4 Recreational Vehicles You Should Insure

Summer is back in Canada! With so much sunshine every day and the school year now finished, you’re probably looking for some fun summer activities. 

Camping is a popular and inexpensive way to get the family together for a weekend. Or, if you own a boat (or can rent one), now is the perfect time to take it out on the lake. Whatever your shade of fun, it’s important to remember the least fun part of all – adequate insurance coverage. Here are a few recreational vehicles you should insure.

Cover Your Motorcycle

If you drive your motorcycle on the road, you’ll need to get insurance for it, just as you would a car. Some insurance companies will allow you to park hold minimal insurance on your motorcycle in the winter months and have full coverage in the summer months.

Regardless of where you drive your motorcycle, or how often, you’ll want to make sure that you have liability coverage in case you are at fault for an accident. Depending on the value of your motorcycle, you’ll also want collision coverage for repairs in the event of an accident.

In addition to insuring a regular motorcycle, you should also insure a racing or dirt-bike. Though these types of vehicles are not meant for riding on the road, you can still get coverage to protect them from damages.

Insure Your Camping Trailer or Motorhome

Although some auto insurance policies will protect you in the event of damages caused by a pull-behind trailer, not all policies will. Of the ones that provide coverage, only a few will cover damages caused by a pull-behind camping trailer. Furthermore, regular auto insurance policies rarely cover damage to the trailer itself, whether it be a regular trailer or a camping trailer.

Luckily, riders exist. Contact your insurance broker to ensure that your camping trailer is covered, either with an additional rider to your insurance policy, or through a new policy altogether.

Motorhomes require their own insurance policy because they are independent vehicles. If you plan to tow your regular vehicle behind your motorhome, contact your insurance broker to double-check that you have adequate coverage.

Get Coverage For Your Boat

If you own a boat, you’ll need insurance coverage for it. This coverage should include liability insurance for guests on the boat, as well as all necessary insurances to cover you if you are towing the boat from your home to the water. If you plan on mooring your boat, your marina of choice will likely ask that you provide insurance coverage as a condition of your lease.

Your boat doesn’t need to be a 50-footer to warrant insurance. Even smaller motorized watercraft should be insured.

Protect Your Off-Road Vehicle

Finally, Canadians who enjoy off-roading should consider insuring their toys. Although not always required by law, insuring an off-road vehicle, like a quad, protects you if a guest is injured, if someone else’s property is damaged or if your off-road vehicle needs to be repaired because of an accident.

If you are unsure whether you need (or can have) coverage for your recreational vehicle, a quick phone call to your insurance broker can clarify. Don’t wait until your camping trailer de-hitches or you back into a parked car with your boat trailer to learn whether you have sufficient insurance coverage. That’s a way to turn summer fun into a real nightmare.