No matter how well you plan it, your next RV adventure could include something unexpected.
And that’s OK. You’re on the road in an RV to escape your work clothes, your alarm clock, and those rambling staff meetings.
Why not make some unplanned stops and meet some new friends?
Sometimes, though, the unexpected isn’t so pleasant:
- collisions on the highway could injure you or your passengers and damage your RV
- you could be held responsible for damages or injuries to other drivers, or
- bad weather could destroy your RV while you’re far from home
This is why you may want to spend just a little time finding the best RV insurance you can before you spend a LOT of time on the side of the road.
A mechanical breakdown, or even just a flat tire, could leave you stranded. An injury at a campsite could leave you responsible for someone’s medical bills.
Yes, these perils could stall your adventure, but more importantly, they can cost thousands of dollars and risk the money you’ve already invested in your RV.
So before you step on the accelerator, let’s learn about the insurance coverage you would need to protect yourself from these unexpected curves down the road.
If you’re already an experienced RVer, check your current policy to be sure it’ll protect you the way it should.
Even if your state doesn’t require your RV to have its own insurance policy, you should consider getting enough insurance to protect your investment and cover your liability.
First, The Different Types of RVs
Other than a brief blip during the Great Recession, the number of RVs on the road has steadily increased for the past 20 years.
You could attribute this increase to the obvious — that RVing is cool and lots of fun — but there’s a more statistical explanation, too:
RV manufacturers have done a great job making a wider variety of RVs, campers, and trailers, which has allowed more people to join the fun.
Roaming the great outdoors with your indoor comforts in tow no longer requires a life-changing commitment. Your RV type also has a direct impact on the kind of insurance coverage you’ll need, so let’s start there.
Two Main Types of RVs
Let’s break this down as simply as possible. There are two main types of RVs: RVs with steering wheels, also known as Motorhomes, and RVs you pull behind another vehicle, which we also call trailers or campers, or in some cases, Toterhomes.
Each type of RV calls for its own approach to insurance coverage.
You could add some towable RV models to your existing auto insurance policy, but a motorhome will need its own policy, mixing elements of homeowners and auto coverage.
Of course, RVs are too complicated to be confined by this neat little breakdown. Some towable RVs are bigger and more expensive than some motorhomes.
We’ll need to dig a little deeper into these broad categories to find out for sure what kind of coverage you need.
Three Types of Motorhomes
First, let’s look at motorhomes, the castles of the RV world. They’re huge, comfortable, and all-inclusive, and since you can drive them, they need their own insurance policies.
Not all motorhomes are created equally, though.
- Class A Motorhomes: If you’ve passed one of these guys on the highway, it probably took a minute or two. They’re huge — up to 75 feet long — and they can include all the comforts of home, from plumbing to an entertainment center. You can spend half a million dollars on something like this.
- Class B Motorhomes: Many Class B motorhomes could pass for a beefed-up van. The ceiling is usually raised to help passengers move around more easily, but space is at a premium. The price range here runs from $50,000 to $150,000 depending on amenities.
- Class C Motorhomes: Class C motorhomes cover the middle ground. They’re bigger than Class B models and are usually built on a truck chassis. They often have sleeping quarters above the driver’s cab, giving them a distinct look. You’d likely spend $100,000 to $200,000 on one.
The Wide Array of Towable RVs
If you thought motorhomes came in a variety of colors and flavors, wait until you see the variety of RVs you can attach to your SUV, pickup, or even sedan.
The list, which seems to grow every few years, includes:
- Conventional Travel Trailers: Think Motorhome without the motor: your pickup or SUV provides the power. Conventional travel trailers can be up to 35 feet long and sleep about 10 travelers. This can easily be a 6-figure investment.
- Fifth-Wheel Trailers: These guys look more like Class C Motorhomes with the bi-level layout. The higher level up front hitches inside the bed of your pickup. These typically sleep up to 6 and cost up to $150,000.
- Folding or Tent Trailers: If you’re looking for something easier to tow yet large enough to provide a little comfort on the road, a folding or tent trailer may be for you. About 6 people could probably sleep in one of these, but you’d want to plan on outdoor living for the most part. Expect to spend up to $30,000.
- Expandable Trailers: An expandable trailer works a lot like a folding or tent trailer, but you can expect more durability and protection from the elements since the hard-sided trailer itself expands. Prices can climb toward $50,000.
