Recreational vehicles, or RVs, come in many shapes and sizes. Travel trailers, motorhomes. Camper vans, fifth wheel coupling, pop-up trailers. You name it! The type of RV insurance you need depends on the type of RV you have and how you use it. We’ll address all of this and more. But first ...
To put it simply, RV insurance helps cover you and your RV if something goes wrong on the road or when it’s parked. If it’s damaged, it can help cover repairs or replacement. If it causes injuries, it can help foot the medical costs.
An RV is basically a home on wheels. It has many of the same coverages as a standard auto policy, plus some protections you’d find on a homeowners policy. RV insurance coverages typically break down like this:
Almost every state requires drivers to have at least liability coverage. This helps protect the other person if you’re found at-fault in an accident, so that you’re not buried in repair fees or hospital bills.
There are two types of liability insurance:
Bodily injury liability: if the other driver’s injured, bodily injury can cover their medical bills and loss of income.
Property damage liability: if you damage someone’s property, like another driver’s car or a neighbor’s fence, property damage can help pay for the repairs.
But while liability can certainly protect your wallet, it does not protect your RV.
Enter comprehensive and collision.
Comprehensive and collision are optional coverages designed to help pay for damage to your RV — and that’s whether or not you’re at fault!
Comprehensive covers damages that are not the result of a collision. Think vandalism, hail damage, theft, or damage from a fallen tree.
Collision covers (take a wild guess?) collisions, be it with another car or object, like a median or fence.
Comp and collision are not required by law, but if you’re renting or leasing your RV, your lender may require them. It’s also worth mentioning that you can add comprehensive without collision, but you can’t add collision without comprehensive.
If your RV’s involved in an accident, medical payments coverage can pay for hospital bills and other medical costs if you or your passengers are injured. Again, that’s regardless of fault!
Say you get in an accident and the other driver’s at fault. They’d be responsible for paying for repairs or medical bills, right? But what if they don’t have enough insurance, if any?
Cue uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. They help pay for repairs to your RV or injuries to you or your passengers if the other driver can’t. Uninsured motorist coverage, especially, can be super handy in a hit-and-run accident.
Like auto insurance, roadside assistance comes to the rescue if you’re marooned on the side of the road. It includes things like:
Tire changes
Jumpstarts
Fuel delivery
Towing and labor
If you’re taking a road trip, say, and your personal belongings are damaged in an accident, contents coverage can reimburse you to replace them. Same goes if they’re vandalized or stolen.
This coverage is also a great way to avoid having to file, say, a homeowners or renters claim for your personal belongings.
If you live in your RV full-time, full-time coverage may be worth looking into. This would help cover incidents that a homeowners policy would cover. Things like:
Personal liability covers property damage at and away from your RV (a ball you accidentally hurl through another RV’s window), or if a guest gets hurt and decides to sue (don’t worry, just a hypothetical).
Medical payments, mentioned above, would also extend to said injured guest’s medical expenses.
Loss assessment reimburses you for fees an HOA might charge to repair damaged property in common areas.
Emergency expense coverage pays for temporary digs or hotels if your RV is damaged and unlivable.
With full-time RV insurance, your home is covered whether you’re on the road, at a campsite, or just having friends over for Sunday brunch. Not bad.
The short answer: it depends. Do you drive or tow your RV?
If you drive your RV, almost every state will require you to get liability coverage, just like any other vehicle.
If you tow your RV, then it’s not required by law. But if you’re financing or renting it, your lender will likely require you to get insurance. What’s more, some campgrounds require guests to show a valid proof of insurance.
And, hey, insuring your RV is never a bad idea, regardless. If yours is damaged before you even get to a campsite, RV insurance can mean the difference between being stuck in the sticks or staying at a hotel on the interim.
Knowing what kind of RV you have or are interested in buying can clue you in on the type of RV insurance worth looking into. RVs break down into 3 categories: Class A, B, and C.
Bus-like in appearance, Class A motorhomes are what you’d call top of the line RVs. They’re built on a truck chassis and can be as much as 30 feet long. Because of their size, they afford a very cushy, livable space. Think full bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, plus a washer/dryer, entertainment area with a flatscreen TV, and a spacious dining space.
For a Class A motorhome, it’s worth considering RV insurance that covers it like a vehicle and home. That means coverage for collisions and that flatscreen. And, again, if you live in it or use it as a primary residence, full time insurance is definitely worth looking into.
While Class A motorhomes are built on a truck chassis, Class As are built on a van chassis. In fact, that’s basically what they are—campervans. Class B motorhomes have the bare essentials of a living space: a stove, bathroom, sink, mini-fridge, and foldable bed that doubles as, say, a dining area.
Because a Class B is smaller and therefore less of a risk on the road, coverage limits may be likewise lower and less expensive than a Class A motorhome’s insurance.
When you close your eyes and imagine an RV, a Class C probably comes to mind first. It’s like a Class A—built on a truck frame—but smaller. And it has all the amenities of a class A, which is why an insurance policy would be similar, albeit with lower limits.
Because towable RVs—like a fifth wheel or truck camper—are being hauled by a separate vehicle, RV insurance, in this case, would simply cover damage to the RV itself. Mishaps involving the RV trailer on the road would be covered by the towing vehicle’s auto policy.
Many insurers out there won’t cover you if you rent out your RV. But! Roamly offers insurance that lets you rent out yours through sites like Outdoorsy without losing coverage.
Get a quick, free quote today and find out for yourself! You’ll be asked a few simple questions about you and your RV, and Roamly will recommend coverages along with an estimated price.
Yup, it’s that simple.
Roamly Insurance Group, LLC ("Roamly") is a licensed general agent for affiliated and non-affiliated insurance companies. Roamly is licensed as an agency in all states in which products are offered. Availability and qualification for coverage, terms, rates, and discounts may vary by jurisdiction. We do not in any way imply that the materials on the site or products are available in jurisdictions in which we are not licensed to do business or that we are soliciting business in any such jurisdiction. Coverage under your insurance policy is subject to the terms and conditions of that policy and is ultimately the decision of the buyer.
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