Homeowners stops at the property line.
Why your ATV, side-by-side, or dirt bike needs its own policy the moment it leaves your land, what Nationwide's Powersports program covers — your gear, your passengers, and your custom work — and the honest read on Arkansas's off-road rules. From an independent agency that places Nationwide every day.
The short answer
Your homeowners policy generally covers an ATV only on your own property — the moment you trailer it to a trail, a WMA, or a friend's land, that coverage typically stops. Nationwide's Powersports program (the same one behind its motorcycle coverage) insures the machine wherever you ride, and covers the things that matter off-road: your gear (up to $2,000), your passengers and family (Guest Bodily Injury, standard), and your custom work (up to $3,000, with agreed value for built machines). ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, snowmobiles and more are all eligible.
The trail isn't covered by your house.
This is the ATV surprise: people assume the four-wheeler is "on the homeowners policy," and in a narrow sense it sometimes is — right up until it leaves the yard.
only the homeowners limit
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude liability for motorized vehicles like ATVs, with a narrow allowance for use on your own insured property — and physical damage to the machine is usually excluded or badly under-limited.
Off your land, you're on your own.
The second you load the machine on a trailer and head to a trail, a wildlife management area, a hunting lease, or a buddy's property, the homeowners liability that felt like enough typically stops responding. If someone is hurt, or you damage someone else's property, you can be personally exposed — and the machine itself, often a five-figure side-by-side, has little or no coverage for a rollover or fire.
A dedicated off-road policy is what closes that gap: it covers your liability to others, physical damage to the machine, and — with Nationwide — your gear and passengers, wherever you ride. If the ATV ever leaves your yard, assume it needs its own policy until proven otherwise.
Where you can ride — and where you can't.
Arkansas treats ATVs and off-highway vehicles as off-road machines. As a general rule, operating them on public streets and highways is prohibited, with several narrow statutory exceptions — for instance, certain roads outside city limits, crossing a road to get from one trail to another, or specifically designated routes. There are registration and equipment rules, and the details can vary and change over time.
Because those specifics shift, the honest advice is to check the current Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and state rules for where and how you can legally ride, rather than trusting a webpage to be current on the statute. What doesn't change is the risk: off-road terrain, passengers, and other people's property create real liability and damage exposure — which is what the coverage is actually for.
Gear is smart even where it isn't required.
Arkansas doesn't impose the same across-the-board helmet rule for ATVs that it does for motorcycle riders under 21, and requirements can differ by age, land, and situation. But head injuries are the leading cause of ATV fatalities, so a DOT-approved helmet and real gear are worth wearing regardless — and worth insuring, which is exactly what the Safety Equipment coverage below does.
The coverages built for off-road.
Guest Bodily Injury
Extends bodily-injury coverage to any passenger — including household family members. On a side-by-side built to carry the whole family, this is the coverage that matters most.
Safety Equipment
Helmets, riding gear, and similar safety items, covered up to $2,000 when you carry Collision. The gear you wear on the trail replaced when it takes a hit.
Custom Equipment
After-market upgrades, custom work, and add-ons — the lifted, winched, re-tired reality of the side-by-side world. Higher limits available for a built machine.
Vanishing Deductible
Included with comprehensive and collision. $100 off your deductible after a 30-day wait, then $100 for each accident-, lapse-, and major-violation-free year, to a $500 maximum.
OEM parts coverage
Original Equipment Manufacturer coverage pays for genuine manufacturer replacement parts after a covered loss, instead of aftermarket substitutes.
Agreed Value
Pays the amount shown on your declarations at a total loss — required for converted, assembled, and heavily customized machines, and optional for vintage. No depreciation fight on a machine you built.
The ones worth mentioning.
Nationwide's off-road discounts reward bundling, ownership, safety, and a clean record — several only apply if someone brings them up.
Multi-Policy & Multi-Vehicle
Applies when the machine joins other Nationwide policies — auto, home, commercial, or other Powersports — and when you insure more than one machine on the policy.
Riding Association & Homeowner
Membership in a riding association earns a discount, and so does owning a home — including a farm — or a condo/townhouse, whether or not it's insured with Nationwide.
Course & Anti-Theft
Completing an Accident Prevention Course earns a credit, as does a professionally installed theft-recovery or anti-theft device.
Prior, Claim-Free & more
Credits for continuous prior coverage, staying claim-free at renewal, quoting in advance, and paying the term in full. Small levers, all free.
If it leaves the pavement, ask.
Nationwide's Powersports program covers a broad range of off-road machines — and several can share one policy.
Hauling the machines counts too.
Open and enclosed trailers used to haul eligible off-road vehicles — without living quarters, valued at $15,000 or less — can be covered for comprehensive and collision, with liability extended from the towing vehicle. Two wheels, four wheels, or the trailer that carries them, it's one conversation.
Usually less than people expect.
