RV and motorhome insurance in Baltimore

An RV is a vehicle and a residence at once, and the policy has to do both jobs. What you need depends first on whether yours drives or gets towed.

Motorised, or towable

Motorhomes — Class A on a bus chassis, Class B camper vans, Class C with the over-cab bunk, and the heavy-duty Super C — need their own policy. They are motor vehicles, so state minimum liability applies exactly as it does to a car, and the policy blends auto coverage with cover for the living space and belongings.

Towables — travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers, pop-ups and truck campers — are different. Liability while under tow usually extends from the vehicle pulling it, so no separate liability policy is needed to tow one legally. What a separate policy buys you is physical damage to the trailer itself, plus cover at the campsite.

The coverages that surprise people

• Vacation liability — standard auto liability largely stops once you park and set up. Vacation liability acts like a temporary homeowners policy at the site: a visitor hurt on your steps, an awning that comes down on a neighbour's rig. Commonly $10,000 included with comprehensive and collision.
• Total loss replacement — a new comparable RV if yours is totalled within the first four model years. Years five to seven settle at the greater of actual cash value or the original documented price; after that, actual cash value.
• Replacement cost personal effects — usually $1,000 or $5,000 included, extendable to $100,000. Covers clothing, cooking gear, electronics and recreational equipment.
• Emergency expense — hotels and transport after a covered loss, typically $1,000 included.
• Roadside assistance — heavy-duty towing matters here; a standard auto plan will not move a Class A.

Living in it full time

Full-time use is a different policy again, closer to homeowners than to auto: personal liability, medical payments, loss assessment for RV park or association charges, emergency housing, and personal property at replacement cost rather than recreational limits. Insurers ask because it changes the exposure substantially.

Not covered

Wear and tear, mechanical breakdown, deferred maintenance, freezing pipes, pests, manufacturer defects — and commercial use, which includes renting the RV out. That last one catches people who list on peer-to-peer rental platforms.

Coverage limits described here are typical and vary by state and insurer. Baltimore figures are confirmed at quote.

RV policies vary more between insurers than almost any other line, particularly on total loss replacement and vacation liability. Worth comparing rather than renewing.