insurance

A helpful guide to Choosing Caravan Insurance.

Whether you are considering buying your first caravan or you’re a seasoned caravan owner, insuring your caravan is something you should strongly consider for a number of reasons.

Although caravan insurance is not a legal requirement, unlike motor vehicle insurance, it is important to consider insuring your caravan to protect yourself from financial loss if the worse should happen. Insuring your caravan means that if you are victim of a theft, accidental damage, fire or flood its reassuring to know, that for a yearly premium, you will be covered.

It is worth noting that when towing your caravan your car insurance policy will only cover your car and any third party liability to others. They will not cover damage to your caravan if you are found responsible for any collision.

When we bought our Adria Isonzo one on the first things we did was ensure we had caravan insurance in place to cover our new purchase. The amount of money people spend on their caravan can vary greatly but one question you have to ask is if something happens to your caravan can you financially afford to suffer that loss. If you have purchased through personal finance you will still be liable to pay that money back and they may stipulate you do have to take out a policy of cover.

There are a number of caravan insurance companies to chose from and it can become a bit of a minefield knowing what you are covered for and if you will receive a professional and efficient service if you need to make a claim. You can obtain quotes online through comparison search sites, the insurance companies’ website or phone.

Like with everything in life, you get what you pay for, don’t rush in to buying the cheapest policy you find to save money as it may not cover you for all eventualities or meet your needs.

So, what should you be looking for in a caravan insurance provider to ensure you chose a credible company. 

Firstly, you want to check that they are rated with Defaqto. Defaqto is an independent financial research company that compares products and rates them on their products and benefits, and five stars is their highest rating. 

Once you have checked their Defaqto rating you would be wise to check the reviews that their current customers have given about the insurance provider. Are their customers happy with the service they have received, have they made a claim and was the claims process positive, these are the things you want to be looking for. There are a number of review centres online that will provide this information for you.

So, where do you start to obtain your quotes and what information will you need. Whether you are going online or on the phone to get your quotes you are going to need your own personal details, the manufacturer and model of your caravan, details of where it is stored and a knowledge of the security devices you use. Insurance companies will offer discounts for secure storage at CaSSOA storage sites and on approved and tested security devices, such as the Al-Ko chassis wheel locks, alarms, and Thatcham approved trackers like Phantom. Insurance companies vary in what the they will offer discounts on and which level of security they specify. Discounts also apply for club memberships with some caravan insurers.

Like motor vehicle insurance you will build up a no claims discount which is transferable between insurance providers.

We personally have chosen to insure with Caravan Guard for a number of important reasons, mainly because they provide a high level of cover and are highly rated based on the ratings I have just covered.

Caravan Guard are an insurance company who offer specialised insurance for leisure vehicles, including caravans, campervans, motorhomes, fifth wheelers and trailer tents. Their policies are underwritten by Royal and Sun Alliance (RSA), a reputable company in its own right with years of experience of providing products to customers. 

Caravan Guard are Defaqto rated and have been awarded the five star rating, the highest achievable. 

When I chose Caravan Guard I checked their customer review rating on review centre.  They received a rating of 4.7/5 by customers and 95.6% would recommend them to others. 

They are also a member of the National Caravan Council, NCC, which is an important body within the caravan industry.

As well as their ratings I wanted to know my Adria caravan would be covered for any eventuality. Caravan Guard will cover accidental damage, storm damage – including our awning, theft, fire and flood. Caravan insurance is similar to motor vehicle insurance in that it won’t cover mechanical defect or failure and it’s important to maintain your caravan through yearly servicing and tyre checks.

Caravan Guard also offers a 24 hour UK based helpline for if the worse happens and if you are considering travelling to Europe, like we are, you get 180 days cover as standard, with an option to extend this to 240 days. If you are involved in a collision or accident abroad and your caravan can’t be towed due to damage, Caravan Guard will recover your caravan and re-deliver it back to the UK so it can be assessed and repaired, or replaced. They do offer new for old cover, which is what we opted for. With this level of cover, if we had bought our caravan on finance, then Caravan Guard’s caravan insurance policy would pay for any outstanding finance should our Adria be stolen or so badly damaged it had to be replaced.

We don’t let anyone use our Adria but if you do let family or friends use your leisure vehicle then it will also be insured for this use.

Underwriter: RSA

New for old: Yes

Euro Cover: 180 days

Protected NCD: No

Key cover: Yes up to £500

Public liability: £2.5 million 

Legal cover: No

Caravan Club Insurance

Policy Cost: £444

Underwriter: CAMC

New for old: Yes

Euro Cover: 182 days

Protected NCD: No

Key cover: No

Public liability: £5 million 

Legal cover: No

With Caravan Guard we qualified for a number of discounts including:

10% Club discount 

10% axle wheel lock

10% Cassoa Gold storage

Up to 25% NCD

Up to 10% policy holder aged over 30 years

Whilst obtaining quotes for our Adria we found Caravan Guard competitive for the level of cover and their reputable standing, their quote was £100 less than a quote from a Caravan Club and was only £50 more than the cheapest company through a search engine. When I chose Caravan Guard I wanted to ensure I was getting the best cover for my money with the reassurance of being with a caravan insurance specialist. If something does happen to my Adria I want to know my claim will be dealt with quickly and professionally. 

We chose Caravan Guard as they are a reputable Yorkshire company, and being from Yorkshire that’s important. They are easily contactable online, by telephone and email. I found it very easy to get my online quote, and then accepted this online and made payment. My documents came through by email, as requested, the following day and were all accurate. We like that Caravan Guard have a strong social media presence and regularly interact with the caravan and motorhome community. They also offer plenty of practical advice on their website, including blog posts and videos. 

I haven’t had to make any claim with them, and I hope I don’t have to but if I do I have confidence they will deal with it efficiently.