Off-road premiums depend on the machine, its value and custom work, coverage selections, and how many machines are on the policy — so a planning number would mislead more than help. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. What reliably helps: bundling onto an auto or home account for the multi-policy discount and putting multiple machines on one policy. That's the number we'll build with you — often for less than riders assume a separate policy would cost.
Backed by an A (Excellent) carrier.
On November 7, 2025, AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) for the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group, stable outlook — the companies behind this coverage in Arkansas.
Where we earn it on an off-road policy.
The off-road mistakes are consistent: riders assume the homeowners policy has it handled when it doesn't, the valuation is left at stock value on a built machine, and the gear and passenger coverages never get set. We fix those at the quote. And because we're independent, if Nationwide's Powersports program isn't the best home for your machine, we place it with one of our 40-plus other markets instead.
The policies around this one.
Nationwide ATV & off-road questions.
Doesn't my homeowners policy already cover my ATV?
Only in a limited way, and usually not where you actually ride. Standard homeowners policies generally exclude liability for motorized vehicles like ATVs and side-by-sides, with a narrow allowance for use on your own insured property.
The moment you trailer the machine to a trail, a WMA, a friend's land, or anywhere off your property, that homeowners liability typically stops responding — and physical damage to the machine is usually excluded or badly under-limited. A dedicated off-road policy covers the machine, your liability to others, and often your gear, wherever you ride.
Does Nationwide cover side-by-sides, dirt bikes, and other off-road machines?
Yes. Nationwide's Powersports program — the same program behind its motorcycle coverage — writes a wide range of off-road machines: ATVs, utility vehicles and side-by-sides (UTVs), dirt bikes, snowmobiles, golf carts, dune buggies up to a value limit, lawn and garden tractors, personal transporters, and off-road trailers.
If it's built to leave the pavement, it's worth a quote, and several of these can go on the same policy.
Are passengers covered on my side-by-side?
This is a big one for side-by-sides, which are made to carry people. Nationwide includes Guest Bodily Injury automatically with liability coverage, extending bodily-injury coverage to any passenger on the vehicle, including household family members.
Because families ride side-by-sides together, the fact that this covers your own family matters — some policies quietly exclude household members riding as passengers, which is exactly the group most likely to be aboard.
Does Nationwide cover my gear and my custom work?
Yes to both. Safety Equipment coverage includes up to $2,000 for helmets, riding gear, and similar safety items when you carry Collision. Custom Equipment includes up to $3,000 for after-market upgrades, with higher limits available — relevant for the lifted, winched, re-tired side-by-side world.
And for machines that have been converted, assembled, or heavily customized, Agreed Value pays the amount shown on your declarations at a total loss rather than a depreciated stock value. If you've built it up, insure it up.
Can I ride my ATV on the road in Arkansas?
Generally no. Arkansas treats ATVs and off-highway vehicles as off-road machines, and operating them on public streets and highways is broadly prohibited, with several narrow exceptions — for example, certain roads outside city limits, crossing a road between trails, or specifically designated routes.
Registration and equipment rules apply and can vary, and the details change, so check the current Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and state rules for where and how you can ride. Whatever the law requires, the liability and damage exposure off-road is real, which is what the insurance is for.
How do I get a Nationwide ATV or side-by-side quote in Northwest Arkansas?
Start at our personal lines quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Tell us the machine, its value, any custom work, and whether you're insuring more than one — bundling with your auto or home earns a multi-policy discount, and there are credits for safety courses and riding-association membership that only apply if someone mentions them.
If you've built up a side-by-side, ask specifically about agreed value so a total loss reflects what you actually put into it.
If our insurance guides and coverage comparisons are helpful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas riders can find our local explanations.
Nationwide is one of 40+ carriers we represent.
Which means we can tell you honestly whether Nationwide's Powersports program is the right home for your machine — or whether one of our other markets fits better. Tell us what you ride, what you've done to it, and what's already on your account, and we'll close the homeowners gap, set the valuation, and put the gear and passenger coverages in place. If a different carrier fits better, we'll say so.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Nationwide, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Nationwide. "Nationwide," "Nationwide is on your side," "On Your Side," and "Vanishing Deductible" are service marks or trademarks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. Nationwide's Arkansas off-road and powersports policies are issued by Nationwide-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes coverage in general terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Coverage, endorsements, valuation options, eligibility, program terms and availability vary by state, by policy, and over time, are set by the carrier, and are subject to underwriting approval and to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Safety Equipment, Custom Equipment, Guest Bodily Injury, Vanishing Deductible, OEM, and Agreed Value features are subject to coverage requirements, limits, and state availability. Descriptions of the homeowners motorized-vehicle exclusion are general; your homeowners policy's terms control. If anything on this page conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A (Excellent) rating referenced applies to the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group. Statements about Arkansas ATV and off-highway-vehicle law are general information, not legal advice, and requirements change; confirm current rules with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and applicable state and local authorities.
Last reviewed July 2026.