ATV & Off-Road Insurance discounts and questions
Covers a quad, side-by-side, dirt bike or snowmobile for rollover, collision, theft and the injuries you cause to others on trails and public land, where a home or auto policy usually stops. Machine value, use and the number of operators set the premium.
Discounts carriers commonly offer
- Multi-unit
- Two or more machines on one policy, which is common in a family that rides together.
- Multi-policy
- The off-road policy written with the same carrier as the auto or home.
- Safety course
- A completed off-highway vehicle safety course from a recognized program.
- Homeowner
- Some carriers price owners of a home lower on every line, this one included.
- Paid in full
- The term paid at inception.
- Club membership
- Membership in a riding club or association the carrier recognizes.
Questions people ask
Does my homeowners policy cover my ATV or side-by-side?
For liability, only while it is on your own property with most forms, and a few forms exclude it entirely. For damage to the machine, not at all, anywhere. The moment it is loaded on the trailer the home policy has nothing further to say, and the auto policy never listed it. A separate policy is the only way the machine and the injuries it can cause are insured on public land.
Is insurance required to ride on public land?
It depends on the state and on the machine. Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Idaho each run their own off-highway vehicle registration and permit programs, and the liability requirements differ by state and by whether the machine is plated for street use. Federal land managers set their own rules for specific areas. The analysis works from where you actually ride, and the liability part of the policy is worth carrying regardless of whether a rule demands it.
What does the policy pay after a rollover?
Collision pays to repair the machine or, if the frame is bent, its actual cash value less the deductible, or the agreed value if that is how the policy is written. Medical payments pays the operator's and passenger's medical bills. Scheduled accessories are paid at their listed value; unscheduled ones share the small built-in limit. Injuries to a passenger beyond medical payments depend on whether passenger liability is on the policy.
Are my accessories covered?
Up to the built-in limit without doing anything, and up to what you paid if they are scheduled with receipts. Suppose a side-by-side worth $18,000 carries $9,000 of cage, doors, winch, lights and tires; a built-in limit of $3,000 leaves $6,000 uncovered in a rollover or a theft unless the parts are listed. The schedule is a list and a set of receipts, and it changes the outcome of the claim more than any other step.
Are my kids and friends covered when they ride it?
A permitted operator is generally covered, and the claim is yours. Policies set a minimum operator age and some exclude operators below it altogether, which matters because a youth-sized quad is often ridden by a child. Household members who ride regularly should be listed. A friend who takes the machine without permission is not covered, and their injuries would be a liability claim against you only if you were negligent.
Are snowmobiles covered the same way?
Yes, on the same form, and Idaho and northern Utah policies are often written seasonally with the sled in lay-up through the summer. A sled buried in an avalanche is generally a comprehensive claim for the machine and a medical payments claim for the operator; a sled ridden into a closed area or a hill-climb competition is excluded. Tracks, skis and a tunnel bag count as accessories.