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🚐 Vanlife・睡車族・改車族：哪些保險會賠？哪些不賠 Vanlife: What’s Covered

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🚐 Vanlife・睡車族・改車族：哪些保險會賠？哪些不賠？

｜My 4-Day Car-Sleep Journey from NC to CA

🔥 前言：我從北卡一路睡車睡到加州 4 天 3 夜的親身經驗

2023 年，我從北卡開車搬家到加州。這一段行程橫跨整個美國，中間有 4 天 3 夜，我都是睡在車上。

  • 不是 RV
  • 不是改裝車
  • 不是 camper
  • 就是一般的 SUV 後座放倒，鋪睡袋，停休息站睡覺。

這個實驗，讓我更清楚知道：

  • 「普通汽車保險到底包什麼？」
  • 「睡車、改車會影響保險嗎？」
  • 「短期用車 vs. 長期 car camping 差在哪裡？」

睡車族 vs. 改車族：保險差很多！以下一次講清楚：

1️⃣ 普通汽車（未改裝）短期睡車 —— ✔ 大部分保險仍然有效

如果你的車沒有任何改裝、沒有移除座椅、沒有加電線、沒有固定床架，
只是短期 road trip 需要休息睡幾晚：

✨ 你的汽車保險仍然正常生效。

通常包含：

  • Liability（對他人賠償）
  • Collision（自己的車撞壞）
  • Comprehensive（偷竊／玻璃／自然災害）
  • Medical（視保單條款而定）

📌 重點：只要車子沒有改裝 → 保險公司會當作「一般用車」。

2️⃣ 長期「住在車上」—— ⚠ 有些保險可能不賠

以下情況需特別注意：

  • 每天睡在車上，視車為 primary home（主要住所）
  • 車內放大量行李、家當
  • 車輛長期停在沒有監控的地方
  • 沒有固定地址（可能影響保費與合法性）

這時，有些保險項目可能：

  • 被視為「高風險使用」
  • 因居住用途不同而調整保費
  • 理賠時被要求提供更多證明與文件

3️⃣ 改車族（拆座椅、床架、電線、太陽能等）—— 🚫 有些狀況完全不賠

以下多半屬於「車輛結構改裝」：

  • ❌ 拆座椅
  • ❌ 加固定床台或木作結構
  • ❌ 接電線做照明或 110V 插座
  • ❌ 加裝太陽能板與電池系統
  • ❌ 裝水箱、瓦斯爐、抽風扇、小廚房

一旦發生火災、失火、電線走火、水漏：

  • 普通汽車保險很可能以「未告知改裝」為由拒賠
  • 需要另外投保 RV / 改裝車專用保險，保障才會比較完整

4️⃣ 有人闖車、砸車、偷東西 —— ✔ 未改裝情況下，多半由 Comprehensive 理賠

在「原廠、未改裝」的前提下，以下狀況通常是 Comprehensive 的範圍：

  • 車窗被砸、車門被撬
  • 車內東西被偷
  • 車身遭到惡意破壞

但如果：

  • 你把車改成 mini home
  • 車內放很多高價物品（相機、電腦、現金、珠寶…）

通常會需要：

  • Renter’s insurance／租客保險 才能保障個人物品
  • Car insurance 主要只保障「車子本身」與特定附件

5️⃣ 給睡車族的保險建議（保持合法、安全、保險有效）

  • ✔ 車子不要做「固定」改裝（床架釘死在車體上等等）
  • ✔ 不要拆原廠座椅
  • ✔ 不要亂拉電線或高風險電器
  • ✔ 晚上盡量停在光線好、人多、相對安全的地方
  • ✔ 貴重物品不要外露
  • ✔ 以短期 road trip、合理休息為主，保險多半可以接受

簡單說：

「短期睡車」通常還在汽車保險的世界裡；
「長期住車＋硬改裝」就慢慢走向 RV／房車保險的領域了。

 

🔗 Vanlife 保險系列 Link

🔥 English Version ｜ Vanlife, Car Camping & Insurance

My 4-Day Car-Sleep Journey from NC to CA

In 2023, I drove from North Carolina to California for a cross-country move.
During this trip, I spent 4 days and 3 nights sleeping in my car.