- Truck-Bed Campers: Take towing out of the equation by turning your truck bed itself into living space. These can be surprising elaborate and comfortable, sleeping up to 6 and costing up to $50,000.
- Teardrop Trailers: If you’ve seen one of these you know what inspired the name — they’re small and curved like a drop of water. If you’re traveling alone or as a couple, a teardrop trailer may do the job. You may even be able to tow it behind a mid-size car. You can find one for a few thousand dollars or spend well into the $30,000s depending on your tastes.
Why You Need RV Insurance
Traveling the countryside with your own personalized hotel room in tow should be fun and relaxing.
But like any kind of adventure, RVing does not always play out as imagined.
We can’t control everything, and there’s a chance you could face perils such as:
- Crime: The typical RV carries valuables — food, electronics, small appliances, tools, cash, firearms, jewelry — making them targets for seasoned burglars. Common sense precautions go a long way, but sometimes you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Weather: Out there in the elements, expect to deal with… well, the elements. Most likely you’d reschedule a trip to avoid a hurricane or a tropical storm. But tornadoes and even common thunderstorms can do a lot of damage, and these storms can be harder to predict.
- Accidents: A car crash while on vacation is bad enough. A crash that also damages your living quarters can ruin any plans for adventure. You may even be stuck in a faraway place while you make other arrangements.
- Personal injuries: Since your RV can function as a home, it’s a place where you, your family, a friend, or even a random person wandering a campground, can be injured.
- Breakdowns: Even well-maintained equipment can fail. If your RV won’t start (or if the AC goes out or the expandable camper won’t expand) you may be looking at a big repair bill and a lot of hassle before you can get on the road again.
Insurance exists to protect your financial investment if something goes wrong and to protect you from being personally liable for accidents you legally caused.
If a wreck or a storm damages your RV, if a thief cleans it out, or if someone gets injured, for example, your policy should help pay for it. Whether your policy will cover all, some, or none of your losses depends on the coverage you have in place.
Most insurers also offer extras such as towing, roadside assistance, or even help paying for a hotel (use a hotel card, of course) if you can’t stay in your RV because it’s damaged.
Let’s look at various kinds of RV coverages to find out what you need.
What Kind of RV Coverage Do You Need?
To understand RV insurance it’ll help to first refresh our knowledge of car insurance.
Though you pay your auto insurer one payment, you’re actually buying several different policies:
- Liability: If you caused a wreck, this coverage should pay for the other driver’s auto repairs and medical bills. (It should also cover the other car’s passengers’ medical bills.)
- Collision: This would pay for your own repairs if you legally caused the wreck. (If you were not at fault, the other driver’s coverage should pay.)
- Comprehensive: For damage not related to a collision. Hail damage, theft, vandalism, and such.
- Medical payments: Also called MedPay, this coverage can help pay your medical bills if you caused a wreck. (If you’re not at fault the other driver’s liability should cover your medical bills.)
- Personal Injury Protection: Especially for states with no-fault accident policies, this coverage will pay for your own medical bills even if someone else hit your vehicle.
- Uninsured or underinsured coverage: If the other driver is at fault but has little or no insurance to pay for your repairs and medical bills, you can carry this coverage to help protect yourself.
- Extras: Many insurers offer AAA-style benefits such as roadside assistance, towing, and help finding alternative accommodations.
Having great auto coverage depends on finding the right mix of these coverages to match your car and your situation.
Your RV insurance should work similarly. You’ll need to take a look at each of these coverages and decide how much coverage to buy.
Your RV type and frequency of use will determine a lot about your coverage, and we’ll get into that below.
- If you’re buying a bonafide Motorhome — Class A, B, or C — you have the most to lose, and every state requires you to carry insurance to protect yourself and other drivers. We’ll look at this coverage first.
- If you’re buying a travel trailer or something simpler, your state probably will not require you to be a separate policy for your RV. It’s up to you to make sure you’re covering your investment and liability. (Your lien holder may require you to have a minimum amount of insurance.) We’ll get to that in a bit.
Insuring a Class A, B, and C Motorhome
Let’s face it. You can do a lot of damage with an RV, especially a Class A Motorhome which can be up to 75 feet long.
Any Motorhome, whether Class A, B, or C, is a moving vehicle and must meet your state Department of Transportation’s insurance requirements.
