Your fifth wheel is more than transportation. It's your home on wheels, your escape pod, your freedom machine.
However, your truck's insurance won't cover it when things go sideways. Fifth-wheel insurance gives you the specialized coverage your lifestyle demands. From full-time RV insurance protection to total loss replacement, it's built for the unique risks you face on the road.
We’ll explain exactly what fifth wheel insurance covers, why you need it, and how to get the right protection without overpaying.
Fifth-wheel insurance is a specialized RV coverage, separate from your truck's auto policy. It costs approximately $300 to $2,500 annually and protects against collision, theft, weather damage, and liability for full-time living. Your truck insurance typically won't cover the physical damage to your fifth wheel, making dedicated coverage essential.
The “fifth wheel” is the U-shaped coupling attached to a tow vehicle’s cargo bed. It has a pin box at the bottom of the front section, which connects and locks into the truck’s fifth wheel coupling. This entire mechanism is similar to those on tractors that pull commercial semis.
Fifth wheels are popular features on RVs used for full-time or extended travel. Likewise, people often use the overhang above the towing vehicle’s bed as a sleeping section, kitchen, or additional living space. Besides providing more interior room, it also improves the vehicle’s stability.
Your fifth wheel faces the same road hazards as any vehicle: collisions, weather events, falling branches, wildlife encounters, theft, and vandalism.
Since fifth wheels often serve as homes, they face residential risks such as fire, water damage, extreme weather, and liability when they are parked at a campsite. You're not just protecting a vehicle; you're protecting a home that happens to be on wheels.
The towing dynamics also create unique exposures such as improper loading, coupling failures, and the physics of pulling a 10,000-pound house, which can lead to jackknifing, rollovers, or separation. None of these scenarios is covered under standard policies.
Your fifth wheel insurance coverage may include the following:
Liability Coverage: It handles injury to others and damage to their property. Your tow vehicle's liability insurance extends to the fifth wheel while it's being towed, but you need additional coverage when it's parked and used as a residence.
Collision Coverage: This pays for damage from impacts with other vehicles or objects, subject to your deductible. This is critical because repair costs on modern RVs can easily hit five figures.
Comprehensive Coverage: It protects against non-collision damage: fire, theft, hail, flooding, falling objects, and vandalism. Given that your fifth wheel is often left exposed at campsites and storage yards, this coverage is essential.
Total Loss Replacement: This is a game-changer. If your fifth wheel is totalled in a covered accident, this coverage replaces it with a new model of the same year or later, same trim level or better. It beats standard depreciation coverage by thousands of dollars.
Agreed Value Coverage: It locks in your RV's value upfront, ensuring a fixed amount for your claim, regardless of market fluctuations. In a total loss, you receive the full agreed amount, not a depreciated market value that leaves you short.
Emergency Lodging Expenses: This covers your hotel bills if your fifth wheel becomes uninhabitable more than 50 miles from home. For full-timers, this can be a financial lifesaver.
Full-Time RV Liability: This coverage extends your personal liability protection. It is similar to homeowners’ insurance and protects you against claims when you reside in your rig for six months or more per year.
Your specific rate depends on several factors. A newer, high-value luxury fifth wheel will cost more to insure than an older, basic model. Full-timers pay more than weekend warriors because they're on the road constantly, racking up more exposure.
If you're based in an area prone to hail, hurricanes, or high theft rates, expect higher premiums due to the increased risk associated with your location. Your driving record and claims history also factor in, just like with regular auto insurance.
On the bright side, many insurers offer discounts for safety features, multi-policy bundling, RV association memberships, and completion of RV driving courses. These can shave hundreds off your annual premium.
Frankly, your truck needs insurance, and that liability coverage extends to your fifth wheel while you're towing it. And this meets most state requirements.
But if you financed your fifth wheel, your lender will absolutely require comprehensive and collision coverage. They're protecting their asset, and you can't get around it.
Even if you own your fifth wheel outright and your state doesn't mandate coverage, going without is financially risky. One accident, one theft, one hailstorm, and you're out tens of thousands of dollars with no recourse.
If you only hit the road during the summer camping season, seasonal coverage allows you to switch to basic coverage during the storage months. This can save you 30-50% annually while still maintaining theft and weather protection.
Full-timers need comprehensive year-round coverage that mirrors homeowners’ insurance. You're living in your fifth wheel, so you need personal liability, medical payments, and loss assessment coverage that basic policies don't provide.
Roadside assistance is also non-negotiable for serious RVers. When your rig breaks down 200 miles from the nearest qualified repair shop, generic AAA coverage won't cut it. RV-specific roadside plans offer unlimited distance towing, specialized repair networks, and emergency accommodations.
Your fifth wheel represents freedom, adventure, and often a significant financial investment. The right insurance protects all three.
Whether you're a weekend warrior or a full-time nomad, specialized fifth wheel coverage gives you peace of mind to focus on what matters: the journey, not the worry.
Ready to protect your home on wheels? Get your fast, personalized fifth wheel insurance quote from Roamly today and experience coverage built specifically for the RV lifestyle.
Roamly Insurance Group, LLC ("Roamly") is a licensed general agent for affiliated and non-affiliated insurance companies. Roamly is licensed as an agency in all states in which products are offered. Availability and qualification for coverage, terms, rates, and discounts may vary by jurisdiction. We do not in any way imply that the materials on the site or products are available in jurisdictions in which we are not licensed to do business or that we are soliciting business in any such jurisdiction. Coverage under your insurance policy is subject to the terms and conditions of that policy and is ultimately the decision of the buyer.
Policies provided by Roamly are underwritten by Spinnaker Insurance Company, Progressive Insurance Company, Safeco Insurance, Foremost Insurance Company, National General Insurance, Allstate Insurance Company, Mobilitas Insurance Company, Lyndon Southern Insurance Company and others.