Recreational vehicles are a popular way for Americans to take a road-trip vacation. But more than 1 million Americans also make their RV their primary residence. Whether you value the freedom of the open road or prefer to follow the good weather, RV living appeals to many people.
When your RV is your home, it’s important to keep your RV protected and insured against catastrophe. Just like renters need renters insurance and homeowners need home insurance, people who live in their RV should have full-time RV insurance.
Follow this guide to find some of the best options for full-time RV insurance coverage.
On this page:
- Best RV insurance for full-timers
- How much does full-time RV insurance cost?
- What does full-time RV insurance cover?
- Questions to consider when purchasing full-time RV insurance
Best RV insurance for full-timers
If your RV is your full-time home, make sure you’re covered by a reputable, reliable, and responsive insurance company.
For vacationers, an RV problem means a ruined vacation and some inconvenience. For full-time RVers, losing your RV means losing your home, so choosing the right insurer is key.
To find the best RV insurance companies, we compared the top insurance providers to find the agencies with the happiest customers, based on J.D. Power’s overall satisfaction score. Using that list, we chose the following three insurers for full-time RVers.
GEICO
GEICO is a popular insurance company that has a dedicated team of RV insurance specialists. You can get almost any type of insurance product through the company, including umbrella policies, auto insurance, boat insurance, and motorcycle insurance.
The company’s RV insurance is flexible, making it easy to choose the coverage you need. It even offers specialized insurance to cover towable RVs or motorized RVs.
Insurer info
- J.D. Power Score: 3 / 5
- A.M. Best Rating: A++
- Discounts Available: Yes
- Policyholders over 50
- Bundling multiple policies
Coverage options
- Motorhome class A, B, and C
- Emergency expenses
- Replacement cost of personal effects
- RV medical payments
- Special windshield deductible
- Total loss replacement
- Toy haulers
- Travel trailers
- Vacation liability
Progressive
Progressive offers full-time RV insurance as an add-on to its standard RV coverage. The company defines full-time RV use as more than six months per year.
Progressive’s full-time coverage includes all of the insurance offered with its standard coverage, plus additional personal liability insurance and medical payments for people if they’re injured in or near your RV.
It may also cover fees charged by RV associations to repair common areas in an RV campsite.
Insurer info
- J.D. Power Score: 3 / 5
- A.M. Best Rating: A+
- Discounts Available: Yes
- Bundling multiple policies
- Continuous insurance
- Good driver history
- Homeowner policies
- Multi-vehicle policies
Coverage options
- Motorhome class A, B, and C
- Collision
- Comprehensive
- Emergency expense
- Full timer’s liability coverage
- Liability coverage
- Loss assessment
- Medical payments
- Pet injury
- Replacement cost/personal effects
- Roadside assistance
- Total loss replacement
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist
- Vacation liability
Esurance
Esurance is an online insurance agency run by Allstate. It specializes in having great online service, making it easy to get a policy and file claims online. This makes it ideal for tech-savvy RV owners.
Esurance partners with a variety of insurance companies, so it can offer RV policies in almost every state. Based on the coverage you’re looking for, Esurance automatically matches you with an insurance agent that can meet your needs.
Insurer info
- J.D. Power Score: 2 / 5
- A.M. Best Rating: A+
- Discounts Available: Yes
- Safe driving record
- Higher deductible
- Upfront payment
Coverage options
- Bodily injury
- Collision
- Comprehensive
- Emergency towing
- Liability insurance
- Rental cars coverage if you RV breaks down
- Travel trailer
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist
- Valuables
How much does full-time RV insurance cost?
Most people tend to spend between $1,000 and $2,000 per year on their full-time RV insurance, though Class A RVs might cost even more. Many factors affect insurance premiums, including the amount of coverage you need and the deductible you’re willing to pay.
For example, we got an RV insurance quote from Progressive for a 5-year-old RV located in Massachusetts, with annual coverage options ranging from $600 for a basic plan to $2,900 for a premium plan.
Factors that affect full-time RV insurance costs
- Discounts you qualify for
- How frequently you use your RV
- The type of coverage you choose
- Value of your RV
- Where you live
- Your credit scores
- Your deductible
- Your driving record
>> Read More: Average RV insurance cost
What does full-time RV insurance cover?
Most policies share a common set of coverages, like bodily injury or collision coverage. The optional additions that each insurer offers are what sets different RV insurance companies apart.
Core type of coverage
- Bodily injury: Covers costs if you injure someone while you’re driving your RV.
- Collision: Pays for damage to your RV caused by road accidents.
- Comprehensive: Pays for non-collision damage to your RV.
- Medical payments: Pays for medical bills for you and your passengers in the event of an accident.
- Property damage: Covers the cost of damages you might cause while driving your RV.
- Uninsured motorist: Covers damage caused by drivers with no insurance or inadequate insurance coverage.
Optional add-ons
- Replacement cost and personal effects: Pays to replace the RV and its contents.
- Roadside assistance: On-call help if your RV breaks down on the road and needs repairs.
- Towing and labor: Covers the cost to tow your RV to a garage and getting repaired.
- Trailer coverage: Insures trailers and the items they haul while they’re attached to your RV. Learn more: Do You Have to Have Insurance on a travel trailer?
- Vacation liability: Covers damages caused to your RV while you’re using it as a vacation home.
Questions to consider when purchasing full-time RV insurance
These are important questions to ask when considering a full-time RV insurance policy.
If your RV is your home, you’ll have a lot of personal items in it. Things like your clothing, electronics, books, furniture, and more should all be covered. Usually, a homeowners policy covers these types of personal property, but if your RV is your full-time residence, you might not have homeowners insurance.
Ask your RV insurance agent whether your plan will cover personal items and if you need to purchase additional coverage. Take an inventory of the things you own to make sure you purchase enough insurance.
Relatedly, many insurance policies exclude certain types of items, like jewelry or collectibles. Most part-time RVers won’t carry these things around in their RV, but full-time RVers might. Make sure you know exactly what your insurance covers.
Insurance is all about risk. The more risk you’re willing to accept, the less insurance you need. If you’re living in your RV full-time and would be homeless without it, losing your RV is a huge risk, so you want enough coverage to replace it if something happens to it.
For most full-time RVers, the best option is replacement cost coverage instead of cash-value coverage. This ensures that your insurance will pay enough to cover the cost to get a new RV if yours is totaled.
Every state has different laws surrounding RVs and insurance. If you move from one state to another, you might need to update your policy or purchase a completely new one.
Things get even more complicated if you plan to travel to Canada or Mexico in your RV. Check your policy to make sure you’re covered when you travel over state lines and especially when you travel internationally.