RV / Motorhome Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability
This Most valuable coverage covers your legal liability for damages caused by a covered RV/Motorhome incident or accident. It is also referred to as BI/PD coverage on your policy declarations pages. This most important coverage will pay for damages to someone injured due to your vehicle operations and includes property damage protection that you are legally responsible to pay as a result of an accident. With most RV/Motorhome insurance carriers it includes coverage under the BI/PD benefits for an attorney to defend you. Limits should be appropriate enough to protect your assets from suit, repair any damages caused by you and provide compensation to anybody injured when you are deemed liable. A safe rule of thumb here is to buy as much Bodily Injury and Property damage liability as you can and a simple question for your agent is what is the next highest level of BI/PD benefits that are available? This will ensure that you have at least explored the next best BI/PD coverage available for your protection.
RV Personal Injury Protection
Personal Injury protection is a benefit for you! This coverage also varies from state to state and not all states operate in a “No Fault” environment which is the alternate term for the PIP benefits. If you are injured, disabled or unable to work as a result of a covered accident, PIP is designed to cover your medical bills and sometimes lost wages too. The PIP benefit is normally a $10,000 limit with 20% co-pay and often times includes a set deductible of up to $2,000 per incident. Choose this coverage very carefully since it is for the most important person in the world, YOU! In addition to the medical and wage loss benefits, it my also include the costs for personal services that you must now pay someone else to do for you depending on the extent of your injuries.
RV Insurance Medical Payments
Medical payment benefits apply no matter who is at fault and covers the cost of reasonable and necessary medical treatment due to the result of an accident. This coverage is limited in scope of the amounts available and usually can be purchased in $1,000 increments up to $10,000. The medical payment benefits usually have a time period after an accident that will limit how long you can access the policy limits purchased. This amount can be easily identified on your RV/Motorhome insurance declarations pages.
RV Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Benefits
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage pays for damages that you are legally entitled to recover under your own policy for injuries sustained in an accident. Basically, this coverage provides what you would have received from another person’s insurance company had that person been properly insured. In today’s busy world, many drivers purchase the very minimal amount of bodily injury protection which leaves you exposed to a catastrophic auto accident. Should your injuries and recovery exceed the other persons benefits and they do not carry enough insurance, uninsured motorist coverage will cover the damages and expenses that exceed the at fault parties bodily injury and property damage limits.
RV Comprehensive and Collision Insurance Coverage
Within your RV/Motorhome insurance policy coverage options, you may elect to have appropriate coverage and protection against damages to your vehicle whether you are at fault or not. This is usually referred to as comprehensive and collision coverage’s. There are varied levels of deductibles that you can select for these important coverage’s. Normally, it is wise to find a higher deductible to help maintain a lower premium. For most RV/Motorhome insurance providers offer deductibles that can vary in different levels and usually they are $250, $500 or $1,000 deductibles. Depending on your set of circumstances, unless you have a bank loan on your vehicle, the comp and collision benefits are not required. If you are purchasing this all important coverage, you can buy it in several different means to enhance your recovery in the event of a total loss. Here are the options you may encounter.
