How should I insure my Van ?

[Belchfire]

Hello

When I get my van I will need to drive it home but it won't be an RV yet
How should I insure it?

In Addition my Van will be parked (not moving) for probably six months out of the year
How should I insure it now?

The other six I may be boondocking in the city or maybe just parked
Do I need to keep insurance on it when I am not driving it it just living in it?

 

[wagoneer]

I live in an area thats not commercial vehicle friendly. First thing I did was a simple build (I had to convince the DMV my bed platform was not a work bench) got regular plates and regular insurance with aaa premium tow service.

 

[Almost There]

Might be different where you live but insurance companies seem to be pretty much the same no matter where in North America.

I had to put regular coverage (liability etc, etc) on the van to bring it home. The insurance company won't insure it as an RV until it meets the provincial standards for an RV - it also had to be plated as a non commercial truck btw.

Once I had the paperwork done (requires a mechanical inspection here) and I was finished moving it around, I changed the insurance to 'storage' coverage. Means it has no liability on it and I'm not insured to drive it on the road.

Come spring and time to take it to the body shop and the mechanic, I will have to put liability back on it but won't be able to put full RV coverage on it until it meets the required standards.

Any improvements to it will be well documented in case of any loss while it's under construction.

As long as I'm only using it part-time my insurance company will give me RV insurance once all the paperwork is done.

When I move to full-time RVng I will have to change insurance companies since mine won't cover full-timers.

I may have trouble finding full RV insurance. I remember the insurance company I was using in the US out of Oregon wouldn't touch RV's that were less than 20' in length ie. van conversions. They only wanted the big ones.

Be awful careful about this because when I moved to a Class A in the US, my regular insurance policy would only cover for up to 30 days living in it at a time otherwise the policy was null and void....good thing I read the fine print.

Once you've got it converted into an RV and you're using it to live in, IIWM, I'd make awful sure that you have full RV coverage on it. It's your home. And besides RV insurance will probably be less expensive than regular auto insurance because they expect the mileage to be less so therefore there's less exposure.

You also want to make sure that your contents are covered somehow. Here in Ontario, anything not attached to the vehicle has to be covered under your household contents policy not your auto policy...don't ask me how I know that bit!!

 

[Belchfire]

I wonder how California would view a bare naked step van?
When you get insurance don't you have to declare what it will be used for?

 

[Almost There]

I wonder how California would view a bare naked step van?
When you get insurance don't you have to declare what it will be used for?

Probably as a commercial vehicle used for personal use.

Yes, and that's what got the insurance company so confused because I told them that it was a cargo van that was going to be turned into an RV....took them almost a month to figure out what to do. They wanted more paperwork than a darned divorce lawyer... In the end they told me what they would and wouldn't do for me...kinda a take it or leave it situation. My insurance agent was great, my insurance company, not so much!

 

[Seraphim]

Keeping it insured in storage depends on the state you're registered in, I think.

Ohio randomly sends out letters to vehicle owners asking them to prove they have insurance on that vehicle. Failure to do so has consequences. You can tell them you no longer own the vehicle, but if you go back to renew tags, you're in trouble for lying. I'm not sure if they will accept the explanation its in storage and not being used. I believe they expect the insurance policy to have been valid the date they mailed the letter, not see a policy that was issued after you got their letter. But that's just Ohio. I don't know about other states.

Minimum insurance at least, to cover any damage or injury to others you might be responsible for. Even if the accident is not your fault, the other guys insurance company will go after you if you're not covered.

We have high deductible insurance on our vehicle, because I can pretty much repair most anything on the truck, and have a professional friend with a shop who can repair anything I can't. I'm also a careful driver - 60 mph on the expressway is great for our fuel economy lol.

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Almost There

Progressive Insurance covered our 19' camper van when we had it. Just FYI

 

[Almost There]

The insurance that's classified as 'storage' is still a valid insurance policy - it just has no liability on it. So if you're carrying comprehensive, it's still there, same as collision coverage.

The thing that annoyed me most is that 30 odd years ago when I had 2 vehicles and only me as a driver I was able to get a 50% reduction in premiums on the second vehicle with the rider that I couldn't loan, lease or allow any other person to drive either of my vehicles. It was done on the premise that I could only be driving one vehicle at a time. Not available any more, I have to pay full premium on both vehicles except when the Savana is in storage mode.

 

[PastTense]

How much is the vehicle worth? If just a few thousand I would just get liability.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

When you get insurance for a van just tell them it will be used for personal use. If you want to get RV insurance because it is cheaper then buy an RV. It can be difficult to get a van registered as an RV, it would have to have propane plumbed in and gray water and black water tanks to be an RV. And in the 6 months it won't be use it needs to be driven around once a month or more so it won't have problems from sitting that long.

 

[Almost There]

When you get insurance for a van just tell them it will be used for personal use. If you want to get RV insurance because it is cheaper then buy an RV. It can be difficult to get a van registered as an RV, it would have to have propane plumbed in and gray water and black water tanks to be an RV. And in the 6 months it won't be use it needs to be driven around once a month or more so it won't have problems from sitting that long.

That depends entirely on the jurisdiction - Mine is it has to have at least four of the following items: cooking facilities, a refrigerator or an ice box, an independent electrical power supply source or an independent gas supply or a potable water supply system with faucet and sink.

Nada about black and gray water tanks, nor about having propane plumbed in.

As always, check your local (state/province) regulations.

And yes, a vehicle needs to be started regularly and preferably moved so that the tires don't get flat spots. On the advice of my mechanic I am using a battery tender and I have to move it around the parking lot for the snow clearing guys anyways.

 

[ccbreder]

Any vehicle should be started, driven until temperature is hot, and all the various fluids have moved about through brakes, trans, rear, and all other bearings.

 

[peacetara]

I think you should insure it, it's your house, if it went away for some reason, life would get pretty awful. Without insurance it would get even more awful! As for how to insure it, that's between you and your insurance company/broker. I'd recommend not lying to them, if you lie to them and they find out, they can deny coverage, etc. Generally RV insurance is way cheaper than regular vehicle insurance.

 

[freenez2]

In California a vehicle can be put in non operating status. The status prohibits its use and no insurance is required. Motor vehicle laws vary from state to state, so you'd need to ask your DMV if the status is available.