Just like with a car, you’ll need to address:
Liability
If you collide with another vehicle on the highway, or even in a parking lot, and investigators determine you were at fault, you’ll be personally responsible for the other driver’s injuries and for the damage to the other vehicle.
In an RV, you also have to consider liability while you’re parked. Someone could trip on a power connector and land on a hot grill, suffering second-degree burns, for example.
Whatever the case, if you don’t have enough liability insurance coverage, you will be personally responsible to pay the damages out of pocket.
If you can’t pay, a judge can order your assets be seized to compensate the people you’ve inadvertently harmed.
Your state will have a minimum liability coverage requirement, but some states’ limits just aren’t high enough to protect you from financial losses if you have an at-fault accident.
State limits also don’t always reflect the reality of RV living. They usually consider only on-the-road liabilities.
A lot of financial advisors suggest carrying enough liability coverage to cover your financial assets, regardless of what your state requires.
If you have $50,000 in the bank and own a $150,000 house, for example, make sure your insurance can cover $200,000 in liability.
If you’re worried about having enough liability coverage, ask your agent about an umbrella policy which pools liability coverages from a variety of policies: RV, home, auto, etc.
Collision
Collision, of course, covers damage to your own vehicle if you have an at-fault wreck while driving your RV. How much coverage you need depends in part on your lien holder.
If you’ve financed the RV, the bank or another creditor will want your policy to protect its investment. If you bought the RV outright, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to protect your purchase.
I recommend carrying at least some collision unless you have the financial flexibility to pay for expensive repairs. Even then, why pay out of pocket for expensive repairs when you can find affordable collision coverage?
Comprehensive
Comprehensive coverage pays to fix damages from perils other than a wreck:
- vandalism
- hail
- theft
- etc.
Just like with your collision coverage, your lien holder may require comprehensive in case someone steals your RV or something happens to damage its value.
Why do banks care about this?
If you failed to pay and the bank repossessed the RV, it would need to sell the vehicle. An RV in great shape brings a higher price. Basically, the bank wants to prevent future losses.
If you’ve paid outright or have paid off the RV, you have more freedom to decide about comprehensive.
However, losing the RV and everything in it to theft or a tornado would be a sad, sad day. It would be even worse if you couldn’t file an insurance claim to help pay you back for your losses.
That’s why an RVer needs to pay special attention to comprehensive coverage. In many ways, your comprehensive coverage should serve as a homeowners policy for your home away from home.
Or, if you’re a full-timer, you are essentially buying homeowners coverage and will need to give the purchase some close scrutiny.
We’ll get into some of those nuances below.
Other Coverages In Your Policy
MedPay: In most states whether you buy medical payment insurance to cover your own medical bills after an accident depends on you.
If you have solid health insurance you may not need to add this coverage to your RV policy. If you’re not so sure how much your health insurance would pay if you had an at-fault wreck, I’d consider adding MedPay.
If someone else causes the wreck his or her insurance should help pay for your medical bills. Unless, of course, the other driver doesn’t have enough insurance.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage: Getting coverage to fill in the gap if someone without insurance (or without enough insurance) collides with you can help prevent losses.
About 20 states require this coverage, and your independent agent (or captive agent) will let you know whether your state requires it.
If your state doesn’t require it, you can still opt in.
Personal Injury Protection: Ask about this coverage if you live in a no-fault state, especially if you don’t have good health insurance.
Insuring a Trailer or Camper
Though it may be bigger than a motorhome, your camper or trailer (also known as a Toterhome or towable RV) is not a vehicle.
As such your state will not require you to insure it. However, your lien holder will have other ideas.
If you owe money on your camper, the bank will want it adequately covered against losses in value, just like your mortgage company wants to know about your homeowner’s policy.
And most importantly, you’ll want to protect your own investment. Insurance exists to protect you from losing your hard-earned property.
An Endorsement Isn’t Enough
When you buy a towable RV and call your friendly auto agent, he or she may suggest adding an endorsement to your auto policy to cover the RV when you’re towing it.
An endorsement may be enough to protect a teardrop camper or a small folding camper while it is tethered to your insured motor vehicle.
An endorsement will not protect your investment in a travel camper or trailer, and it won’t address the liability issues connected to how you use your RV.
