Choosing touring caravan insurance

What do you need to consider when your choose your touring caravan insurance? Let’s take a closer look.

First of all, there is no legal obligation for caravan insurance as such. But you need motor insurance, of course, for the towing vehicle and that typically offers at least third-party cover for the trailer (but check the precise wording of your car insurance policy).

So, why buy touring caravan insurance?

You are likely to be seriously out of pocket and upset if your touring caravan was damaged and you were unable to repair it or lacked the funds to replace it.

Touring caravan insurance provides just that protection – giving you the peace of mind, and financial wherewithal to repair or replace your caravan if disaster strikes (less any policy excess of course). It is insurance which covers the various risks of loss or damage to your caravan.

If that loss or damage happens while you are out and about, of course, your holiday plans may go astray if you don’t have adequate caravan insurance cover in place to help you sort things out.

What does caravan insurance cover?

It is important to note that product features and their terms and conditions may vary depending on the policy provider. Typically, however, insurance for caravans may include all or some of the following elements:

  • theft (from your agreed storage address or whilst you are using your caravan);
  • external damage (whether stationary or moving);
  • public liability cover;
  • accidental damage;
  • loss or damage abroad (under your European cover);
  • contents insurance cover if required.

Optional extras may also be available such as GAP insurance (for where you have bought a caravan on finance) and cover for your awning.

Bespoke touring caravan insurance – what to look for

Just as there are many different types of touring caravan, so there are many different types of caravan insurance, and you want to be able to tailor the cover to meet your specific requirements. To achieve that match, you might want to take into account several considerations, including:

  • the make and model of the caravan is important, of course, and specialist caravan insurance providers are likely to tell at a glance the kind of policies most likely to begin to meet your needs;
  • the age and value of the caravan also needs to be known – regarding the overall sum insured and the maximum settlement you may reach with the insurer in the event of a claim;
  • new for old caravan insurance. If you are buying new or nearly new, this may be an important consideration because many insurers offer a replacement as new settlement if your caravan becomes a total write-off after an accident. BUT, if it is older than the qualifying age, the settlement is likely to be based on your caravan’s estimated market value at the time (at Cover4Caravans, in the event of a successful claim, we typically offer new for old replacement for tourers up to 5 years of age, no matter how many previous owners it has had);
  • when you are towing the caravan, it is important that you remain street legal – that means that the caravan must be kept in a roadworthy condition and that you comply with the manufacturer’s maximum load weights;
  • the latter information is carried on a plate usually attached to the sidewall of your caravan (although its exact location may vary from one manufacturer to another) and effectively serves as the equivalent of the caravan’s unique “VIN” number;
  • the Camping and Caravanning Club explains the various weights you might see bandied about and the importance of adhering to the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of your towing vehicle and the Maximum Technically Permitted Laden Mass (MTPLM) 0f your tourer.

Are all policies the same?

Not all caravan insurance policies may provide the same level of cover or the same policy features and benefits. Some may offer all-singing-all-dancing policies that have additional cover included as standard. Others may not. So, what might you be looking for to help you find protection that is appropriate for your needs?

  • in the first instance, it may be important to recognise that, when getting a touring caravan insurance quote, taking some time to compare policies may make sense – opting for a particular policy based on its price alone may not tell you anything about the cover it provides;
  • if your tourer breaks down while you are touring, then the caravans cover available for its recovery and repair are obviously important – equally important though may be any provision for assistance with the costs of alternative accommodation to allow you to continue with your holiday;
  • if you are intending to take your tourer abroad then you may need to bear in mind that not all caravan insurance policies may cover continental touring as standard – check that there is adequate provision for the duration and the anticipated mileage of your trip;
  • remember also to check that the recovery, breakdown, and accommodation cover applies outside of the UK;
  • remember when estimating the caravan insurance value for your tourer that while your caravan may naturally be depreciating over time, the replacement cost for a new model, may not be;
  • many policies expect you to play your part in mitigating the risk of loss or damage – for example, by requiring that you fit a wheel clamp if you go off somewhere leaving your car and caravan still hitched up and add a hitchlock if you drive off for a trip leaving your caravan on-site;
  • you may also find that caravan insurance policies which provide cover for your awning do not include any of your belongings kept under it in their cover and may only cover storm damage to the awning if you were in the caravan at the time it happened;
  • remember that discounts may be available through some touring caravan insurance providers – here at Cover4Caravans, for example, we offer attractive discounts on premiums if you store your caravan at a CaSSOA-approved site.

Finally, remember that the way you buy your insurance is also a consideration. Rather than going directly to an insurer, where you may have a limited amount of choice, you may want to use the services of a broker such as us at Cover4Caravans, in order to look at a greater range of caravan insurance options, as well as get access to specialist advice.

Why buy touring caravan insurance from Cover4Caravans?

We know it’s a cliché but core to everything we do is one guiding principle – we know you have choice. And that’s our bedrock – not just an advertising convenience. We really do understand that you have a number of options open to you if you’re looking to buy caravan insurance online (or through other channels for that matter) and that you need hard objective justifications for entrusting us with your business.

To put it another way, we don’t expect you to buy caravan insurance from us just because we’re nice people!

So, here are some very solid – and, we think, powerful – persuaders to purchase your caravan insurance cover through Cover4Caravans.

Expertise

We’ve talked about this extensively over the years’ but excuse us if we do so again.

We have been arranging insurance cover for our clients since 1946. In that time, we have learned a thing or two about this domain and also the needs of caravan owners for appropriate cover.

Knowing the market

The UK insurance marketplace is probably among the most diverse and competitive in the world.

It’s important for any insurance provider to understand exactly where to place risk, in underwriting terms, so that it’s most appropriately located in order to benefit from the widest possible cover and the most attractive premiums. Unlike some brokers, we don’t always place our client’s policies with the same insurance underwriter time after time just because it’s administratively convenient for us to do so.

We maintain constant market awareness and make our arrangements based upon our assessment of the current state of the market and solutions that will be advantageous for you – not just easy for us.

You can also be sure that we accept without reservation the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) directive to ensure that we always put the interests of our customers first.

Excellence in business

We have invested heavily in training in best practice professional standards in order to ensure that all our clients receive an impeccable service.

We understand that you’re busy and can’t afford to spend longer on your caravan insurance than is absolutely necessary and you certainly haven’t got time to waste.

Our efficiency is something we’re profoundly proud of.

We subscribe to the independent Feefo website review and service rating service – and, once again, for 2020, we retain the coveted Platinum Trusted Service Award, with a consistent customer experience rating score of more than 4.9 out of 5.

We hope you agree that these are all powerful reasons why you should consider us for your caravan insurance!