RV Insurance Is Not Like Passenger Car Insurance

Recreational vehicles (RVs) let people travel far and wide, and many have made their RVs their permanent home. Like cars, RVs have to be covered by insurance because the risk of theft is high -- and it's devastating because your material life might have been inside that now-gone RV. Unlike passenger car policies, though, RV insurance policies are not all that complete in their basic form. If you're new to the world of RVs, pay close attention to what your RV insurance covers because you could get an unpleasant surprise if you don't.

Your Basic Policy Might Not Cover Much

When you get an insurance policy for a passenger car, you usually have one blanket policy that has liability and medical, along with comprehensive and collision as a matter of course (these may be optional in some states, but they are generally considered basic coverages to have, and your agent will likely ask immediately if you want them). The policy covers anything that's in the car, and if you have to file a claim, a basic policy should cover most of what you need, if not all.

But RV insurance is more diverse. A basic policy might cover the theft of the RV and liability if you cause an accident, but it won't necessarily cover anything inside the RV. In fact, it may not cover much of the equipment inside, either.

Additional Coverage Can Be Oddly Specific

One such example is any audio and video equipment, including your RV radio. It sounds very strange at first, because for car owners, if something happens to the car, the policy covers the entire car. But for an RV, the basic policy doesn't always cover bells and whistles.

When you arrange for a policy, always check whether you need additional coverage for:

• audio and video equipment
• your personal belongings if they're taken from the RV
• your personal belongings if they're in the RV and someone takes the RV
• incidents that happen in Mexico or Canada
• flood coverage (from a natural disaster)
• non-natural flood/water damage (e.g., the sink overflows, the roof leaks during a storm)
• full-time occupancy
• storage unit contents

It's possible that homeowner's insurance will cover some of these, so it pays to have both policies through the same agent if possible; that makes filing a claim much easier as the agent will already know which policy covers what. But even if you can't get RV coverage through your homeowner's insurance agent, you can still get complete coverage just by keeping an eye on what covers what when you set up your policy.

For more information about RV insurance, contact an insurance company like Accredited Insurance Group Inc.