Off-Highway Vehicles Don't Fit a Car Policy

What counts as an off-highway vehicle

Vehicle Code 38012 lists vehicles that count as off-highway motor vehicles, including:

• motorcycles and motor-driven cycles, such as dirt bikes;
• sand buggies, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles;
• recreational off-highway vehicles, the side-by-sides often called UTVs;
• snowmobiles and other over-snow vehicles;
• off-highway electric motorcycles;
• vehicles commonly referred to as jeeps.

Identification instead of registration

If one of these vehicles isn't registered for road use because it will be operated exclusively off the highway, it must display an identification plate or device issued by the DMV. A few categories are exempt, including four-wheeled vehicles used only in organized racing on a closed course under a sanctioning body or local permit. An identified off-highway vehicle may be driven, moved or left standing in a public parking facility without road registration, which is how it gets from the trailer to a staging area. Riding on public roads is a different matter: apart from narrow exceptions the code spells out, road use requires the registration the Vehicle Code demands for highway vehicles.

Why a car policy usually doesn't reach it

A personal auto policy is written around vehicles designed for public roads. Vehicles built mainly for off-road use are commonly excluded or limited, and a homeowners policy may cover such a vehicle, if at all, only in narrow circumstances such as use on your own property. That leaves the main exposures uncovered unless you arrange them:

• Liability if you injure a rider, a passenger or someone on the trail, or damage property.
• Damage to the machine in a crash, rollover or fall.
• Theft, from a garage, a trailer or a campsite.
• Your gear and trailer, which may be covered separately or not at all.

What about the vehicle itself can matter

Type and performance carry a lot of weight here: a youth ATV and a high-powered side-by-side are different risks. Passenger seating, rollover protection and how many people will ride it matter, as does whether a dirt bike is plated for the street. Dual-sport bikes registered for road use sit closer to motorcycle insurance; the motorcycle guide covers that side.

Young riders and getting it to the trail

Many off-highway vehicles are ridden by children and teenagers, and the Vehicle Code has its own safety-certificate rules for young all-terrain vehicle riders. Check them, match the machine to the rider's size and experience, and ask any insurer exactly which riders its policy covers. Getting the vehicle to the trail is the other overlooked part: strap it down properly on a trailer or in a pickup bed, because a machine that comes loose on the freeway is a liability claim against the tow vehicle's policy.

What to check before you ride

1. Confirm the vehicle displays current DMV identification, or road registration if it's street legal.
2. Ask your auto and home insurers, in writing, whether either covers it, and where.
3. If not, price an off-road or recreational vehicle policy with liability, physical damage and theft.
4. Check who else may ride it, especially young riders, and what the policy says about them.
5. Check that your trailer is covered while towing and while parked.

What varies by insurance company

Whether off-highway vehicles can be added to any policy you already have, how riders are rated, whether passengers are covered, and how gear and trailers are handled all vary between insurers.

For the truck that tows it, get a quote with us and mention the trailer.