With climate change and global warming, there are extreme weather phenomena in some places. Excessive temperature can adversely affect room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV) insulators. Other factors such as air pollution, dust, fog, rain, ice and snow, and ultraviolet rays can cause damage to the surface hydrophobicity of the RTV surface and reduce its service life. Contamination from the above factors increases the risk of flashover and corona discharge, which can lead to accidents in the transmission system, resulting in economic loss or personal injury. In recent decades, scientists have investigated a variety of materials that can be compounded with RTV to improve their chemical and physical properties in order to extend the service life of RTV insulators. In this review, we conduct an extensive literature survey and summary on the development and application of RTV coated insulators.