In other words, it’ll help cover the ‘V’ part of RV, but not the ‘R.”
To get fully protected, you’ll need an RV-specific policy, just like you would with a Motorhome.
RV-Specific Insurance Options Protect You Best
So let’s review:
A Motorhome has a motor so it needs on-the-road coverages like a car: liability, comprehensive, and collision in case you have an accident. MedPay, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and Personal Injury Protection coverages may be required, too.
A towable RV does not need these on-the-road coverages. Instead, you’ll need these coverages on the vehicle you’re using to tow your RV.
But remember: State laws exist to protect other drivers from damages you may inadvertently cause, not to protect your investment.
While it may meet the legal requirements, a simple auto policy for your motorhome, or an auto policy endorsement for your towable camper, will not necessarily protect your investment or shelter you from out-of-control liability.
For that kind of protection, we need to look at RV-specific insurance policies.
Full-Time Coverage For Full-Timers
Some people take RVing to the extreme and live in their vehicle year-round. The most committed RVers do not even own or rent a stationary home.
Their RV is their home. If you plan to use your RV for six months a year or more, you’ll need Full-Time RV Insurance.
Full-time coverage combines elements of a homeowners policy and an auto policy. You’ll be covered as a vehicle while in motion and as a home when roadside or at a campsite.
The homeowners-style coverage includes liability for personal injuries that happen in the RV and on the property the RV occupies, even though the policyholder doesn’t actually own the property.
Yes, you could possibly strengthen your comprehensive coverage on an auto-style Motorhome policy to address this reality. But, keep this in mind as you weigh options:
An insurance company can deny a claim if it didn’t know you were living in the RV full time. Insurance companies write policies based partly on how you plan to use the RV.
By getting Full-Time RV Insurance you’re declaring your intention to use the vehicle as your home. Since not all insurers offer full-time coverage, you can also narrow down your list of potential insurance carriers this way, saving time as you shop for coverage.
Storage Coverage Can Save Money
RVers on the other end of the spectrum may hit the road only occasionally or for just a few weeks out of the year.
For occasional RVers, Storage Coverage can save a lot of money. After all, if your RV is not on the road, it won’t be in a wreck, so you shouldn’t be paying insurance to cover a collision or for bodily injury related to a wreck.
You should, however, maintain comprehensive coverage because storms and thieves don’t care whether you’ve parked for the winter. They’re just as happy to wreak havoc on a stored RV.
A Storage Policy reflects this reality and can cut your premiums in half.
Just don’t take your RV out during the storage period without adjusting your insurance first. If you do, your lack of collision and liability coverages will leave you exposed. If you have a wreck your insurance company won’t help.
Personal Effects Coverage
Homeowners insurance policies cover personal property such as computers, jewelry, firearms, TVs, small appliances — basically, valuables which are not integrated into the home.
Homeowners policies usually extend coverage to personal belongings even when they’re away from home — even when they’re on vacation with you in the RV.
This simplifies things for RVers who have stationary homes with homeowners policies. But full-timers who don’t have a stationary home should consider adding Personal Effects Coverage to their RV policy.
You can add Personal Effects coverage to a Motorhome or a Toterhome.
Just like with a homeowners policy, you should keep an inventory of personal belongings, complete with photographs and serial numbers, to make it easier for your insurance company to pay your claim.
A personal belongings inventory can be a hassle to keep up with. Now, you can find apps that make this a lot easier.
Personal Attachments Coverage
The joy of RVing includes doing things your way — watching satellite TV while someone else drives or having drinks under an awning on a cool fall evening in the Smokies.
Attachments to your RV such as a satellite dish or an awning can be the first property damaged during a thunderstorm, or if that bridge back there was lower than you thought.
Such mishaps have inspired insurance companies to add Personal Attachments Coverage as a separate product. It’s certainly not essential, but it can simplify a claim.
Total Loss Replacement
Let’s say a tornado tears through your campground.
Fortunately, you and your family survive the disaster, but the RV takes a beating. Fixing it would cost more than replacing it.
And that’s why you have insurance. To replace your RV and your personal belongings. End of story. Right?
Not necessarily. Your insurance company’s idea of “replacing” your RV may not match your idea.
Unless stated otherwise, your policy probably replaces your property at market value. If you paid $150,000 for your Motorhome six years ago but it would now be worth only $100,000, your insurance company would reimburse you for $100,000.
