Many people love their RV, particularly if they have the luxury of being able to hit the road for weeks at a time to far-flung places around the country. But when it comes to insurance, it’s often an afterthought.

Typically, RV owners will just add their motor home to their personal auto policy, but that can leave them with significant coverage gaps, particularly if they stay in their vehicle for large amounts of time.

Your auto insurance policy is not designed for covering a vehicle that’s used as a secondary residence. Here’s a look at some of the coverage gaps that can arise if you cover your RV with a standard auto insurance policy:

Limited coverage of contents — The standard auto policy provides physical damage coverage for a vehicle, but it doesn’t cover personal property inside the vehicle. This is important because most people outfit their motor homes with a range of stuff, like:

• TVs, fridges, stereos and other electronic equipment
• Dinettes
• Housewares
• Sporting goods
• Furniture
• Portable solar panels.

Towing and roadside assistance — An auto policy will cover towing and roadside assistance, but the limits are typically pretty low (about $50 to $75). That’s nowhere near enough if your motor home needs towing after a breakdown or an accident.

A 50-mile tow of a large RV can cost upwards of $900, meaning you’d be paying a hefty sum out of pocket for the difference.

Insufficient liability limits — The standard liability limits of a personal automobile may be insufficient in case you are found at fault in an accident behind the wheel of your motor home. Due their sheer size and weight, they can cause much more extensive damage than a family car, or even a large SUV.

Personal liability gap — If the motor home is your primary residence and you are relying on your auto insurance policy, you’ll have no comprehensive personal liability coverage, which is an essential part of a homeowner’s policy.

The solution
To take care of these coverage gaps, you can purchase a specialty motor home policy, which:

1. Will cover all your personal property inside or near the RV.
2. Includes higher towing limits. Some policies have towing and roadside assistance limits from $500 to $1,000. Some have even higher limits.
   
3. May also have higher liability limits than a standard automobile policy to account for the possibility of more extensive damage that a heavy RV can cause.
   
4. A specialized motor home policy can mimic a homeowner’s insurance policy by also including a personal liability component. This can be crucial if a guest injures themselves while visiting you in your RV or if you have a pet that bites them.

Think carefully before you add your RV to a standard auto policy. For the best protection, a motor home insurance policy is the way to go.