Protecting Your Recreational Investment - Motorhome Insurance

If you own a motorhome, also known as a recreational vehicle or RV, you own much more than a mere automobile.  An RV can serve as a vacation home if you take it on the road to a campsite, and for some travel enthusiasts an RV can actually serve as their full-time home.  Since RVs are so much larger than most motor vehicles and can have much more personal property than a typical vehicle, regular automobile insurance is usually not adequate for an RV.  A typical auto insurance policy will not cover the amount of liability which can come from an RV accident.  It also will not generally cover the amount of personal property which can be carried on an RV, especially an RV that is used as a primary residence.  This is why RV owners are better off with a specialized insurance program designed for motorhomes. 

RV Insurance Coverage

As with auto insurance, you have the normal choices of liability coverage only (covering damages to others and their property if you are at fault in an accident); collision (covering damages to your own person and property in an accident); and comprehensive (covering all of the above plus damages that may occur when the RV is parked).  However, the exact things covered by an RV policy can be very different because of the nature of motorhomes. 

If an RV is less than 5 years old it is possible to get total loss replacement coverage, which allows an RV to be replaced with a similar one in the event that the RV is totaled. 

RV insurance can also cover a greater amount of personal property kept on the RV.  You can adjust the amount of coverage according to your needs.  The liability coverage needs of an RV owner are also significantly different because RVs are homes as well as vehicles.  For those who live in their RV full-time, special liability coverage is offered in case someone is hurt in or near the motorhome; this is similar to the liability coverage offered to homeowners in case someone falls down their stairs or something.  There is also a version of this that covers liability at campsites for those who only use their RVs part-time for vacations.  Higher liability limits are also offered because of the size of RVs; they can do a lot more damage on the road than can smaller vehicles.  Some insurance policies may reimburse clients if they are forced to live outside of the RV for a short time.  They may also allow clients to adjust their coverage when the RV is not in use. 

Insurance Rates

Exact insurance rates can vary greatly according to a number of factors, including the type of RV; how the RV is used; the age and driving record of the driver(s); the geographic location of the RV; and what types of coverage are chosen.  This is much like other forms of auto insurance, the difference being that greater customization of policy is possible because of the varieties of coverage offered to RV owners.