Finding skoolie insurance can be a daunting task. Finding skoolie insurance in Missouri ended up being a two part task for us. We need to get one type of insurance during construction and another type of insurance after construction. This is what the first part of that process looked like for us.
Finding Skoolie Insurance in Missouri
To license any vehicle in the state of Missouri you typically need proof of insurance, inspection, title, personal property tax paid receipt for the past year, and bill of sale. I contacted my car insurance carrier, State Farm, first to see if they would insure a bus.
The office that I called had to call a main office and get more details because they had never been asked that question before. About a day later, they called back and stated that they could not insure the vehicle as a bus, but could insure it once it was converted to a recreational vehicle. Start with your insurance company, even if you also have State Farm. Depending on your office, you may get a different answer. I have read on forums that State Farm would cover bus insurance prior to conversion in several states, including my home state. I have also read posts where owners would obtain insurance from certain companies and then one month later be dropped because they were a conversion. Every state is different on their insurance requirments. A good first step would be contacting your own insurance carrier and go from there.
Step 1: Commercial Insurance During the Build
I did find out that I would need a form of commercial insurance while driving the bus in its current condition. I researched several skoolie forums about insurance and found that Progressive commercial insurance was a common company that kept popping up. I contacted them and for the most part were easy to work with. I could get commercial insurance for personal use at a reasonable rate. I was very open with them with my intent for the bus. Progressive commercial insurance will only cover the bus when it is classified as a bus. They will not cover insurance for a converted bus.
Step 2: Insurance for the Actual Skoolie
Missouri has a checklist of items that are required to be in your build in order for it to classify as an RV. Once you meet the requirements, you take your skoolie to the highway patrol for an inspection. This begins the process of converting it to an RV in the eyes of the state. Once they send your new title, you will be considered a 2019 RV (or whatever year you are reading this).
Once we had the title, we called our insurance agent from State Farm. They asked us to send photos of our skoolie and asked for us to assign a value to it. We went onto a skoolie sales page online, found 3 comparable skoolies, and estimated our value. They quoted us a price for RV insurance, but this did not cover our belongings in the skoolie. We needed an additional policy for that. Using our “home address” (where we get mail) they gave us a renters insurance policy for our belongings.