With the payout, you could probably buy another 6-year-old RV, which is fine if that’s what you wanted to do.
What if you wanted your coverage to replace your 6-year-old RV with a new RV, though? You’d need to upgrade your coverage:
- Agreed value: With an agreed-value policy you can tell your insurance company what the RV is worth and insure it for that amount. Keep in mind you’ll pay premiums based on the agreed value, so don’t choose this option unless you really need it. This open can be particularly useful if you’ve restored a classic RV. Your agreed value can reflect the time and money you’ve invested in the restoration.
- Total loss replacement: Upgrading to total loss replacement value would pay you back the price of a new RV that’s comparable to your aging model. Read the fine print carefully if you choose this option. It usually lasts only five years and can be purchased only if the RV two years old or younger. After five years the coverage will reimburse you the purchase price of your RV. As more time passes expect more reductions in coverage.
Other RV-specific Insurance Products
As more and more people join the RV life, insurance companies have responded with a wider variety of insurance products. If any of these might help you, ask your agent about including them:
- Mexico coverage: With many policies traveling into Mexico automatically suspends your coverage. (This isn’t usually true for Canada.) Mexico coverage usually includes only comprehensive and collision coverages, and repairs must still be made in the United States. You’ll still need separate liability coverage while in Mexico.
- Fire department coverage: A local fire department responding to a fire at your parked RV may send you a bill since you’re not a property owner or taxpayer in the jurisdiction. This kind of coverage will help cover those costs.
- Gap coverage: Just like with a car, you can get gap insurance to pay back your lender if your market value reimbursement isn’t enough to pay off the loan. Your lender may require this.
- Vacation liability coverage: This coverage can help a part-time RVer who wants more robust liability coverage while parked at a campsite or parking lot.
- Storage shed contents coverage: For full-time RVers who keep belongings in storage. It protects your stored items if something happens to the storage facility and your stored contents are damaged, destroyed, or stolen.
- Pet coverage: Taking your pets along? You should probably have a separate pet insurance policy, but you could add coverage to your RV policy.
When You Need Help: Add-Ons Can Be Handy
Protecting you from liability while using your RV? Protecting your financial investment from loss if something unexpected happens? That’s plenty for your RV insurance to do.
But it can do more if you don’t mind adding on to your premiums.
Most insurance companies offer add-on benefits to make life easier if something goes wrong while you’re out there.
Roadside Assistance
The more miles you put on your motorhome or towable RV, the more likely you’ll need help along the way.
Flat tires, dead batteries, overheated radiators, broken air conditioning belts — a lot of small things can grind your adventure to a halt.
Roadside Assistance programs can help get you up and running again quickly and without out-of-pocket expenses.
Towing
Not all problems can be fixed while you wait beside the road. When your RV needs serious mechanical help, you may need to have it towed to a shop.
Towing coverage from your insurance company can take on the job of finding and paying for a reputable towing service.
When you’re towing a Motorhome or a larger camper or trailer, a little help can go a long way because not just any tow truck will do.
Rental Cars
If your RV needs to be towed in for service, you may not want to sit around waiting for the repairs.
When you opt for a rental car service, your insurance company can pay for your rental car so you can at least get from place to place while you wait for your RV.
If you’re towing your RV you may not need this service on your RV policy. Instead, you can add it to your auto policy.
And if you’re towing your own car behind your Motorhome, you may already have things covered.
Hotel Accommodations
An RV in the shop may mean you have nowhere to sleep.
With hotel coverage, your insurance company can pay for you to stay in a hotel while you wait for the mechanics to finish things up.
Before adding these sorts of extras to your policy, decide how much you need them and if you can get the same services elsewhere.
If you have AAA’s RV package, for example, you probably won’t need to add the same services to your insurance policy.
Insurance Coverage When You’re Renting an RV
Naturally, a full-time RVer will want to own his or her own rig. Occasional RV users, though, may consider renting an RV when they need it. Advantages to renting include:
- Avoiding property taxes.
- Ability to try different RV models without committing to one.
- Avoiding the need to store a large RV when not in use.
But what about insurance?
When you rent an RV, can you avoid paying premiums, too?
You most likely will have some liability coverage from the RV owner’s policy, especially if you’re renting from a company and not an individual.