- Total Loss Replacement is the best way to protect your RV unit. It is only available to the original owner and applies to units that are two years of age or newer. This enhanced benefit protects against a total loss by providing the insured with a new untitled RV/Motorhome that is as close to the insured unit in the manner of make, model and equivalent equipment. For units that exceed five years of age, the insurance company will settle based on the original purchase price and many times settlement will include applicable taxes, title and registration fees. Should a comparable RV unit not be available or if the insured no longer desires to own an RV, then the company will settle based on the total purchase price less any deductible selected. This coverage also features the diminishing deductible reward for each claim free renewal period. (Disappearing Deductible – Reduces your Comp & Collision deductible by 25% for each claim free renewal period)
- Agreed Value is the next best way to acquire your comprehensive and collision coverage’s. This is somewhat self explanatory as it represents exactly what it states. In the event of total loss of your RV, this coverage will pay the agreed value (the purchase price) without any depreciation. The settlement on this basis is the agreed value per your policy declarations page supported by your evidence of purchase price less any deductible selected. This coverage also features the diminishing deductible reward for each claim free renewal period. (Disappearing Deductible – Reduces your Comp & Collision deductible by 25% for each claim free renewal period)
- ACV Insurances the most economical method of purchasing your comprehensive and collision coverage’s. This type of total loss settlement is somewhat elusive and quite difficult to pinpoint what kind of settlement you will receive. ACV will pay for a total loss based on the claim adjuster’s opinion of the fair market value at the time of the loss, less depreciation, wear and tear which normally results in a settlement amount much less than one would anticipate. It does not have to be relevant to the insurable value as stated in your policy declarations pages and is not necessarily a suggested means to cover your RV unit.Collision coverage pays for damages to your vehicle if damaged by an incident whereby you hit something or an uninsured/underinsured operator hits you. Comprehensive pays for all other damages caused by an event other than collision. It would include incidents such as, but not limited to, theft, hail, broken glass, vandalism and flood damages just to name a few covered perils.
- Emergency Expense Benefits / Emergency Expense is an inexpensive optional coverage yet offers significant peace of mind should you experience a loss, claim issue, mechanical failure or other disablement of your RV unit. It will provide payment for things such as temporary living costs or hotel room, transportation or rental car expenses, cost of returning your RV to you upon completion of repairs as well as meals or incidental expenses. This benefit is only available for insured’s that have a disabled RV that is located more than 50 miles away from units garaging address. Emergency Expense benefits can be purchased in various levels from $750 per occurrence up to $2,000. For those RV owners that use their unit as a Primary Residence the Emergency Expense benefit can be as high as $7,500.
RV Trailer Insurance Coverage
Most RV/Motorhome insurance carriers will also offer or include comprehensive and collision coverage for trailers used in conjunction with your RV unit. This physical damage coverage applies to utility trailers and towing dollies with the coverage benefit of $2,500 per trailer/dollie. If necessary and desired, trailer coverage can be increased with evidence of purchase price, up to as much as $20,000
Replacement Cost for your RV Personal Effects
Replacement cost personal effects coverage will provide coverage for your personal belongings used while utilizing your RV that are lost, stolen or damaged while inside or outside unit. This settlement on this valuable coverage is based on “new for old” replacement basis and is subject to your selected deductible. It can be purchased in various amounts and are written in $1,000 increments.
RV Full Time Insurance Package
The Full Timer’s package provides “Homeowner Like” coverage and is applicable when insured’s use their motorhome, travel trailer or RV unit as their primary residence. That is to say that when a RV client uses their motorhome, travel trailer or RV more than six months per year consecutively, they are considered “Full Timer’s”. This endorsement allows for increased benefits to the insured by means of expanding liability on the space your unit is positioned on, increased limits of medical payments for guests, loss assessment coverage up to $5,000 for incidental damages to the owner of the property that your unit is stored on and the storage shed contents coverage for those who have personal items stored in a lockable structure on their RV site.
RV Vacation Liability Benefits
Vacation liability is quite an important coverage based on today’s litigious society. It will pay up to your policy limits selected for bodily injury and property damage for which an insured becomes responsible for as a result of an accident that occurs while the RV is used as your temporary vacation residence. Coverage is available from $10,000 up to as much as $500,000. It can cover things like fire damages to the campground site or nearby other visitors and their RV units, motorhomes or travel trailers.
RV Roadside Assistance
Roadside Assistance is a benefit that no recreational camper should go without. It provides for towing to the nearest qualified repair facility and necessary labor at the time and place of disablement. It is based on mechanical failures, electrical breakdown, battery failure, lack of fuel, oil or water, flat tires and a long list of other qualified means of disability. The coverage also extends to travel trailers and tow behind vehicles as well, even if they are insured by another carrier. This most valuable service is “Sign and Drive” meaning that there are no out of pocket costs at the time of service. All you will need to do is call the toll free roadside assistance service number, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a prompt and courteous services at the point of disablement anywhere in the US or Canada.
