When considering purchasing an RV unit, I’ve begun to look at the RV insurance needs to cover my family and I against things like damage or loss.
After looking around, I’ve come up with some good to know points when you are looking at RV insurance.
I did find that most auto insurance policy insurers will allow you to add your RV or motor home directly to the normal personal automobile policy. But I did find some flies in the ointment, so to speak with this approach.
Since an RV can be a huge investment, your personal auto policy may have places where things are not covered or there is too low a replacement value for loss or damage.
When talking with your personal insurer, make sure your rv insurance also covers the following items:
Many Personal Auto Insurance policies will allow an insured to add their motor home or RV to the personal auto policy and some estimates indicate that as many as half of the RV owners do just that. It’s important however, to understand that an RV is a huge investment and instead of insuring with the same coverage’s as your family car it might be wise to consider specialty insurance specifically designed to cover RV’s.
Every RV owner should consider these insurance needs:
Extended Road Side Assistance and Towing
Many standard policies will either offer limit or no coverage for this situation. Even when you consider 3rd party road side assistance from places like AAA or CAA, you need to ensure your RV is covered too.
Nothing is worst then discovering that your coverage will tow your truck but not the attached RV when you are stranded on the side of the road.
Also, temporary lodging when in concert to a break down will fall into this category. Again, it’s prudent of you to be sure. Especially when inexpensive RV insurance can save you $100’s for a night’s stay.
Making an Accident Claim
I’ve read on other forums that normal car adjusters are not experienced at adjusting RV claims. Be sure that your insurer is knowledgeable when it comes to handling a high RV unit claim. Nobody likes hassle or being left in the cold when trying to replace an RV unit because their RV insurance was inadequate or the adjuster isn’t knowledgeable.
Insurance Against Theft or Replacement
If you find yourself in the situation where you have to have your RV replaced because of theft or it’s been totaled in an accident, then you need to know now, not then, what you’ll be getting for it in replacement value.
Are you going to be remunerated at the actual cash value or at a total loss replacement value? This could be a big difference in how much you’ll receive in a settlement.
Items Stolen From The Recreational Vehicle
Here’s a real ouch to look out for. Did you know that many personal auto insurers will not pay for the replacement of stolen, lost or damaged personal property?
Normally you will need a special policy to cover the loss of personal effects. Again, be sure, as having your flat screen stolen from your RV can be quite sickening. Think about the latest 5th wheelers that can have up to five of these in one unit.
I chatted with a dealer, who had a ton of the TVs stolen from the lot overnight, told me it takes good thefts about 15 minutes to take them all from one unit!
Personal Liability in Regards to Your RV
Did you realize that you could be liable for the area where your RV is parked when in a campground? If someone hurts themselves, you as the RV owner could be sued. We live in a crazy world and you don’t need your year messed up with a personal liability claim. Make sure your RV insurance covers you against this liability.
To conclude, make sure your RV insurance is covering your needs before you hit the road. Paying that extra bit can save you a lot. When it comes to RV insurance, don’t be sorry, be sure!