Does Car Insurance Cover My Boat Trailer?
Written by
Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She covers topics ranging from car insurance to healthcare costs.
Reviewed by
Paul Martin is the Director of Education and Development for Myron Steves, one of the largest, most respected insurance wholesalers in the southern U.S.
Popular Questions:
Does My Car Insurance Cover My Boat's Trailer?
What Insurance Covers My Boat Trailer?
How Much Will I Have to Pay if My Boat Trailer Isn't Covered?
How Much Does Insurance for My Boat Trailer Cost?
Expert(s) Found on This Page
Does My Car Insurance Cover My Boat's Trailer?
Your car insurance will usually provide liability coverage for your boat trailer or any other trailer you use. That means that if you cause damage to another person, vehicle, or property, your car insurance will pay for that damage.
However, car insurance rarely covers any damage done to your trailer. That means that if it gets damaged or stolen and you don’t have special boat insurance or trailer insurance, you’ll need to pay to repair or replace it yourself.
What Insurance Covers My Boat Trailer?
If you have boat insurance, you may be able to add coverage for your trailer for a small additional cost. Most insurance companies offer this option with their boat insurance.
Other options for insuring your boat trailer include:
- Homeowners insurance
- Renters insurance
- Trailer insurance
It may seem weird that your homeowners or renters insurance would cover your boat trailer. But if you store your boat trailer at your home, it can be considered part of the property that’s insured under those policies.
Just to be sure, though, you should check with your independent insurance agent to verify that it’s covered. If not, you can talk to your agent about buying a special trailer insurance policy just for your boat trailer. Trailer insurance is usually quite affordable.
How Much Will I Have to Pay if My Boat Trailer Isn't Covered?
If you don't have some kind of boat trailer coverage, you could be stuck paying for the entire value of the trailer, or maybe even more, if you get into a nasty accident. Your car insurance will probably pay for any liability due to your trailer if you hurt people or property in an accident, but that’s only true up to the limit of your liability insurance.
A limit is what it sounds like. It’s the limit of what your car insurance will pay out. For liability insurance, the limit is usually pretty high, from $10,000 on the low end up to $50,000 or $100,000, or even more. That’s so there’s enough to pay for medical bills and other expensive damage that you cause.
The costs could exceed your liability coverage limit if you get into a serious accident with your boat trailer. Then, you’d be stuck paying out of pocket for any remaining expenses. (It's always important to keep these worst-case scenarios in mind when deciding on your liability coverage limits.)
And remember, your car insurance does not cover the cost of repairing or replacing your boat trailer if it’s stolen or if you cause an accident. You need coverage from a boat insurance policy, trailer insurance policy, or your homeowners or renters insurance for that.
How Much Does Insurance for My Boat Trailer Cost?
The cost of insurance for your boat trailer will depend on the value of the trailer. It also will depend on whether you bundle the insurance with something else.
A small trailer used to haul a boat used in a calm lake will be the cheapest to insure. Insurance for larger trailers for oceangoing boats will be more expensive. If your trailer is brand new or has any special features, that will also increase the cost.
If you add coverage for your boat trailer to your boat insurance policy, the cost should be very low, probably less than a few hundred dollars per year. If you buy a separate trailer policy, it could be slightly more expensive.
You can work with an independent insurance agent to find the best way to cover your boat trailer. Your agent can also help you find ways to save if you qualify for any discounts.