How to Insure a Volkswagen Westfalia Campervan
Finding insurance for a campervan can be a confusing process. How to insure a Volkswagen Westfalia can be even more befuddling. It doesn’t have to be as difficult as it may seem, though! Luckily, I had help from the experts at Fryeburg Motors, a.k.a. my parents, and the amazing resources on the internet.
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Step 1: Talk to an Independent Insurance Agent (IA)
An IA is an expert and that’s exactly what you need for a task like this. They’ll be able to assess your vehicle’s needs and classifications with an expert eye. Plus, They know how to shop around to find you the best deal and the best coverage for your needs. An independent agent will know which companies to call but you can also suggest which companies you think will work best for you. To find a local IA near you, simply google search “independent car insurance agent near me” or look up the insurance company you want and find an agent through their website. I used Infinger Insurance.
Photo by Rachel Meltzer
Step 2: Ask for an “Agreed Value” plan
Your insurance agent will definitely know what this means. Essentially, an Agreed Value plan (NOT Stated Value, that’s different) is a policy in which you and the insurance company come to an agreement about the value of your vehicle. These policies are perfect for camper vans because if something happens and your vehicle is totaled the insurance company will give you the value you agreed upon instead of the Blue Book value, which is what most car insurance plans will do. If you’ve custom-built the interior of your campervan, have a rare or desirable vehicle like a VW Vanagon Westfalia like me, or your campervan does not have an onboard toilet (more on that later) then this is the plan for you.
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Step 3: Provide Necessary Documentation
You’ll need to determine the value of your vehicle and its contents before calling the insurance agent. Look online at how similar vehicles have sold, if you have a Vanagon use the GoWesty Opinion of Value Report or previous sales, get your vehicle appraised by a licensed appraiser, or consult an expert near you. Some insurance companies or agents will want an appraisal, others will want photos, and still others may just need evidence of other vehicles and what they’ve sold for. You’ll likely have to provide this documentation every time you renew your policy, so consider that.
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Technicalities to Consider:
Does my vehicle have an onboard toilet?
Most of our campervans, custom-built or factory-made, are considered Class B Campervans. If your camper does not have an onboard toilet, make sure you clarify that to your insurance agent. Large insurance companies like Progressive and Geico may say that they can insure your vehicle if the agent you speak to (or their online application) does not know all of the details of campervans. Progressive and Geico align with many other car insurance companies WILL NOT insure a campervan without a toilet and do not honor Agreed Value plans.
Do I have an onboard heater?
Was my heater factory-installed, installed by a licensed professional, or self-installed? Full disclosure about heating elements is extremely important. If something were to happen to your vehicle because of the heating element, any fire inspector will be able to tell. If your insurance company did not know about that element when they insured you, they can legally deny your claim.
Be clear about your intent.
Be clear with your insurance agent about how you plan to use the vehicle. Again, it would suck to pay for insurance every month and then be denied a claim after your house is ruined. Do you plan on camping anywhere besides campgrounds and car shows? How many miles do you plan to put on your campervan each year (ballpark estimate)? Will you be cooking inside your campervan? Will you be mostly hanging around your home city? Will you be using a garage to store your vehicle? Do you plan to live in it full time?
Just try to be as honest as possible with your agent so that they can find the best policy for you. There are companies out there like Hagerty’s who will insure your campervan without an onboard toilet but restrict the number of miles put on it per year. Again if you go over that mileage limit and something happens, you’ve screwed yourself not the insurance company.
Where am I registering and insuring my campervan?
Make sure wherever you register your van is where you insure it. Make sure you can get mail at that address. If you’re planning to live in your van full time, consider using your parents, grown-up kids, or friend’s address. Where you register your van will change pricing too. If you have a Dad that lives in NYC but a Mom that lives in the middle of nowhere and they’ll both let you use their address, go with your Mom! It will be much cheaper.
Resources:
These resources are Volkswagen specific. You can find the equivalent of most of these for your specific van (Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Dodge Promaster/Freightliner all have their own little subset of the internet that you’ll easily find by googling those keywords with “forum” or “group”).
Facebook - there are tons of VW specific groups on FB, join a few and ask around! If you’re a woman, try joining a women-specific group. They’re better, I promise!
Vanagon.org - Vanagon.org is run by a guy named Eric. He’s crowdsourced some sales info and pricing.
Recommended Insurance Companies:
The most popular insurance companies that are insuring campervans currently with Agreed Value plans are:
Safeco (owned by Liberty Mutual) - this is by far the most popular on forums
Connect - Formerly Ameriprise (Costco members can get a discount)
Foremost - I got a plan through this company and bundled it with my family’s home/auto policy to save money.
Hagerty (has many technicalities, beware)
Geico and Progressive are the two most common companies that, as far as I can tell, will NOT insure a campervan without a toilet so be wary of those.
This is not an exhaustive list! Do your research and use an agent to shop around. These things are constantly changing.
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See? It’s not so bad!
Luckily, between the internet and the growing vanlife community it doesn’t take long to find answers to most of your problems! When in doubt, consult an expert and thank them kindly.
Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert and technically neither is Fryeburg Motors. The only expert is an actual insurance agent. Take my advice with a grain of salt! I’m sharing this because I had to do a lot of research to get my van on the road and I’d like to make it quicker and easier for my fellow community members.