RV Insurance 101 – Motor Homes
With the infamous rise of COVID-19, and the unfortunate cancellation of most family vacations, it’s no surprise that RV sales are through the roof.
Motor-homes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers are all in the RV family, but we’ll be diving deeper into the differences of insurance needs for each of these types of RV’s in a later post. Today we are discussing motor homes.
More and more people are flocking to the classic family vacation of a road trip and camping out in their motor home. It makes perfect sense too! No need to fuss with excessive exposure to others in a hotel, stay in the motor home! Now you can steer clear of restaurants by making your own food in the RV’s kitchen! The world can finally feel big again, as you hike through national parks and swim in all the beautiful lakes and oceans along your trip.
Sounds like a post quarantine dream, right?
Well it most certainly can be, but you’ll need to remember that insurance is just as needed for your RV, as it is for your home, auto, and life. They’re different types of coverage after all.
What Does RV Insurance Look Like?
RVs and motor homes are considered recreational vehicles. So they will be insured similarly to how an ATV or motorbike is insured. This insurance will protect you from out of pocket expenses in the event that your motor home is stolen or it is involved in an accident that causes bodily harm or property damage. It may even be of help, depending on the level of coverage, if you have a roadside breakdown and need to call for help.
Something to keep in mind is that a motor home is a hybrid of home and auto insurance, so you need to have liability coverage for your RV. However, it’s not just any liability coverage, it’s called vacation liability.
This is to protect you when the motor home is not being used as a vehicle on the road, but when it is parked and you and others are relaxing in the living room of the RV.
Be sure to ask about this when you meet with an agent, because oftentimes it is overlooked or not offered when you go to buy your RV insurance. You’ll also want to ensure that the RV insurance matches your home insurance liability coverage.
How Much Does It Cost?
RVs come in three separate classes: A, B, and C. Class A is the most expensive, class C follows in second place, and Class B is the least expensive to insure. (Yes, yes we know it’s weird that it’s out of order, but we don’t make the rules!)
Depending on how often you drive your RV (occasional recreation, or living out of it full-time), there will be several things that are taken into account for how much it will cost to insure. Your driving record, past claims and accidents, and more may come into play when you are looking for coverage, you’ll need to consult with your agent when coming to a set cost. However, we can give you a ballpark of $1,000 – $2,000+ per year to cover your RV depending on the above stated variables and the deductible amount you choose.
Do I Need to Have RV Insurance?
Just like any other vehicle, you need to have insurance on your motor-home. Not just because it’s the safe thing to do in order to protect your financial investment, but because it’s the law in every single state.
There are some variations in the amount of coverage you need to have, but you’ll need to discuss this with your agent in regards to what class your motor-home is, your state requirements (this lends to the requirements of states you may be travelling through as well), using it part or full-time, and if you have custom features on your RV.
We hope that this has answered some of your questions regarding insuring your RV, but as always, we highly recommend speaking with your insurance agent to ensure that you are covered exactly how is expected of you, and for what you need personally!Come on in to Howard Webb Insurance, give us a call at (765) 644-8847, or send us an email at quotes@howardwebbins.com for a quote and to get your RV insured today!
Article written by contract writer and digital media coordinator: Candace Cox. You can reach her at socials@howardwebbins.com or candacecox96@gmail.com.
