There's a certain kind of excitement in getting the RV ready for the season — flushing the lines, checking the tires, stocking the kitchen, and planning that first weekend at the lake or the state park. Whether you're heading to Watkins Mill for a couple of nights or pointing the rig toward the mountains for a few weeks, your RV is part home and part vehicle.
That's exactly why the right coverage matters. Troy Lentz helps RV owners across the Kansas City area — and throughout Missouri and Kansas — understand how their motorhome, travel trailer, or fifth wheel is covered on the road, at the campground, and in storage, explained in plain English.
Working With Shield Squad
Troy Lentz
Licensed Insurance Advisor · A Farmers Insurance Agency
Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
RV policies vary a lot, and not every policy includes every coverage — especially between motorhomes and towables. Here's what each piece is for. What's available depends on your RV, the policy, and the company.
Helps pay for injuries and property damage you cause to others in an accident you're legally responsible for, up to your policy limits.
A motorhome is a motor vehicle, so it needs liability coverage like your car. With a travel trailer or fifth wheel, liability while you're towing generally comes from your tow vehicle's auto policy — but check yours rather than assuming.
Helps pay to repair or replace your RV after it collides with another vehicle or an object — a pole at the gas station, a tree branch at the campground — after your deductible.
RVs are big, and tight spaces happen. If you're financing your RV, your lender may require collision coverage.
Helps cover damage to your RV from causes other than a collision, like theft, vandalism, fire, falling trees, or hail.
An RV spends a lot of time parked — in the driveway, at a storage lot, or at a campsite. Comprehensive is generally the coverage that's there for what can happen when it's not moving.
Helps protect you and your passengers if you're hurt by a driver who has no insurance, or not enough insurance to cover your injuries.
Missouri and Kansas both require uninsured motorist coverage on motor vehicles like motorhomes, and it's worth asking how much underinsured coverage fits you.
Depending on the policy, helps pay medical expenses for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused it, up to the limit you choose.
In Kansas, personal injury protection (PIP) plays a similar role for motor vehicles like motorhomes. We'll walk through how it fits with your health insurance.
Depending on the policy, may help cover the things you keep in your RV — clothes, dishes, bedding, electronics, bikes, and camping gear.
An RV can end up holding a small household's worth of stuff. Coverage for belongings may be limited or need to be added, so tell us what you usually bring along.
Depending on the policy, may help with costs like a hotel, meals, or getting home if a covered loss leaves your RV unusable far from home.
A breakdown or accident three states away is a lot easier to handle when you know what help your policy offers. Ask whether this coverage is available and how its limits work.
Depending on the policy and the company, may help with towing, a flat tire, a jump start, or fuel delivery if you get stuck on the road.
Not every tow truck can handle a big motorhome or a fifth wheel. If roadside help is available on your policy, find out what it includes before your next trip.
Depending on the policy, may help cover permanently attached items and add-ons — like awnings, generators, satellite dishes, solar panels, and custom upgrades.
Standard coverage may include only a limited amount for equipment you've added, or none. If you've upgraded your RV, tell us what you've added and keep receipts and photos.
These are the conversations that come up most with RV owners around here. A few minutes before camping season can save a lot of hassle on the road.
The biggest thing to understand is the difference between a motorhome and a towable RV like a travel trailer or fifth wheel. A motorhome drives itself, so in both Missouri and Kansas it's treated like a motor vehicle — the state's auto insurance requirements apply, including liability and uninsured motorist coverage, plus personal injury protection (PIP) in Kansas.
Towables are different, and the two states define them differently. Missouri's insurance law leaves trailers designed to be towed out of its definition of a motor vehicle. Kansas's insurance law includes trailers designed for use with a vehicle in its definition. Either way, a lender may require coverage on a financed trailer, and without it you'd generally be on your own for damage to the trailer itself.
Registration is its own step. In Missouri, trailers must be titled within 30 days of purchase, and recreational vehicles have their own registration options through the Department of Revenue. In Kansas, travel trailers and motor homes are titled and registered through the Kansas Department of Revenue.
| Motorhomes — Missouri | Treated as a motor vehicle: liability ($25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000) and uninsured motorist coverage required |
|---|---|
| Motorhomes — Kansas | Treated as a motor vehicle: liability ($25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000), PIP, and uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage required |
| Travel trailers & fifth wheels — Missouri | Not included in the insurance law's definition of a motor vehicle; title within 30 days of purchase |
| Travel trailers & fifth wheels — Kansas | Included in the insurance law's definition of a motor vehicle; titled and registered through the Kansas Department of Revenue |
| Liability while towing | Generally tied to your tow vehicle's auto policy — check yours |
Source:RSMo 303.020Missouri DOR: Trailers & RVsK.S.A. 40-3103K.S.A. 40-3107K.S.A. 8-143
Shield Squad Agency works with RV owners in both Missouri and Kansas — and around Kansas City, a camping trip can start in one state and end in the other before lunch.
RV policies typically include coverage when you travel to other states, but details vary by policy. What matters most is where your RV is registered and kept, and how you use it — weekend trips, long road trips, or living in it for months at a time. Make sure your coverage fits how and where you actually use your RV.
Moving across the state line, or keeping your RV at a storage lot on the other side? Give us a call before the move so your coverage is set up the right way.
| Where your RV is registered | That state's requirements apply to your policy |
|---|---|
| How you use it | Weekend trips, long trips, or full-time living can change your needs |
| Towing | Know how your tow vehicle and trailer are covered together |
| Proof of insurance | Keep it with you on every trip |
Not sure what your policy should include? Let's walk through it together.
RV is already selected below. Add anything else you'd like us to look at — like auto — and a Shield Squad Agency representative will reach out to talk about your RV and your options.
For a motorhome, yes. It's a motor vehicle, so Missouri and Kansas auto insurance requirements apply, including liability and uninsured motorist coverage, plus PIP in Kansas. Towable RVs are different: Missouri's insurance law doesn't treat trailers designed to be towed as motor vehicles, while Kansas's definition includes them. Even when the state doesn't require coverage on the trailer itself, a lender may, and without it you'd generally be on your own for damage to it.
For a motorhome, generally not — it typically needs its own policy. For a travel trailer or fifth wheel, your tow vehicle's auto policy may extend some liability coverage while the trailer is hitched up, but it usually doesn't cover damage to the trailer itself or the belongings inside. Policies vary, so it's worth checking yours.
Auto insurance basicsGenerally not for the RV itself. Some homeowners policies may provide limited coverage for personal belongings while you travel, but the RV usually needs its own coverage. We'll look at both policies so you know where one stops and the other starts.
Home insurance basicsA motorhome drives itself, so its policy looks a lot like auto insurance — liability, uninsured motorist, collision, comprehensive, and more. A travel trailer or fifth wheel gets towed, so liability while towing generally comes from your tow vehicle's policy, and the trailer's own policy focuses more on damage to the trailer and what's inside. The details depend on the policy and the company.
It depends on the policy. Coverage for personal belongings may be included up to a limit, or it may need to be added. If you keep a lot of gear, electronics, or household items in your RV, tell us about it so we can look at how it's covered.
A stored RV can still be stolen, damaged by a storm, or caught in a fire. Some companies may let you adjust coverage while your RV is stored, but if it's a registered motorhome, Missouri's requirement to keep financial responsibility still applies. Talk to us before you make changes for the off-season.
RV policies typically include coverage when you travel to other states, but details vary by policy. What matters most is where your RV is registered and kept, since your policy needs to meet that state's requirements. If you're planning a long trip or a move, let us know.
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