Questions from Readers - RV INSURANCE

We have a lot of readers who contact us about buying a Roadtrek, owning a Roadtrek, dealing with issues and problems with their Roadtrek, and asking for clarification on something that they read in one of our articles. I am always happy to answer these questions and I had a thought that perhaps sharing my answers with all of our readers would benefit others. As we go along, I will share these questions and answers.

Recently I was contacted by someone who is purchasing a pre-owned Roadtrek and wanted to know about RV Insurance and any help that I could give in choosing a policy. She wondered if she should just use the insurance company that covers her car.

Here is my response, and I will add some more after my answer to her.

"I can share with you how I selected RV insurance for my Roadtrek. Just to be clear - we are talking about vehicle, damage, and liability insurance just like car insurance - and not emergency roadside assistance plans. I only say this because some people confuse the two. So - when we were buying the Roadtrek I found an internet forum about RVs in general. There were many categories of discussions there including Class B RVs like the Roadtrek as well as other larger RVs. I read with a lot of interest stories from some on the group about insurance claims and which companies worked to make things right and which gave the policy owner a hard time when making a claim. The one company that kept coming up positive was Progressive - the company with all of the TV commercials with the lady, Flo. They only sell by telephone or online. I was not able to find a local broker that represented them - though in other parts of the country there may be Progressive offices and Progressive brokers that one can walk into. I contacted them by telephone and got a quick quote. I then went to AllState which I have had my car insurance with since I started driving back in 1970.  AllState did have an RV policy but the lady in the office that we deal with really had no idea about specific information on the policy. She did not know RVs and was reading along with paperwork to provide me with a quote. The AllState quote was a lot more money than the Progressive quote. I called Progressive back and spoke with the agent over the phone and he knew all about RVs and RV insurance. Together we set up a policy that would cover the Roadtrek. One important thing that is different from a car policy in a good RV policy is that the RV policy if you take the option will include FULL replacement value. This is more than the value of the RV on the books at the moment but a replacement of my Roadtrek should that ever be necessary due to a serious accident. AllState had that also as an option. It is worth getting this coverage - you should talk with them about what this means for a pre-owned older model RV, but I believe the coverage is available for that too. This was something that impressed me about Progressive's handling of one of the RV owners on the forum. He told how he had to use the full replacement coverage for his Class B RV and had Progressive insurance, and had no problem doing so.

Just like car insurance the cost of the premium will vary by state, location in the state, etc. It will also vary by how much you tell them that you will be using the RV. This is not something that you are committing to but a way for them to not charge you the same using the RV for vacation trips as they would charge someone living full time all year in their RV. I told them a number of months leaving out the coldest, non-travel months. This is not to say that if I decided to go on a trip in the Roadtrek in January that I would not be covered. Somewhere along the line of applying for the insurance this question will be asked.

The Progressive policy also includes emergency roadside assistance but I have a plan for that with a company that does that specifically for RVs so I have the coverage from Progressive, didn't pay any extra for it and if I ever wanted to use it I could.

I am sure there are other companies out there. Sit down with your car insurance agent and get a quote. Get several quotes from different companies and make sure that what is covered in each company's quote is the same. I hope this helps."

I am going to share with all of you the actual coverage details of our policy with Progressive. I will list the Coverages but not the limits, deductibles, or cost. At the top of the coverage listings is my zip code, indicating that the coverage cost is dependent upon location - as they put it "Garaging Zip Code".

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Coverages:

Liability to Others
      Bodily Injury Liability includes Supplemental Spousal Liability Coverage
      Property Damage Liability
      Wrongful Death Coverage

Mandatory Personal Injury Protection

Additional Personal Injury Protection - Full

Aggregate No-Fault Benefits Available
      Death Benefit
      Maximum Monthly Work Loss
      Other Reasonable & Necessary Expenses per day

Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Medical Payments

Comprehensive  (This is the Total Loss Replacement/Purchase Price - "Full Replacement" as I spoke about in my response - and it list the actual amount that I paid for my Roadtrek.)

Collision

Included With Comprehensive And Collision:
      Mexico Coverage
      Fire Department Service
      Emergency Expense
      Vacation Liability

Replacement Cost Personal Effects

Roadside Assistance (it seems I am paying less than $24 for this coverage a year but it cannot be deleted)

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The rate was added up for each of the coverages listed and then discounts were applied that include Anti-Lock Brakes, Home Owner, Good Driving Record, Passive Restraints, and Daytime Running Lamps. There is also a discount to pay the premium in full rather than in two or more payments during the insured year.

Now, as I had indicted in my response to the reader with this question, I had been asked about our intended length of use of the RV during the year. No where on the policy does it list this.

Insurance is important and necessary. There was a time that in some states vehicle insurance was optional. I do not know if any state still exists but driving without insurance is foolish. Insurance is also something that you buy and never want to have to use - and be very happy when you have not had to use it.

There are many insurance companies that provide good RV insurance and service. This is in no way an endorsement for Progressive Insurance. It is just the insurance company that I choose based on my reasoning given above. Do not just accept that. Investigate yourself before you purchase RV insurance - and do so thoroughly. Know that you are getting the best coverage for the best price for the area that you live in. If you full-time, your insurance will be based upon the state that you register your RV in - and full timer RV insurance may be a very different thing all together. I do not full time so I cannot provide any detail about such a policy.