Your RV or camper is both your home away from home and your wheels to get around. That means to protect yourself; you need insurance that’s similar to both car insurance and home insurance. RV/camper insurance protects your investment, yourself, and others.
What is RV/Camper Insurance?
RV/camper insurance is a special insurance product put together for RVs and campers. It covers you for things like accidents, other damage to your RV, and other liabilities you might have while vacationing.
Is RV/Camper Insurance Mandatory?
You have to have RV/camper insurance by law any time you’re driving on a public road. The minimum coverage is the same as for any vehicle. Other coverages are optional but may still be a good idea.
If you took out a loan to buy your RV or camper, the lender would probably require you to insure it until you pay off the loan so that the lender is guaranteed to be paid back if something happens to it. RV parks may also have rules requiring you to carry liability or other insurance.
Does Your Car Insurance Cover Your RV or Camper?
Whether you have coverage for your RV or camper depends on what kind you have. If it’s a separate, self-powered vehicle, your car insurance almost certainly won’t cover it. Even though car insurance can often extend to things like rental cars, the difference with an RV is that it’s a vehicle that you own plus a separate class of vehicle altogether. You may be able to get RV/camper insurance from your car insurance company, but it’s still a different policy.
If you have a camper trailer, your car insurance will usually have some coverage. Most common is that you’ll have liability coverage for accidents that happen while you’re towing your camper. You may also have some coverage for accident damage to your trailer, but there are often limits that may be well below its actual value. Whether you have coverage can also depend on whether you have a vehicle that is normally used for towing or if you’ve made modifications to your vehicle without updating your insurance.
What Coverages Does RV/Camper Insurance Include?
Buying RV camper insurance is just like buying home or auto insurance. You build your own coverage from several common options.
Accident Liability
To meet your legal obligations, you’ll need bodily injury and property damage liability coverages. These coverages protect you against lawsuits if you cause an accident and get sued for the other people’s medical bills and property damage. Most people will select liability limits far above the mandatory minimum coverages to protect their other assets from a lawsuit for a serious accident.
Collision and Comprehensive
To protect your RV or camper against accident damage, storm damage, or other physical damage, you need collision and comprehensive coverage. This coverage pays for the cost to repair or replace your RV or camper.
If you have a newer recreational vehicle, you may also wish to add total loss replacement coverage. Insurance typically only covers the current value of your RV or camper. However, your RV or camper will start depreciating the moment you drive it off the lot after purchase. That could leave you short thousands of dollars versus the purchase price even if you never got to take a road trip. Total loss replacement reimburses you for the full new value if you have an accident within a certain number of months or years after your new RV or camper purchase.
Personal Property
To protect your travel gear, appliances, clothes, and other personal belongings, you may need personal property coverage. You may sometimes have some protection from your home insurance policy, but you need to check for limits on items you have away from home and whether things that you permanently keep in your RV or camper are covered. Your personal property coverage will cover a range of incidents, including fires, accident damage, and theft. In addition to choosing an amount of coverage, you will also be able to choose between current replacement value and new replacement cost.
Vacation Liability
When you’re at home, your home insurance includes liability protection against incidents like dog bites, causing a trip and fall, or other injuries or property damage you may cause to your neighbors. While this coverage often follows you away from home, there may be limits and exclusions. Vacation liability gives you any missing protection that you may need.
Emergency Expenses
If you get in an accident or your RV breaks down while you’re on the road, you may face several expenses, including hotel rooms, alternative transportation, and emergency food or clothing. Emergency expense coverage can cover the extra costs you face to get back home or to get your RV back on the road.
Medical Payments
Medical payments can cover your medical bills after an accident, regardless of who was at fault. While your health insurance may cover these expenses, it often has a deductible, copay, exclusions, and network restrictions that would leave you with an additional bill following an accident. Since medical payments coverage is designed for accidents, it will often cover many of these expenses.
Does it Matter How Often You Use Your RV or Camper?
Yes, some policies vary based on whether your RV or camper is your permanent home, you’re a frequent traveler, or you take one trip per year. When you request a quote, the insurance company will ask how often you use your RV or camper and will typically adjust your rate accordingly. If you ever decide to use your RV or camper more or to take a break, you can easily change your coverage.
Get a Quote on RV/Camper Insurance
Your independent insurance agent can help you choose the coverage you need and find the best price. Sagen & Associates Insurance has locations in Kenosha and Brodhead, WI. Contact us now to get started.