But it’s up to you to find out for sure. Even if you’re covered as a renter, consider the ways your own insurance could provide better protection.
With liability, for example, you may need stronger coverage than the owner’s policy provides. You may also want more add-on coverages such as roadside assistance. It’s easy enough to find your own RV rental insurance if you need it.
How to Score The Lowest Premiums on Your RV Insurance
You probably have a good idea how much RV coverage you’ll need to protect your investment and to shield you from liability.
So it’s time to think about how much you should pay for this protection.
Traditionally, RVers haven’t been all that concerned about insurance costs.
If someone could afford to go on the road and take their way of life with them for several months at a time, they could afford just about any kind of insurance.
Plus, more mature drives often get better insurance rates anyway.
Now, as more people join the RV lifestyle at younger ages, RVers are paying more attention to what they’re paying for insurance coverage.
To keep your premiums down, compare quotes from several companies, and keep the following tips in mind as you shop:
Your Driving Record Matters
Insurance companies calculate premiums based partly on your driving history. If you’ve been cited for moving violations or have had a couple at-fault wrecks, be prepared to pay more.
You can’t erase your record, but you can prevent future problems by driving safely and obeying traffic laws. In many states, at least three blemish-free years on your driving record saves you money.
Your Credit History Matters, Too
When you apply for insurance in almost all states, your insurance company will run a credit check. It’s not because they’re worried about whether you’ll pay your premiums on time.
Instead, it’s because they’ve found a correlation: People with lower credit scores file more claims.
You can tell them they’re wrong about you, but they probably won’t listen. If you raise your credit score, though, you’ll have their attention, and you’ll probably see a decrease in premiums.
Need help? Check out Credit Sesame or Credit Karma.
How Much Coverage You Get Matters
As you can tell above, I’m all for having enough insurance coverage to protect your investment and to shield your personal property from a lawsuit.
The more coverage you have, though, the more you’ll pay in premiums. If you’re trying to keep premiums at a minimum, make sure you’re not buying more coverage than you need. Let’s say you’ve bought a 2-year-old Class C Motorhome for $100,000.
You won’t need $125,000 in comprehensive or collision coverages. Added-on services like roadside assistance or towing coverage can add a lot to your premiums, too.
If you’re OK making and paying for your own arrangements if something goes wrong, it’s OK to ditch these services and save money month to month.
Just think twice before reducing your liability coverage. An at-fault wreck that injures a group of people in another vehicle could clean you out financially if you don’t have enough coverage.
Look For Discounts While Shopping
Most insurance companies offer a wide array of discounts. The most common discount kicks in when you bundle policies.
If you have an auto and a home policy with one company, your agent can give you a discount when you add more coverages, such as an RV policy, to your account.
You can also get discounts when you’ve driven a specific amount of time with no accidents or when you have certain safety features installed on your RV.
Also, ask about low-mileage discounts for your RV or paid-in-full discounts which kick in if you pay your premiums annually instead of month to month.
Balance Your Deductibles
As anyone with health or auto insurance already knows, a higher deductible can save you money on premiums.
A deductible is the amount of money you pay out of pocket to unlock the insurance coverage you’ve bought. (It typically doesn’t apply to your liability coverage.)
It can be tempting for a careful shopper on a tight monthly budget to opt for high deductibles since they result in lower monthly premiums.
Careful, though: If you buy a policy with a deductible so high you’d never be able to pay it, you may not be able to use the insurance coverage you’re buying.
Instead, you may choose not to repair a dent which can lead to rust which can lead to more expensive repairs down the road.
Look for balance: You should be able to afford to meet your deductible, but it shouldn’t be so low you can’t afford your monthly premiums.
What About Disappearing Deductibles?
Some RV insurance plans offer a program called disappearing deductibles. Each year without an accident results in a percentage reduction in your deductible.
If enough time goes by without an accident, your deductible could reach $0 even while you’re paying premiums based on a higher deductible.
Not all companies offer this option, but companies specializing in RV coverage tend to have it.
Your RV Itself Makes a Difference
Just like with cars, nicer and newer RV models cost more to insure.
If you’re shopping for an occasional use RV and want to save money on insurance premiums, consider a 5-year-old model. This will save money on property taxes, too.
RV Storage Coverage
I mentioned this above under RV-specific insurance coverages, but it fits here too since it can save you money.
