Can-Am Side-By-Side Coverage: Who To Insure Your Rig With

Some Can-Am UTV owners opt to go without insurance on their side-by-sides. A combination of careful driving, having the ability to fix one’s own machine with the appropriate replacement parts, and only riding a few times a year makes some Can-Am owners second guess the need for insurance. For most UTV owners, however, the monthly cost of Can-Am UTV insurance is well worth it — if only for the sense of safety that it brings during rides. After all, what’s the point of buying a Can-Am (or any side-by-side for that matter) if you aren’t going to use it and abuse it to the fullest extend of the machine’s capabilities?

You should never go with an insurance carrier just because they have the cheapest rate, but this doesn’t mean that you should be paying out the ass for Can-Am UTV insurance either. Everyone’s driver profile will be a little different, and there are many factors that will affect how much you pay for side-by-side insurance. But regardless of your driving record, the state where you live, your age, and other demographic differences that could alter your insurance premium, if your rig gets totaled and you don’t have coverage, you’ll be kicking yourself for not having it insured. 

Getting The Right Coverage for Your Can-Am Side-By-Side

The amount of coverage you get for your Can-Am Maverick, Commander, or Defender might depend on things like how handy you are with a wrench, how risky you are at the track / on the trail, and how many accessories you have installed on your machine. The price of your vehicle will also come into play. A Can-Am Defender owner may not pay the same amount as a Can-Am Maverick owner; and a Can-Am Commander owner might pay something different still.

If UTVs are street legal where you live, getting insurance that is endorsed for on-road use might be important to you. Similarly, if you use your vehicle for work purposes, then insuring it is definitely a valid business expense (and likely a tax write-off as well). Many riders have their UTVs bundled in with their home and automobile insurance, which is one thing folks can do to keep costs low. Others have their machines covered under their farm/ranch policy. Although no two situations will be identical, there are a lot of overlapping characteristics that can help you better determine which insurance policy is right for you and your Can-Am side-by-side. 

The Best Insurance Providers For Can-Am UTVs

Most of the big names in insurance offer coverage for ATVs and UTVs. As long as your record isn’t riddled with DUIs and reckless driving infractions, you should be able to get a good rate with one of the major insurers. The UTV insurance policies by Progressive, for instance, are popular because you can pick and choose what matters most to you. You can get full coverage with just about every option plus total-loss coverage for around $475 per annum on a machine registered as a primarily off-road vehicle with some highway use.    

What you have to look out for, however, are companies with pricing models that issue rates based on repair costs, not cash payouts. USAA is notorious for using such a model. If you make a claim with them, they’ll always attempt to repair something (with OEM parts) before issuing a check. This is great for automobiles, but not so much for off-road toys. For banking and other financial products, USAA is great. But their Can-Am UTV insurance just doesn’t cut it in our humble opinion. 

Some friends of the site who own Can-Am UTVs have them bundled with their house and car through Safeco for $477 per year. And other riders we know pay $220 per year for side-by-side insurance through Country Financial, and still others pay $110 per year through Travelers. 

If you have looked into the matter of UTV insurance at all, you’ve likely seen many different price ranges online, or have gotten a variety of different quotes yourself. You may have found out the hard way that “full-coverage” isn’t actually full coverage. Furthermore, some things aren’t included in some policies, and if you are the one with the policy but weren't the one manning the steering wheel at the time of an accident, you are likely SOL. 

While you might be tempted to be your own insurance policy by fixing your machine and making repairs whenever they’re needed, if your rig rolls down a hill on accident, goes up in flames for some reason, comes off the trailer, or encounters another unlikely event that totals the unit, you’ll be glad you bought insurance. With proper tie-down straps, accessible fire extinguishers, and other safety accessories, however, these risks can be mitigated. But you can never eliminate risks completely, which is why insurance exists.

Some homeowners insurance policies cover stolen UTVs, however others don’t. So if you live in a sketchy area, insurance that covers stolen side-by-sides might be worth looking into. Alternatively, anti-theft accessories like the ignition relay theft deterrent kit by Spring Brake Thingy are also solid options.

In Closing

If you want to make your Can-Am street legal or you purchased the vehicle with the help of a bank loan, buying UTV insurance is most likely compulsory. But even for those who drive exclusively off-road and own their machine outright, insurance can make rides more enjoyable and less stressful, helping you to not incessantly think about damaging your Can-Am side-by-side when things get precarious. At the end of the day, only you can decide if insurance is necessary for your circumstances. But if you do decide to get coverage on your UTV, shopping around, bundling, and making sure you have actual cash value insurance instead of replacement cost insurance will save you from needless suffering and strife in the future!