Your homeowners insurance policy may cover your RV if it is parked on your property. In some cases, you may need to add a rider to your home insurance policy. however, your home insurance is often inadequate to protect your RV, which is why RV and RV insurance exists. because it’s much better coverage than homeowners insurance or auto insurance or anything else for your RV.
These last two words (recreational vehicle) indicate how complicated the topic can be. so let’s start there.
Reading: How much is rv insurance in california
what is a recreational vehicle in california?
You think you can answer that easily, don’t you? RVs are those big, hulking beasts several feet long and with more square footage than your first apartment. and you’re right
and wrong.
RVAS are defined by the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles as: “a motorhome, motorhome, travel trailer, motorhome, or camping trailer; with or without driving force; designed for human habitation or other occupancy”.
mobile home? no idea…
The point is, an RV can be anything from a modest RV towed on a trailer behind your car to, well, that RV, we guess.
When most people think of RVs, they have those big self-driving vehicles in mind. the kind where a driver sits up front. a single vehicle that is “power driven” as the california dmv says. so that’s the type of vehicle we’re writing about now.
As a general rule of thumb, if you need to be towed to get from point A to point B, you most likely don’t need RV insurance or RV insurance in California. if you get there on your own, chances are you have your own insurance.
what are the different classes of motorized recreational vehicles or motorhomes?
interestingly, these traveling digs range from class a (largest) to class b (smallest) with class c in between.
- class a: huge – up to 45 feet long, truly a kind of mansion on wheels
- class b: a tiny house on wheels, up to 19 feet long; most of the basics are all here (it may or may not have a bathroom) and you were planning on spending time outside anyway, right?
- class c: up to 31 feet long, more sleeping space, more modern conveniences like a toilet
- how many miles a year will you drive it?
- how much does it weigh, what is its length and its estimated present value?
- what is your driving record and that of anyone else who will spend time behind the wheel? (Remember, you’re driving a vehicle that can be nearly 45 feet long and over eight feet wide, making the task almost literally like driving a house.)
- what is the total value of your rv contents, including built-ins and goods shipped?
- where will your rv spend most of its days and how will it be used?
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The cost of your RV insurance will reflect the size of your motorhome, as the larger they are, the more difficult they are to drive and the more damage they can cause if involved in an accident.
is a mobile home a house or a vehicle in california?
yes. that is, it is both at one time or another. And that gets to the heart of why you need an entirely different form of coverage to responsibly cover your RV. after all, he leads a multitude of different lives.
Your RV may spend weeks, months or years in an RV community, parked there like the house it has become.
I could spend the time zooming back and forth on a crowded interstate at 65 miles per hour.
For some, the years of a dog’s life could be spent parked in a driveway, collecting dust.
Your RV can take all these lives, and your homeowners insurance and auto insurance can hold up to a point. some of the time.
For example, if your RV is damaged in a windstorm while it’s parked in your driveway, your homeowners insurance will likely cover damage to contents and built-in appliances.
If you are in an accident on the road and your RV is covered by your auto insurance policy, you may be able to make a claim for damages.
If it breaks or is damaged while parked in an RV community or anywhere other than your home, good luck filing any type of claim.
This is why RV and RV insurance exists
You are now beginning to see that your RV is neither a home nor a vehicle. or… it’s a bit of both. sometimes it is a house and sometimes a vehicle.
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It’s a hybrid and a (very) expensive possession that needs its own unique form of coverage. That form is called motorhome and RV insurance.
You can determine how much RV insurance you may need by asking and answering a few questions, like:
Once all those questions have been asked and answered, you’ll have a better idea of how much RV or motorhome insurance you may need.
how much does rv insurance cost in california?
The answer varies widely depending on the type of motorhome you have and the amount of insurance you want, plus all the other factors like your driving history, etc, from the smallest class b motorhome to class a From first line. RV, the spread is $600 to $2,000 annually. If your new mobile vacation home or new dig is financed, you’ll be required to have full coverage, just like with a car.
in california, the typical cost of insurance on an rv is around $800 a year. You can legally drive a motorhome in California with only the minimum bodily injury liability insurance and property damage liability insurance (15/30/5). but should you? Remember, in an accident, your RV will most likely cause more damage than a full-size vehicle.
can i get discounts on my RV insurance in california?
yes, you can. one way is through bundling. Just like the auto insurance discounts you can get in California, you can also find RV insurance discounts.
Bundling is a strategy for obtaining rate discounts by giving your business to an insurance company that already provides coverage in one or more categories. For example, if the company you get your auto insurance or home insurance policy from also offers RV coverage, that insurer will likely be able to extend a discount in the same way you get a deal buying in volume from most of the vendors.
When it comes to making deals, no one can help you more than an independent insurance agent who works exclusively for a single insurance company.
Independent brokers have contracts to sell the products of various insurance companies. That means they can shop around for the best deals from multiple competitors and bring you the winning deal instead of just being able to offer coverage from the company that writes the agent’s paycheck.
An independent agent is also more likely to be able to help you bundle an RV and RV insurance policy with your auto or homeowners insurance plan, as they may offer coverage from multiple companies.
find affordable RV insurance in california today
Don’t hit the open road or stop at an RV community without first contacting a cost-u-less insurance agent. we can offer you affordable motorhome insurance that fits your budget. Call us at (800) 390-4071. Or get a quick RV insurance quote online. You can also find a free location near you.
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