Van Conversion Insurance Cost: What You'll Actually Pay in 2026
Van conversion insurance runs $500 to $1,600 per year in 2026. What drives the cost up or down, what each carrier charges, and how to lower your premium.
The published range for camper van insurance is $500 to $1,600 per year. That number appears across carrier websites, industry articles, and nearly every insurance guide in the van conversion space. It is accurate as a range and almost useless as a prediction for any specific van.
The actual premium you pay depends on the interaction of eight or nine variables, most of which have nothing to do with the van itself. This guide breaks down what each variable does to the premium, where each carrier’s pricing tends to land, and the specific levers you can pull to reduce cost without creating coverage gaps.
The Published Ranges
Every major carrier that covers converted vans publishes or acknowledges a similar price range:
| Carrier | Published or Reported Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Roamly | $500–$1,600/year | Roamly Learning Center |
| Progressive | Liability from $125/year; full coverage higher | Progressive DIY page |
| Good Sam / Nat’l General | Not published; consistent with $500–$1,600 range per market data | UW Guide |
| State Farm | ~$500/year reported by owners | ProMaster Forum owner report |
Progressive’s “$125/year” figure is the liability-only floor — the cheapest possible policy on the cheapest possible vehicle with no collision or comprehensive coverage. A realistic full-coverage policy on a $60,000+ converted van will land well above that.
What Drives the Cost
Nine factors determine where your specific premium falls within (or outside) the published range:
1. Total Insured Value
The single biggest factor. A van insured for $40,000 costs less to cover than a van insured for $120,000, because the carrier’s maximum exposure is directly tied to the insured value. This is the variable that makes factory Class B pricing ($150,000 to $250,000 Winnebagos) structurally more expensive than DIY conversions ($40,000 to $80,000).
| Total Insured Value | Typical Premium Range |
|---|---|
| $30,000–$50,000 | $400–$900/year |
| $50,000–$80,000 | $600–$1,200/year |
| $80,000–$120,000 | $900–$1,600/year |
| $120,000–$200,000+ | $1,200–$2,500+/year |
These ranges are TVG editorial estimates based on published carrier data and owner-reported premiums. They illustrate the directional relationship between value and premium and vary significantly by carrier and state.
2. Garaging State
State insurance regulation, litigation environment, and risk pools drive dramatic variation in premiums for the same vehicle. Michigan’s no-fault insurance market pushes RV premiums well above the national range, while states like North Carolina consistently produce premiums at or below it.
High-cost states (expect premiums above the published range): Michigan, Louisiana, Florida, New York, New Jersey, parts of California.
Low-cost states (expect premiums at or below the published range): North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, Maine, Vermont.
Mid-cost states (expect premiums within the published range): Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, most of the Southeast and Mountain West.
State variation is the factor most van owners underestimate. The same van, same driver, same coverage limits can produce a premium 2x to 4x higher in Michigan than in North Carolina.
3. Coverage Limits and Deductible
Higher liability limits cost more. Higher deductibles reduce the premium.
Liability limits: 100/300/100 costs more than 50/100/50 but provides meaningfully more protection. For a vehicle worth $60,000+, carrying minimum-state liability limits is a false economy — the premium savings of $50 to $150/year do not justify the exposure.
Deductible: Moving from a $500 deductible to a $1,000 deductible generally saves a meaningful percentage on the comprehensive and collision portion of the premium — industry estimates put the typical savings at 10 to 15 percent, though the exact figure varies by carrier. A $2,500 deductible saves more but means a larger out-of-pocket expense at claim time. Choose based on your financial buffer, not on premium optimization alone.
4. Use Classification
Recreational use (weekend trips, occasional travel, stored at home most of the time) is the cheapest classification. Most converted van policies are written for recreational use.
Full-time use (living in the van as a primary residence) costs more than recreational use on the same vehicle. Roamly’s published data shows full-time RV insurance ranging from $1,500 to $4,000/year — significantly higher than the $500 to $1,600 recreational range. The premium increase reflects higher expected annual mileage, higher personal property exposure, and the addition of premises liability coverage. See the full-time van insurance guide for details.
Commercial use (business, delivery, mobile services) requires a commercial auto policy, not an RV policy, and is priced differently — typically 2x to 3x higher than recreational RV coverage.
5. Driver Profile
Standard auto insurance underwriting variables apply: age, driving history, years of experience, credit score (in states that allow it). A clean driving record with no at-fault accidents or violations in the past three to five years will produce a meaningfully lower premium than a record with incidents.
6. Annual Mileage
RV policies are priced with lower mileage assumptions than auto policies — typically 5,000 to 10,000 miles/year for recreational use. If your actual annual mileage is significantly higher (15,000+ miles), disclose it accurately. Underdisclosing mileage can create problems at claim time.
Lower actual mileage can sometimes be used to negotiate a lower premium, especially with carriers that offer a storage/suspension option during months the van is parked.
