If you are thinking of buying your first touring caravan, you want to know your options for protecting that investment with suitable caravan insurance. If you already own one, you want to be certain that when the renewal date comes around, the tourer caravan insurance you have continues to deliver the cover you need and still represents good value for money.
Either way, that leaves you with the knotty problem of which caravan insurance to choose – there are certainly many possibilities to choose from. But first, what does touring caravan insurance cover?
What does tourer insurance cover?
Touring caravan insurance policies may differ in their details from one to another but there are several elements most likely to be shared by any such policy:
The caravan
- at the heart of the cover, of course, is the caravan itself and its insurance against those risks and perils resulting in loss, theft, or damage;
- although your regular motor insurance may provide the legally-required third party cover when the caravan is being towed, that is as far as it is likely to go;
- what that basic third-party cover lacks, of course, is the comprehensive protection against accidental damage, loss, or theft;
- you must arrange specialist insurance for your touring caravan – against such major risks as fire, impacts (from other vehicles, falling trees or branches and even aeroplanes), flooding, storm damage, vandalism, and theft.
Where to find the most suitable caravan insurance
Establishing your individual insurance needs may be more complicated than it first appears – especially if you are relatively new to caravanning. It might be easy to overlook some potentially critical element to which attention needs to be given – and overlooking those details now might prove to be an expensive oversight in the future if something goes wrong.
Even when your specific insurance needs have been identified, there is still the next step of finding the insurer most likely to meet those needs and requirements – since it is a niche market, touring caravan insurance nevertheless comes in all shapes, sizes, and prices.
Ask a broker
Because the choice is so overwhelming and because it is important to get it right, you might want to consult an established and experienced broker in this sector of the insurance market such as ourselves here at Cover4Caravans.
You can use our online caravan insurance quotation service or simply pick up the ‘phone to give us a call. We will give you a quote carefully matched to your needs (and at what we believe is a cost-effective price) and answer any queries or concerns you may have about suitable caravan insurance
If you ever need to make a claim, then we are here to help you fill in the forms and do whatever it takes to secure a fair settlement of that claim.
Touring caravans and insurance considerations
With touring caravans and insurance, it is important to bear in mind the following:
Valuations
- the valuation of your caravan is one of the most critical steps involved in choosing the appropriate insurance;
- it is by no means always such a straightforward process and you might want to draw on our own many years’ of expertise and experience in arriving at accurate and realistic evaluations for insurance purposes – to ensure that you are not underinsured;
Value for money
- getting value for money on your caravan insurance is not a simple question of the cheapest price – it all depends on the cover offered, what you need, and the competitiveness of the premiums;
- do you need fully comprehensive cover, for example, or something rather more basic? Are you prepared to take on a greater proportion of the risk – and lower premiums in return – by accepting a higher excess? And are you hoping to use your caravan for holidays abroad from time to time?
- these are all questions that need consideration when choosing which caravan insurance to buy;
- remember, cheap caravan insurance is not necessarily the most suitable tourer insurance for you;
Mobility and security
- the distinctive feature of a touring caravan, of course, is its mobility;
- while you count it a blessing, that very mobility makes your ‘van a particular target for thieves;
- intruder alarms and anti-theft devices, therefore, are important considerations – and some insurers may credit you with a discount on premiums the greater the security efforts you have made (in addition to those required under your policy);
- in any event, there is one security consideration that the majority of caravan insurers are likely to include as a condition of cover whilst you are out and about in your tourer;
- you are likely to be required to fit both a hitchlock and wheel clamps if you leave the caravan unattended but still attached to the towing vehicle, or wheel clamps alone, when it is unhitched and pitched at your campsite or sitting on your driveway at home;
Storage
- with security considerations in mind once again, your insurer is also likely to express concern about the conditions under which the caravan is stored when it is not in use – over the winter period, for example;
- at Cover4Caravans we share that concern and for that reason offer attractive discounts on premiums (up to 20%) for those customers who store their touring caravan at a site designated and authorised by the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA);
- these sites – of which there are currently more than 400 across the country – provide heightened security for your caravan whilst it is temporarily out of use;
Contents
- don’t forget that touring caravan insurance can be extended to cover the contents of your caravan – and the amount and value of kit and personal possessions you take with you on holiday outings may be appreciable;
- when insuring the contents of your tourer, therefore, make sure that you are using an up to date, accurate and comprehensive valuation of every item;
- do note that special conditions may apply to your awnings – awnings are not often considered part of your caravan’s contents, so it’s important to check whether your policy includes this cover and if any specific exclusions apply. For example, insurers may require that awnings are securely stored or taken down in adverse weather conditions to remain covered;
Public liability
- one area which might be easy to overlook is the possibility of some accident involving your caravan which results in injury to or damage to the property of a third party or member of the public;
- although those who have suffered such loss or damage in a road traffic accident may typically be covered by your motor insurance, there are other instances – when your caravan is on the campsite, at your home, or in storage – when such accidents may occur;
- that is why you might also want to carefully consider the need for public liability insurance – which typically provides an indemnity against such claims when incorporated into your touring caravan insurance.
These are likely to be the principal considerations relating to your touring caravan insurance. But it is insurance particular to your individual needs and circumstance – so you are certain to want to tailor the cover to suit those needs.
Further reading:Â Guide to Caravan Insurance and Awning insurance: need to know.