If you park your Motorhome for most of the year, storage coverage can save you some real money. In essence, this coverage allows you to pay premiums based on how often you use the RV.
If it’s parked out behind your house for 9 months out of the year, you don’t have to pay collision or liability rates during that time.
Again, not all companies offer this option, but I’d make a point of finding it before buying a policy for an occasional use RV.
Top 5 Best RV Insurance Companies
And, of course, the company you choose for your insurance impacts your premiums as well as the quality of your coverage.
As you shop around, look for a company whose policies meet your specific needs. Cost matters, but the lowest quote doesn’t always mean you’ve found the best company for you.
Only you can decide whether a company meets your specific requirements. But as a shopper looking for RV insurance, I’d consider these companies first:
1. Good Sam Insurance Agency
For more than 50 years Good Sam Insurance Agency has specialized in RV insurance. They know campers and trailers from the hitch to the brake lights. They know Motorhomes, too.
You’ll find just about any RV-specific insurance coverage mentioned in this post at Good Sam, and you’ll also get some of the best rates out there. Good Sam has solid marks from the independent insurance rating agencies, which means they’re likely in great shape financially.
Discounts include disappearing deductibles, low mileage, and bundled policies. Good Sam also offers boat, motorcycle, and auto policies. Good Sam’s RV club includes benefits such as roadside assistance and towing, and membership gives you a discount on your premiums.
Best for: An RV owner looking for an insurer who specializes in RV coverage and the RV lifestyle.
2. RVInsurance.com
Judging by its name, you’d think RVInsurance.com may be new to the market and might not have the experience you’re looking for.
But National General backs the site, and it also works with other insurance stalwarts such as Safeco, Nationwide and Foremost. So you’re getting experience and decades of financial stability.
You’re also getting great customer service and a slick online interface which should make changing your policy or filing a claim simpler. RVInsurance.com specializes in finding you the precise coverage you need. It includes just about every kind of RV-specific insurance coverage, including Mexico coverage and disappearing discounts.
Best for: A shopper interested in customizing RV coverage to meet his or her specific insurance needs.
3. Progressive
For more than 75 years Progressive has insured cars, boats, motorcycles, and RVs. The company has grown steadily and now is the fifth-largest insurer in the country.
Progressive has top financial health ratings and stresses customer service.
But what about its RV-specific options?
They are pretty robust, though not as thorough as the earlier entries on this list. If you already have policies with Progressive, you can save by bundling in your new RV policy.
Best for: If you’re looking for a solid choice that offers the most opportunities to save through bundling with your other policies, Progressive deserves a close look.
4. SafeCo
SafeCo has been around for almost a century. Its partnership with Liberty Mutual gives it credibility in the marketplace.
You can find companies with more diverse options for RV insurance, but if you’re looking for low premiums while still working with a reliable company, SafeCo can fill that niche.
These savings will depend in part on your RV’s safety features and your driving record. Paired with the company’s disappearing deductibles plan you can save even more.
Best for: The owner of a newer RV looking for solid insurance on a budget.
5. Foremost
You’ve probably heard of Foremost’s parent company, Farmers Insurance. Foremost extends Farmers’ coverage into the RV and mobile home market.
While its RV-specific coverage is not as thorough as Good Sam’s or even Progressive’s, Foremost covers a wider variety of towable vehicles than most companies, and that’s why they made this list. Foremost also offers an Emergency Expense Allowance for trips that caught my attention.
However, customer service could be an issue if you like dealing with your insurance company online. The Better Business Bureau has given Foremost an F for failing to respond to customer complaints online.
Best for: The owner of an uncommon type of camper or trailer who is most likely to seek help via phone instead of online.
Like the First Humans, You’re a Wanderer
I’m guessing if you’ve read this far you’re serious about actually doing it — about taking your life on the road in a recreational vehicle.
If so you’re doing something people have done for thousands of years. Long before we developed cities and jobs, people wandered the countryside with their friends, family, and pets.
They sat around campfires and were awoken by the rising sun. They gathered food along the way and existed as part of the landscape.
OK, maybe I am romanticizing it a little. The modern world has given us a lot, including insurance so you can wander without wondering so much what would happen if the RV broke down or if someone collided with you.
Take a few minutes to find the right insurance. It can help give you back your freedom.
The post Best RV Insurance Available for 2019 appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
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