Stand at the open door of almost any RV with electric entry steps, and you are looking at a product made by one of two names: Kwikee or Lippert. For decades, these have been the steps that fold out to meet you when you open the door and tuck away when you close it, and at some point, most RV owners face a choice between them, whether buying a complete step system or replacing a worn one.
Here is the twist that makes this comparison interesting: Kwikee and Lippert are, today, deeply intertwined. Kwikee pioneered the electric RV step and became the dominant name, and it was eventually brought under the Lippert umbrella, one of the largest component manufacturers in the entire RV industry. So in a real sense, comparing them is less about rival companies and more about a lineage of step systems and which generation or configuration is right for your rig.
That history actually works in your favor. It means parts are widely available, broadly compatible within their generations, and backed by a major manufacturer, so whichever direction you go, you are buying into a well-supported system rather than an orphan product.
In this guide, I will lay out how Kwikee and Lippert electric entry steps compare, where each makes the most sense, and the specific complete steps and replacement parts to consider, so you can choose with confidence.
To choose well, it helps to understand what you are really comparing. Kwikee built its reputation as the original electric RV step, the system so common that for years, 'Kwikee step' was almost a generic term for the whole category. That dominance is why you find Kwikee steps and parts on RVs going back many years.
Lippert, meanwhile, is an industry giant that manufactures an enormous range of RV components, from frames to slide-outs to leveling systems. When Kwikee came under the Lippert banner, the result was the Kwikee step legacy backed by Lippert's manufacturing scale and ongoing development, including newer Lippert-branded electric entry steps.
So the practical reality is this: both names represent the same fundamental, proven electric step technology, with Kwikee carrying the original heritage and parts lineage, and Lippert representing both that legacy and current production. Your choice is less Kwikee-versus-Lippert as adversaries and more about matching the right step or part to your rig and situation.
For the owner standing at the parts counter or scrolling a product page, all of this history collapses into one practical reassurance: you are not gambling on an obscure or unsupported product. Both names sit within the same large, established manufacturer, the technology is proven over decades, and the parts to maintain it are readily available. That foundation is what lets you focus the decision purely on what fits your rig, rather than worrying about the brand badge.
If you are installing or fully replacing an electric entry step, you are choosing a complete step system. Here, the comparison comes down to the specific step that fits your rig and meets your needs, and there are strong options carrying each name.
The Kwikee Series 40 Double Tread Electric RV Entry Steps represent the Kwikee heritage in a complete, modern step system. The double tread gives you two steps, easing the climb in and out, and it carries the Kwikee name that has been the standard in electric steps for decades.
For owners replacing an aging Kwikee step or wanting the brand with the deepest parts and service history behind it, the Series 40 is a natural choice. It delivers the proven, familiar electric step experience from the name that originated the category, with the broad parts availability that heritage brings.
Buy Kwikee Series 40 Double Tread Electric RV Entry Steps
The Lippert 24-inch Electric Folding Entry Step comes as a complete package with its control unit and power switch, representing current Lippert production of the electric entry step. The included control unit and switch mean you are getting a full, ready-to-operate system rather than just the step mechanism.
For owners who want a current-production complete step with everything needed to operate it, or whose rig suits the 24-inch configuration, the Lippert folding step is a strong, modern choice. It reflects Lippert's ongoing development of the electric step under their own banner, backed by the company's substantial manufacturing presence.
Buy Lippert 24" Electric Folding Entry Step
It is worth understanding why so many RVers find themselves weighing Kwikee against Lippert in the first place, because the reason shapes how you should approach the decision. Electric entry steps are among the most-used moving parts on any RV, cycling out and in every single time the door opens and closes, often dozens of times a day. That constant use, combined with their exposed position low on the rig, means they eventually wear and need attention.
When that day comes, owners go looking for either a replacement step or a repair part, and they immediately encounter both names, sometimes on the very same rig, where a Kwikee step might take a Lippert-branded part. Understandably, that raises the question of whether the names are competitors, whether parts cross over, and which to trust. The answer, as we have seen, is that they are one family, which removes most of the anxiety from the choice.
This also explains why the decision is rarely about brand loyalty and almost always about specifics: which generation of step you have, what configuration fits your door, and whether you are replacing the whole unit or just a worn component. Once you reframe it that way, the comparison stops being intimidating and becomes a straightforward matter of matching the right product to your rig, which is exactly what this guide is built to help you do.
Because Kwikee and Lippert electric steps share the same fundamental technology, the comparison is more about configuration and completeness than about radically different engineering. Both use an electric motor and gearbox to fold the step out and in, both are controlled in coordination with the door, and both are built to the same basic proven design that has served RVers for years.
The Kwikee Series 40 emphasizes the double-tread configuration and the heritage of the original step name, with the deepest legacy of parts compatibility behind it. The Lippert 24-inch step emphasizes a complete current-production package, control unit, and switch included, in a folding design.
