Hanover Adds Motorcycle Insurance in Maryland and Virginia, ORV Coverage in 4 More States

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) opened motorcycle insurance sales in Maryland and Virginia on May 14, 2026, and added off-road vehicle coverage in Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania the same day. Riders in those six states can now bundle motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides, or snowmobiles onto an existing Hanover auto or homeowners policy.

What The Hanover Launched on May 14

The carrier announced the expansion in a press release out of Worcester, Massachusetts, naming Daniel C. Halsey, president of personal lines, as the executive driving the strategy. Halsey called the recreational lines part of a "total account" approach, a phrase the company uses to signal that motorcycles, ORVs, homes, autos, umbrellas, cyber, and collector cars all sit on one policy roster.

Three coverage features anchor the new lineup. The agreed value option pays the policy-stated value of a bike at total loss, sidestepping the depreciation hit baked into standard actual cash value settlements. Custom equipment coverage runs $1,500 per claim, and rider safety apparel coverage adds $1,000 on top. The Platinum waiver of deductible activates only when a customer carries two or more Hanover policies and a single covered event damages both.

"These offerings further advance our total account strategy that helps protect our customers' homes, vehicles and lifestyles," said Daniel C. Halsey, president of personal lines at The Hanover. "Recreational lines help our agents deliver a more holistic insurance experience by placing all coverages with a single carrier."

Why "Agreed Value" Matters for Custom Bikes

Most motorcycle policies pay out on an actual cash value (ACV) basis at total loss. That formula takes the bike's market value and subtracts depreciation, and it can sting badly for owners of customized machines. Picture a 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide bought for $25,000 with $8,000 in aftermarket exhaust, saddlebags, paint, and lighting. Under an ACV settlement after a 2026 theft, the depreciated market value might land near $16,000, leaving the owner short by roughly $17,000 once aftermarket parts are factored in.

Hanover's agreed value rider pays the full insured value the customer locked in at policy issue. Layer the $1,500 custom equipment coverage and $1,000 safety apparel pool on top, and the same total-loss claim recovers materially more on a policy declaration that explicitly lists each modification. Progressive, Dairyland, Markel, and Foremost all offer comparable accessory coverage, but Hanover's package puts agreed value, custom equipment, and apparel coverage into a single quoted product instead of selling them as separate riders. Riders unfamiliar with this valuation method can read our deeper explainer on how agreed value insurance works.

State-By-State Rules in the Six New Markets

State	New Hanover Product	Helmet Law	Key Requirement
Maryland	Motorcycle	Universal (fine up to $500)	30/60/15 liability minimum
Virginia	Motorcycle	Universal (DOT-compliant)	30/60/20 liability minimum
Maine	Off-Road Vehicle	ATV and snowmobile riders under 18	Registration via Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
New Hampshire	Off-Road Vehicle	OHRV riders under 18	Registration via Fish and Game
Ohio	Off-Road Vehicle	APV riders under 16	Registration and title via ODNR
Pennsylvania	Off-Road Vehicle	ATV riders under 18	Registration via DCNR

Source: Maryland MVA, Virginia DMV, Maine IF&W, New Hampshire Fish and Game, Ohio DNR, and Pennsylvania DCNR; current statutes as of May 2026.

Maryland riders pay an average $612 per year for full coverage motorcycle insurance, according to InsuredBetter data published in early 2026. Virginia falls into Progressive's higher-cost pricing tier alongside Connecticut, Michigan, and New York. Both states impose a universal helmet law, which underwriters use as a small credit when pricing bodily injury coverage. Maryland drivers shopping for car insurance can compare statewide pricing on our Maryland car insurance page, while Virginia residents can check the same numbers on the Virginia car insurance page.

The ORV Coverage Gap Homeowners Insurance Will Not Fix

Off-road vehicle owners run into one specific claim trap: a homeowners policy almost never follows the vehicle past the property line. Most HO-3 forms cover ATV liability only while the machine sits on the named insured location, and the carrier denies the claim the second a rider crosses onto a trail, a state forest, or a public road crossing. Foremost data published on its ORV product page lists trail accidents and theft from trailers as the two largest claim categories, both of which an HO-3 typically excludes.

Hanover's ORV line is a standalone policy that pairs with the auto policy, covering ATVs, side-by-sides (UTVs), snowmobiles, and dirt bikes. The Platinum waiver of deductible matters here: if a covered fire damages a garage and the snowmobile parked inside on the same night, the rider files one claim and pays one deductible instead of two.

How This Stacks Up Against Progressive and Foremost

Progressive holds the largest share of the U.S. motorcycle insurance market and brands itself as the country's number-one motorcycle insurer. Foremost (a Farmers subsidiary) and Markel sit further behind, with Dairyland and GEICO rounding out the top tier of bike-specific writers. Hanover, ranked twelfth-largest U.S. property and casualty insurer by direct premiums written, sells exclusively through independent agents, which limits the carrier's national reach but pushes higher retention rates in the agent-driven channel. Riders comparing carriers can read our full Progressive auto insurance review for a head-to-head feel, or look at our Erie Insurance review, which also writes in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The bundling pitch is where Hanover differentiates. A Maryland rider with a Hanover auto policy can now add motorcycle coverage and call one agent for both claims, instead of running a separate Progressive bike policy alongside an Allstate or USAA auto policy. Riders weighing the bundling math should check our home and auto bundle tips guide before binding. The Hanover reported a record $186.8 million in first-quarter 2026 net income ($5.20 per diluted share) and a 20.9% return on equity, and personal lines is the segment the company expects to grow through these recreational-line additions.

What You Should Do Now

Looking Ahead

The Hanover signaled plans to expand ORV coverage to additional states later in 2026, but the May 14 release did not name specific markets. The carrier already runs collector car coverage in partnership with Hagerty (added in 2025) and cyber coverage as a personal-lines add-on, both of which point to a continued bundling strategy under Halsey's unit. Riders in the 35 states still outside the motorcycle footprint and the 40 states without ORV coverage should watch for state-by-state filings with their respective insurance departments through the second half of 2026. Browse rate context for any state on our car insurance by state hub.

Frequently Asked Questions