  • It was not an RV.
  • Not a converted camper.
  • Just a regular SUV with the back seats folded down, a sleeping bag, and highway rest stops.

This experience helped me understand much more clearly:

  • What does a standard auto policy actually cover?
  • Does sleeping in your car change your coverage?
  • Where is the line between a short car-camping trip and “living” in your vehicle?

Vanlife vs. simple car camping — the insurance impact can be very different.

1️⃣ Short-term car sleeping in a normal (unmodified) vehicle — ✔ Usually covered

If your car is not modified — no seats removed, no permanent bed frame, no DIY wiring —
and you only sleep in the car for a few nights during a road trip:

✨ Your auto policy usually still applies as normal.

It may include:

  • Liability – coverage for damage you cause to others
  • Collision – damage to your own vehicle from a crash
  • Comprehensive – theft, glass breakage, vandalism, certain weather events
  • Medical or PIP – depends on your specific policy

📌 Key point: As long as the car is not structurally modified,
most insurers still treat it as a regular personal vehicle.

2️⃣ “Living” in your vehicle long-term — ⚠ May trigger coverage questions

Be extra careful if:

  • You sleep in the car almost every night and treat it as your primary home.
  • You keep most of your personal belongings in the vehicle.
  • The car is parked long-term in unsecured areas.
  • You don’t have a stable residential address on file with the insurer.

In these situations, an insurer may:

  • View the usage as higher risk.
  • Re-evaluate your rating and premiums.
  • Ask for additional documentation if a claim is filed.

3️⃣ Vehicle conversions (bed frames, wiring, solar, built-ins) — 🚫 Some losses may not be covered

Examples of modifications that often fall outside a standard auto policy:

  • Removing factory seats.
  • Building a fixed wooden bed platform.
  • Running additional wiring for lights, outlets, or appliances.
  • Installing solar panels and battery systems.
  • Adding water tanks, stoves, fans, or a mini kitchen.

If a fire, short circuit, water damage, or structural issue is caused by those DIY changes,
your insurer may argue:

  • The risk was not disclosed.
  • The loss is related to non-approved modifications.
  • A standard auto policy was never intended for this type of “tiny home on wheels.”

In those cases, you may need:

  • Specialty RV / conversion-van coverage to properly protect the build and contents.

4️⃣ Break-ins, vandalism, and theft — ✔ Usually under Comprehensive (for unmodified cars)

When the vehicle is still stock and unmodified, Comprehensive may cover:

  • Broken windows, pried-open doors.
  • Vandalism to the vehicle body.
  • Theft of certain items attached to the car.

However, if you’re storing high-value personal items such as:

  • Professional cameras and lenses
  • Laptops and electronics
  • Cash, jewelry, collectibles

You’ll often need additional coverage, such as:

  • Renter’s or homeowner’s insurance to protect your personal property.
  • Auto insurance mainly focuses on the vehicle itself, not all of your household
    belongings traveling with you.

5️⃣ Practical tips for car sleepers — stay safe and keep your coverage intact

  • ✔ Avoid permanent structural modifications to the vehicle.
  • ✔ Don’t remove factory seats unless you’ve checked with your insurer.
  • ✔ Be careful with any DIY electrical work or heating systems.
  • ✔ Park in well-lit, safer areas whenever possible.
  • ✔ Keep valuables out of sight (or carry them with you).
  • ✔ Use car sleeping for short-term trips instead of a long-term housing solution.

In short, short-term car camping usually fits within the world of auto insurance;
once you turn the vehicle into a full-time tiny home on wheels, you’re moving
into the world of RV / specialty policies instead.

 

🔗 Vanlife Series Links