Where the practical differences emerge is in fit and parts. The generation and configuration of the step that matches your rig, the tread count, the dimensions, and the mounting matter more than the name on it. And because both fall under the same corporate family today, parts and support overlap considerably, which is genuinely reassuring whichever you choose.
This shared-lineage advantage is genuinely rare in the RV world, where so many components become orphaned when a manufacturer changes hands or discontinues a line. With electric entry steps, the consolidation of Kwikee under Lippert had the opposite effect: it broadened parts availability and support rather than narrowing it, which is unusually good news for owners trying to keep an older step in service.
Whichever way you go, it is worth thinking about installation and the years of ownership that follow, because this is an area where the shared Kwikee-Lippert lineage genuinely pays off. A complete step system mounts to the RV's entry and wires into the door and power, work that many owners handle themselves with basic tools, though some prefer to have it done professionally, given that the step carries real weight and cycles constantly.
The reassuring part is what happens down the road. Because both names share generations of compatible parts, a step you install today remains serviceable for many years, with motors, gearboxes, and linkage kits available to renew it rather than replace it. That is a meaningful difference from products that become disposable the moment one component fails, and it is a strong argument for buying into this well-supported family of steps in the first place.
Over the long haul, the practical ownership experience is similar whichever name is on your step: a proven mechanism, broad parts availability, and a major manufacturer behind it. That consistency is exactly why the Kwikee-Lippert question is one you can answer based on fit and configuration rather than worrying that one choice leaves you stranded for support later.
No matter which step you choose, a little routine care dramatically extends its life and prevents the most common failures. The step lives in one of the harshest spots on the rig, low and exposed to road spray, mud, and salt, so keeping the mechanism clean of accumulated grime is the single best thing you can do for it.
A periodic light lubrication of the pivot points and linkage keeps the step folding freely, which reduces the strain on the motor and gearbox, the components most likely to wear out. A step that moves easily simply asks less of its hardest-working parts, and that directly translates into more years of reliable service before any replacement part is needed.
Getting in the habit of noticing how your step operates pays off, too. A step that begins to hesitate, grind, or slow down is signaling early wear, and addressing it promptly, often with simple cleaning and lubrication, heads off a complete failure at an inconvenient moment. This care applies identically to Kwikee and Lippert steps, since under the brand names, they share the same fundamental mechanism.
With the comparison laid out, here is how to decide between them for your situation.
You are replacing an existing Kwikee system, value the original heritage name with the deepest parts lineage, or your rig suits the Series 40 double-tread configuration. Kwikee is the natural choice when continuity with the original step standard matters to you.
You want a current-production system that arrives complete with control unit and power switch, or your rig suits the 24-inch folding configuration. Lippert is the choice for a modern, ready-to-operate, complete package from the industry's largest component maker.
You are repairing an older pre-IMGL or 9510-series step. The Kwikee 379608 motor kit is matched to those earlier generations and brings a long-serving step back to life economically.
You are repairing a Kwikee 25 Series step. The Lippert 379804 motor and gearbox upgrade renews both wear points at once, a thorough fix for that common modern generation.
The single most important thing is determining your step's generation and configuration from the markings on the assembly. That, more than the name, determines which complete step or part fits, and with the shared Kwikee-Lippert lineage, support is strong whichever you choose.
The Kwikee versus Lippert question turns out to be less of a rivalry and more of a family matter. Kwikee originated the electric RV step and carries the heritage and the deepest parts lineage; Lippert represents both that legacy and current production under the industry's largest component manufacturer. Whichever name is on your step, you are buying into the same proven technology and a well-supported system.
For a complete step, the Kwikee Series 40 double-tread suits those replacing a Kwikee system or wanting the original name, while the Lippert 24-inch folding step offers a complete current-production package. For repairs, the Kwikee 379608 kit serves older steps and the Lippert 379804 upgrade serves the 25 Series, two names cooperating to keep your step running.
Identify your step's generation, match the complete unit or part to your rig, and you cannot really go wrong. That is the quiet benefit of the Kwikee-Lippert lineage: decades of proven steps, broad parts availability, and a major manufacturer standing behind whichever you choose.
And if you are ever uncertain which product matches your rig, the markings on your existing step assembly are the key that unlocks the answer. Note the series and part numbers stamped there before you order, and matching the right complete step or replacement part becomes straightforward, with the confidence that the broad Kwikee-Lippert parts network stands behind whatever you choose.
At RV Upgrades, we carry Kwikee and Lippert electric entry steps, motors, gearboxes, and repair kits to install or restore your step. Explore our collection and find the right complete system or replacement part for your rig. Let us help you step in and out with confidence!
I’m Bill Rowell, the founder of RVupgrades.com. In 2002, I launched the business to help fellow RV enthusiasts find unique and hard-to-find products. Over the years, it’s grown to offer more than 15,000 items, with a warehouse in Eastlake, Ohio. Having owned and repaired nearly every type of RV, I bring over two decades of hands-on experience to the table. For me, this isn’t just a business – it’s a passion and a way of life that I love sharing with the RV community.
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