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One of our favorite topics here at Dirt Legal is talking about making OHVs street legal. We love it! One of the biggest markets seeking street-legality is UTVs, which we have written extensively about. In fact, we wrote the definitive guide!
But we aren’t just interested in UTVs; we think that just about anything with wheels and an engine looks better with a tag than without. We have helped make all kinds of vehicles street-legal, and we are here for many more. But getting a tag on there is only half of the battle. You aren't going anywhere if you don’t get your wheels insured.
This poses somewhat of a problem: what kind of insurance do you use when the vehicles aren’t intended to be road-use vehicles, but you have made them street-legal? Because the major insurance providers may not be equipped to write coverage for a UTV or quad, regardless of what the registration says.
Let’s dive in.
What we call road insurance isn’t universally called that. Sometimes, it is just called ATV or UTV insurance. But here’s the deal: it is not intended for road use. ATVs and UTVs are supposed to be ridden off-road, which is why they are sent from the factory without a street-legal title.
No, we are not advocating against our own brand or anything here; we are just stating the truth. Manufacturers design them as OHVs, and you are responsible for making them street-legal on yourself. Of course, this puts you in an odd position because OHVs aren’t intended to be on public roads, so the insurance is not intended for on-road use.
Road use, or ATV/UTV/OHV insurance is very common, but if you are involved in an incident, the insurance provider may (ok, they probably will) refuse to pay out the claim because you weren’t supposed to be driving it on the road anyway (with that particular type of insurance).
There are exceptions to everything.
In this case, unlimited road use insurance is available for OHVs. The insurance companies are not dumb; they are very aware that a growing number of states have approved OHVs for street-legal road use (Oklahoma is one of the most recent). In fact, we covered this thoroughly in our Nationwide Street Legal UTV Guide.
With nine states now boasting robust street-legal UTV legislation, there is plenty of validation for street-legal OHV insurance options. Of course, some issues here are quite a bit different than standard passenger vehicles. Mainly, UTV and OHV owners/riders are not always going to stick to the roads. In fact, part of the convenience of having a street-legal UTV is that you don’t need to trailer it to the trails anymore.
So, the insurance policies need to take this into account which is where unlimited road use insurance policies enter the equation. Here are a few of the features of unlimited road use insurance that you should be aware:
Comprehensive coverage:
This will include both on- and off-road usage since the OHV is being used in both environments. Again, this is super important when you plan to take your UTV on the pavement and off. Valid insurance is only as good as what it will cover when stuff happens.
Broad liability coverage
Broad liability protects against bodily injury and property damage liability claims. This coverage mainly concerns the vehicle's on-road use, so don’t skimp here.
Collision and comprehensive coverage
This is a common and familiar coverage to all drivers and is there to pay for damages to your vehicle that result from a collision with another vehicle. The comprehensive component covers unfortunate events like theft, animal collisions, damage from falling tree limbs, and assorted environmental damage (flooding).
Again, this question has a lot more to do with how you intend to use the vehicle. Are you only using this around the farm? Are you taking it to the state or federal trail systems on a trailer (i.e, no intention to use this as a street-legal vehicle)? Or are you planning on putting a street-legal tag on your OHV and basically using it like a dual-sport with four tires?
Because UTV insurance doesn’t work any differently than any other kind of insurance. It provides coverage for damage from environmental conditions, from animals, and, of course, collisions with other vehicles.
So, since it doesn’t work any differently than any other insurance, what you need to do is make sure that you have appropriate insurance for what you actually do with the vehicle. Yes, this is important. Because if you are doing stuff that you told your insurance provider you weren’t doing with a UTV (like driving on roads, for example) and something happens, they probably won’t cover it. And why should they? If you were being dishonest about use, they have zero obligation to help you out.
The difference between incidental and unlimited road use insurance is all in the name.
Incidental insurance can refer to different types of insurance that cover situations not typically covered by other policies. What does this mean? It means that incidental coverage is there just to cover those oddities, which is not what you are looking for if you want to drive on roads.
If you plan to drive your OHV on roads (after making it street-legal with a legal title and registration, of course), then you need unlimited road use insurance for it. There really aren’t any ifs ands, or buts about this; getting reh registration squared away is only part of the equation.
A lot of this information we provide is to make life easier on you and for you, not necessarily to convince you to do the right thing. It only takes one incident with the wrong insurance to realize you should have anted up on your monthly premium and paid for an unlimited road use plan that covered everything you intended to do with it.
Again, we suggest you proceed with complete transparency. Tell them exactly what you plan to do with your OHV, including if you are running a South Dakota or Montana registration on your rig. They need to know this because if you are driving it in, say, Ohio, but you have a South Dakota plate on it and something happens, your insurance provider might just ask some questions about what it was doing there.
If you have any problems, call our friends at Select Insurance Group and see what they suggest. This is definitely a situation where you need to consult with an insurance specialist and get their honest feedback on what you should do, because, at the end of the day, it’s you having to fill out paperwork with the cops and insurance providers if something happens.
Okay, so this question is purely the result of search algorithms, but we’re going to cover it because people ask it.
Do you need insurance?
If you drive on any public road at all, ever, anywhere, then the answer is an emphatic yes. Even if the state or whatever governing body in charge of said road didn’t require it (they always do and always will), why would you want to risk it? For one thing, even if the states didn’t require it, every bank and credit union in the universe requires proof of insurance to lend you money, which makes a lot of sense. They carry a considerable liability, lending money to people to buy things that kill people.
If you bought your OHV outright, you aren’t beholden to the bank’s rules, but if you drop $25k on a UTV, do you really want to drive it around without protection? I wouldn’t.
Again, as a rule of thumb, insurance is required on all public roads. No, we can’t say for certain it is on every single municipal road across the U.S., but we have never heard of anywhere that it wasn’t required. Check out our preferred insurance providers page and see which fits your needs; the odds are good that we partner with someone who has insurance for your demands.
We are the biggest proponents in the world of you driving basically whatever you want on public roads, and we offer a huge line of products to get you there. But part of the equation for street-legal driving of OHVs is to make sure they are properly insured. So, does your OHV need unlimited road use insurance? Probably. For the small difference in cost, why not just go with it anyway? If you have street-legal registration and tags on it, you have already put a lot of effort and some money into getting it on the road.
Don’t cheap out here; this is the one area of driving that will cost you dearly if you skimp or are outrightly dishonest about use. Buy the insurance you actually need. Call the professionals who deal with this every day for a living and pay them for their expertise. You are one accident away from really appreciating what you did.
John McCoy is a lifelong car and truck enthusiast and has a strong mechanical background off the road. He spent over 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief, assigned to the B-1B Lancer, affectionately known as the Bone to those in the community, and the KC-135R Stratotanker. He resides on a small farm in Eastern Kansas where he (sometimes) enjoys fixing ancient farm equipment.
One of the least friendly states toward street-legal OHVs is California. We aren't hating; it just is what it is. But with the proper title and registration, can you drive your UTV or SXS in downtown LA? Read on.
If you live anywhere besides the southern part of The States – even then you’re not guaranteed to avoid it – there’s an almost certainty that snow will visit you in the next few months. If not snow, the rainy season is around the corner. This means the days of easily keeping your car clean are rapidly coming to an end.
