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What Does RV Insurance Cover?

Published on September 4th, 2020 by Lynne Fedorick
This post was updated on February 16th, 2024

Large travel trailer Recreational Vehicle overturned on a highway

Why Do You Need RV Insurance?

Not only is RV insurance mandatory in most states and provinces throughout the USA and Canada, it’s a good idea.   RV coverage pays for repairs to your RV in the event it is damaged in an accident and also protects you against liability.

Whether you have a small travel trailer, a fifth wheel, or a huge motorhome, an RV is a big investment as well as being a home away from home.  When some accident or disaster happens, having insurance can sure help take the sting away.

“The biggest difference between an RV and a car is that the RV is dual purpose. It’s a car or [a form of] transportation, but it’s also used as a home, so there are unique exposures that a standard auto type of policy doesn’t address,” said William Hobbs, president of Recreation Insurance Specialists (RIS), which is a member of the Allstar Financial Group network of companies.

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firefighter sprays an rv service vehicle fire

What does RV Insurance Cover?

  • Travel Trailer Insurance: Your regular auto insurance only covers a trailer when it’s hooked up to the vehicle that’s pulling it, and won’t cover a motorhome at all.  Regular auto insurance won’t cover the expense of repairs to your RV if anything happens to it while it is not attached to your vehicle.  This could be a tree falling on it, coming unhitched and being damaged, being stolen, or even being vandalized. Specialized RV coverage will make sure your RV is insured, even when it’s not hooked up whether at the campsite or at home.
  • Emergency Roadside Assistance:  In case of a mechanical failure or an accident, an RV can cost up to 3 times more to tow than other vehicles.  It’s a real comfort to have Emergency Roadside Assistance included with your RV insurance.  
  • RV replacement if your RV is damaged, destroyed, or stolen: If your RV gets damaged or destroyed in an accident, hail storm, by an animal or by fire, you can get RV total loss replacement insurance that will protect you from the cost of total replacement if your RV is less than 5 years old. 
  • Damage while in storage:  Collision coverage will help with the repair bill if your RV is damaged while in storage.
  • Liability:  If your trailer comes unhitched during travel and hurts somebody, or even if someone hurts themselves around your RV, you can be held liable.  It’s important to have liability insurance for this reason.
  • Emergency expenses:  RV owners can be left without their home-away-from-home in the event of an accident, mechanical repairs, or damage to the RV.  Emergency expenses insurance covers emergency expenses such as hotel rooms, meals, and may include transportation expenses. 
  • Contents coverage: Some insurance covers the replacement of equipment like electronics, TVs, and personal effects in the event your rig is broken into.
  • Campers on trucks over 10,000 lbs: If you’ve got a truck bed camper on a truck that weighs over 10,000 pounds, you are likely not covered under your normal auto policy. RV coverage will cover the cost of repairs or replacement of your camper in the event of an accident or disaster.

Insurance for Full-Timers

If you live in your RV as your primary residence, some insurance companies offer special full-timer coverage. Full timer coverage is much like house insurance, and covers the following:

  • Personal liability: Coverage for bodily harm and property damage with an accident that is the RV owner’s fault.
  • Medical payments: Coverage for any necessary medical payments to others involved in an accident.
  • Loss coverage: Coverage for amounts charged to the RV owner as part of an association.

Where to Buy RV Insurance

We highly recommend getting a free quote from RVer Insurance Exchange. In addition to RV insurance and extended warranties, they also offer several health plans.

These are some of the other options for insurance:


For more insurance advice, check out this article from RV LIFE about Important Things You Need To Consider, according to an insurance agent.

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