7. Settlement Type
Agreed value policies cost more than actual cash value (ACV) policies on the same vehicle — industry estimates put the typical difference at 5 to 15 percent, though this varies by carrier and vehicle value. The premium increase buys certainty: at total loss, you receive the agreed amount without depreciation arguments. For a custom van conversion, agreed value is almost always worth the incremental premium. See What Happens If Your Van Is Totaled for why.
Total loss replacement (available on newer units) is the most expensive settlement option but also the most protective.
8. Build Type
Factory Class B: Straightforward underwriting, predictable pricing. Often competitive because the build is well-documented and RVIA-certified.
Professional custom build: Competitive pricing when well-documented. Carriers may price professional builds slightly lower than comparable DIY builds because professional shops carry liability insurance and (sometimes) RVIA certification.
DIY build: Pricing is comparable to professional builds for the same insured value. The underwriting process may be longer (more documentation required), but the per-dollar cost of coverage is similar.
9. Carrier Selection
This is the variable you control the most. The same van can produce a quote of $600/year from one carrier and $1,400/year from another. The difference is not random — it reflects each carrier’s underwriting appetite, risk model, and pricing strategy for the specific combination of vehicle, driver, and state.
Getting at least two or three quotes is not a suggestion. It is the single highest-leverage action you can take to control insurance cost.
How to Reduce Your Premium
Seven strategies that actually work:
1. Bundle. Multi-policy discounts (RV + auto, RV + home) are among the largest available discounts. Progressive and State Farm offer the strongest bundling discounts.
2. Raise the deductible. Moving from $500 to $1,000 reduces your comprehensive and collision premium meaningfully. Only do this if you can absorb $1,000 out of pocket at claim time.
3. Suspend during storage. If the van sits for three to six months of the year, ask about suspendable coverage. Removing collision and liability during storage (keeping comprehensive) can save hundreds per year. Good Sam / National General and Progressive both offer this feature.
4. Maintain a clean driving record. No accidents or violations for three to five years. This is the most boring and most effective way to reduce any insurance premium.
5. Ask about every available discount. Each carrier has a different discount stack. Common ones: safe driver, paid in full, paperless billing, homeowner, continuous coverage, military/EMS. Good Sam adds member and affiliation discounts through the Good Sam ecosystem. Progressive offers original owner, claim-free renewal, early quote, and more.
6. Insure at accurate value — not inflated, not deflated. Over-insuring (stating a higher value than the build is actually worth) raises the premium with no benefit — the carrier will not pay more than the documented value at claim time regardless of the insured amount. Under-insuring saves premium but creates a devastating gap at total loss.
7. Get quotes annually. Insurance pricing changes. Carrier appetites shift. New products enter the market (Progressive did not cover DIY at all before November 2023). Re-quoting every 12 months ensures you are not overpaying based on an outdated rate.
What You Should NOT Do to Save Money
Do not carry auto insurance on a converted van to save on RV insurance premiums. The premium savings are real — auto insurance is often cheaper than RV insurance — but the coverage gap is enormous. Auto insurance does not cover the conversion. At total loss, you get paid for a cargo van. See Switching From Auto to RV Insurance for why this matters.
Do not misrepresent the use classification. Telling a carrier the van is recreational when you live in it full-time saves on premium but voids your coverage when you need it most. Use mismatch is one of the most common grounds for claim denial. Be honest about how you use the van.
Do not skip comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive covers theft, fire, weather, vandalism, and animal strikes. For a van that is often parked outdoors in remote locations, these risks are real. The premium for comprehensive is typically modest relative to the exposure it covers.
Comparing Carrier Costs
A rough guide to where each carrier tends to land on pricing:
| Carrier | Pricing Tendency | Best Price When… |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Often lowest premium | Bundled with existing Progressive policies; competitive states |
| Roamly | Competitive mid-range | DIY builds; rental-friendly coverage included |
| Good Sam / Nat’l General | Mid-range to slightly higher | Bundled with Good Sam membership and services; strong discount stacking |
| State Farm | Competitive when approved | Bundled with existing State Farm home/auto; cooperative local agent |
None of these carriers is universally cheapest. The ranking changes by state, vehicle, and driver profile. The only reliable way to know which is cheapest for your situation is to get quotes from all of them.
Where to Go From Here
- Ready to get quotes? How to Insure a DIY Van Conversion
- Comparing carriers? Best Insurance for Van Conversions
- Platform-specific pricing? Sprinter · ProMaster · Transit
- Full-time pricing? Full-Time Van Insurance Guide
- Insurance hub: Camper Van Insurance: The Complete Guide
Sources and Verification
- Roamly — How to Insure a Self-Built Campervan — Published $500–$1,600/year recreational range, $1,500–$4,000/year full-time range
- Progressive — DIY Camper Van Insurance — $125/year liability floor
- National General Countrywide RV Underwriting Guide (PDF, rev. 02/2026) — Settlement options, discount structure
- INSURANCE: conversion van, commercial, RV…? — Ram ProMaster Forum — Owner-reported State Farm and Progressive pricing
Premium ranges cited reflect published carrier materials and aggregated owner reports as of April 2026. Individual quotes vary significantly by carrier, state, vehicle, driver, and coverage selections. Always get direct quotes before making coverage decisions.