV appliances and will stay lightweight doing so. 

Don’t forget to shop for the next ten trips instead of next weekend. A 2000-watt generator may be all you need now, but as your lifestyle grows, you may find space to pack a blender or two, and it could throw your generator over the edge. 

Our favorite generator provides plenty of room for growth. Our editor’s choice Honda 2200 will bring efficient and quiet performance to your mobile home for anything less than running the air conditioner. 

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