Comparing RV insurance quotes

[wagonmaster2]

Don't usually try comparing several insurance quotes but prices have gotten so high I'm doing it now, but not sure if I'm getting into unknown territory.
I have 3 quotes using the same Liability coverage and same Comp and Collision deductibles.
Two of them are within $50 of each other, but the 3rd is almost $900 less than either of the other two.

Are there questions I should be asking the cheaper one, and claims history would be nice but not sure if such is even available. Or is this one of those "you get what you pay for".

All 3 quotes came from well known brokers but so far I only know of one insurance company, which may be the most important piece of information needed.

Thanks for any information from those who do lots of quote checks.

[W&L Dan]

If you are not a full timer & have a local repair shop talk to them about the 3 INS. co's they should know who is good to work with & who is NOT that may help make up your mind. Good luck

[jacwjames]

I went through the same thing ~3 years ago. I actually was getting quotes for the house but all my vehicle and house insurance is with the same company for cost savings so it came down to the total for all of them but the RV insurance was much lower so I started asking questions. My agent actually represents a bunch of companies but I got two other quotes. My agent had the be best quote with a different carrier.

The big one was that the original quote only allowed a couple months of RV usage, it wasn't really clear in the quote but I opted to go with a policy that had 6 months of usage. If at some point we would ever use it more then that I will have to change.

The other was the value of the coach so myself and the agent came up with an agreed upon value.

The caveat to this is that I've never had an insurance claim with the ~4-5 companies I've had over the years so don't really know how good it is.

[Mudfrog]

No question in my mind, I'd go with the $900 cheaper company. As long as the coverages, deductibles, and length of coverage (most likely a year) is the same.

[Crasher]

Two years ago, the company I was with increased the premium from $1600 to $2100 with no claims from me. I searched on my own and found quotes from $945 up to $4,000 for the same coverage. I took the $945 company. In 2 1/2 years, they replaced two $3,000 windshields. When we sold the MH last August the annual rate was $985. DO a little research on the lowest priced company, but don't be afraid of it because of the lower cost.

[Gary RVRoamer]

That's a fairly common thing. I just renewed my car insurance and had a quote that was almost 2x the others (and from a major carrier too). Each insurer uses different parameters and targets certain profiles for their best rates, so big variances are quite possible.


Make sure the cheaper one is for the same coverage period, e.g. a year vs 6 months and that any limits on travel frequency are acceptable to you (some policies cover only x night/year on the road (150 night/year is a common one). Also compare the personal property coverage amounts, usually a relative small amount like $2000 or $3000. More is better, cause you have a lot of personal property onboard when you travel by RV. If everything looks OK, go with the lower priced carrier.


It's popular on the internet to believe that some insurers skimp on repairs to make more profit, but that's mostly a misconception about how insurers make money (it's investments, not fixing cheaply). Yeah, they all have some quirks and deny or chintz on odds & ends, but basically they have to fix your vehicle or total it. It's called "making you whole" and legally enshrined in vehicle insurance. There isn't going to be that much difference overall when it comes to claims handling.

[Old-Biscuit]

Go with the cheapest quote.......
If you have NO Claims think of the money you are ahead vs the other quotes

[Finally_Able]

FWIW:
Two weeks ago our toad was rear-ended, a few days before we were to head South (not our fault -- someone 2 cars behind us.) After contacting our insurance company (Farm Family, underwritten by American National -- not very well-known.) we were told that we could deal with any body shop. Got an appt for an estimate a couple days later. I asked the body shop owner his opinion about which insurer is better to work with -- he said "Pretty much any of the small guys -- if you see flashy ads for nationally-known car insurance companies" (Progressive and the like,) avoid them, as they nickel-and-dime the repair work.) We went to this body shop at recommendation of chevy dealer -- a long-time family friend -- where we bought the toad ('22 Equinox.) I mentioned this to one of the salespeople when I brought the Equinox in the same day for service, and he shared his experience: brand new Silverado, 1600 miles old. Rear-ended. Insured by Progressive. He brought to the same body shop who estimated for a new truck bed. Progressive wanted the repair to be done *with Bondo*. Body shop owner fought for a new bed and eventually won.

Funny enough, I had just received an online quote from Progressive, and was thinking about changing to save a few bucks. We've decided to stay with American National. (Of course, if we run in to trouble, we may look elsewhere after, but we're staying for now.

(I don't mean to pick on Progressive in particular. Other forum members may have great experiences with them. Caveat emptor.)

[wagonmaster2]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

That's a fairly common thing. I just renewed my car insurance and had a quote that was almost 2x the others (and from a major carrier too). Each insurer uses different parameters and targets certain profiles for their best rates, so big variances are quite possible.


Make sure the cheaper one is for the same coverage period, e.g. a year vs 6 months and that any limits on travel frequency are acceptable to you (some policies cover only x night/year on the road (150 night/year is a common one). Also compare the personal property coverage amounts, usually a relative small amount like $2000 or $3000. More is better, cause you have a lot of personal property onboard when you travel by RV. If everything looks OK, go with the lower priced carrier.


It's popular on the internet to believe that some insurers skimp on repairs to make more profit, but that's mostly a misconception about how insurers make money (it's investments, not fixing cheaply). Yeah, they all have some quirks and deny or chintz on odds & ends, but basically they have to fix your vehicle or total it. It's called "making you whole" and legally enshrined in vehicle insurance. There isn't going to be that much difference overall when it comes to claims handling.

The coverage period is a good thought, hadn't asked that yet if the 6 month premium is due twice, or if the policy has to be renewed each 6 months and possible to cancel after 6 months if claims show up. Also the number of days usage hasn't come up yet especially if an allowance is make for actual storage each year, you've brought up some very excellent questions to have cleared up ahead of ordering the policy, assuming the agent will be honest.

I can see how some agents can come up with an initial lower premium.
One of these quotes started with Liablity 100,300,50 where I prefer 250/500/100. The Comp and Coll started with $2,500 deductibles which seemed high so I changed them to $1,000 each. And Personal Affects were only $3,000 instead of $5,000.
All these changes definitely affected the yearly Premium.
Better to find out these items now instead of after the policy would be order.
Thanks for those suggestions. No more quotes than I seek I forget about what questions to be sure to ask.

[amosnandy]

All I'll say is don't go with Progressive.

I have an awning that got a whole burnt in it from someone shooting fireworks.
First thing I did was call Progressive. Then Winnebago.

Progressive sent out an estimate that was 1/3 what Winnebago said it would cost to fix. Progressive quoted $367 for the fabric on a 20' power dometic awning. I talked to the adjuster and he said don't worry, when you get it in the shop if the bill is more we take care of it.

Well I just happen to be a licensed insurance adjuster in Minnesota and I tried to explain to him that Progressive owes what it costs to fix. It's my decision if I even want to fix it, where, or if I want to do it myself. He just blew me off.

I am in Mexico with it and yes, I will say this. Progressive does cover physical damage while in Mexico as long as I carry a Mexican liability policy. Still waiting for the written estimate from Winnebago.

In the meantime, we have a very good RV guy from Canada that has his business down here. I'm going to have him fix it. Probably pay out of pocket and if it's over my deductible turn it in. I also had some hail damage on the roof of my utility trailer that I was just going to let go. Replacing the roof on those things is impossible, so it will be a total loss. Guess I'll turn that in too.