Caravan insurance companies

[Dustydog]

Hi, I went about getting caravan insurance today and was suggested to try get it added to my house insurance. Unfortunately the insure don’t offer this anymore with house ins. Would this be the way people tend to insure caravans in general. I was quoted €177 for ins for a caravan worth €12500. Is this a good figure would people know.
Also Is there any pitfalls with certain insurance to watch out for. My car ins have

Assuming it is a touring caravan your own home Insurer will usually cover contents away from the home for a small price. But why bother. All my caravan and its contents are insured with Caravan and Motorhome Club own insurance cover. As Clive has also explained it’s a one stop shop including the caravan and equipment. Whilst attached to the towing vehicle any third party claim will be covered by your car insurer..
May I suggest you get quotes from both Clubs , and maybe Google other caravan insurance providers.
I pay CAMC £251.00 for a market value of £15000 plus equipment and contents, so your £177 looks good at face value.

 

[Raywood]

Hi, I went about getting caravan insurance today and was suggested to try get it added to my house insurance. Unfortunately the insure don’t offer this anymore with house ins. Would this be the way people tend to insure caravans in general. I was quoted €177 for ins for a caravan worth €12500. Is this a good figure would people know.
Also Is there any pitfalls with certain insurance to watch out for. My car ins have confirmed I’m covered to tow.

It is a long time since I remember this being possible. Basically buying is the same as any other insurance policy or for that matter most things. Cheap usually means not as good, expensive means expensive and somewhere in the middle is normally the best bet. I would look for DEFAQTO which gives the best cover, if it does not have that something or things may be missing. Ignore Trust Pilot and similar all they tell you is how well they sell the policy and not what the claims service is like which is what counts.
I would look at NFU Mutual, Caravanguard, Saga and C&CC as a start.
The car insurance covers you against third party claims when towing as required by the RTA but not damage to the caravan. You need accidental damage cover for the caravan to cover you for damage to it when towing. The caravan policy will also cover you for third party claims when not towing.

 

[Cons]

It is a long time since I remember this being possible. Basically buying is the same as any other insurance policy or for that matter most things. Cheap usually means not as good, expensive means expensive and somewhere in the middle is normally the best bet. I would look for DEFAQTO which gives the best cover, if it does not have that something or things may be missing. Ignore Trust Pilot and similar all they tell you is how well they sell the policy and not what the claims service is like which is what counts.
I would look at NFU Mutual, Caravanguard, Saga and C&CC as a start.
The car insurance covers you against third party claims when towing as required by the RTA but not damage to the caravan. You need accidental damage cover for the caravan to cover you for damage to it when towing. The caravan policy will also cover you for third party claims when not towing.

What’s DEFAQTO please ? I’ve got the insurance through OBF in the end as Zurich stopped doing caravans onto house insurance last year they told me.
When you say accidental damage cover for when towing would this be an add on to my car policy or something I ask for with the caravan insurance.
Thanks

 

[ProfJohnL]

In the UK ( it's different in other countries) you must have at least third party insurance on the car. You can option fully comp but that includes the Road Traffic Act minimum third party.

The third party covers all legal uses of the car, including towing, but it is always advisable to inform your insurer that you intend to tow, and to volunteer what you will be towing so the insurer can't say they weren't aware of you intention.

In the UK trailers do not have to have accidental damage insurance cover, so if you want it, you have to take out an additional cover just for the trailer. Because it's not a legal requirement, there is no "standard" for the cover, you must check the detail of the policy to make sure it offers what you are looking for.

Low cost policies should be viewed with real caution, Are they cheap becasue they limit the insurance companies liabilities too much? Or perhaps they are not specially experienced with trailer insurance so they don't provide cover that you want.

It has to said that both caravan clubs have arranged policies which seem to offer a good mix of cover designed for the speciality of caravanning, and their claims processes are often applauded. There are some other mainstream insurers who have also gained a good reputation for dealing with claims fairly and quickly, but it has to be said these policies are not the cheapest, but they do seem to meet the needs of caravanners better than many.

 

[Buckman]

In some countries when you buy the vehicle tax the third party cover is automatically included. I think that should happen here.

 

[Dustydog]

In some countries when you buy the vehicle tax the third party cover is automatically included. I think that should happen here.

So the EVs not only get Road tax free but TP Insurance as well? I prefer competition. Left to HMG we will all be fleeced. I’ll pass on this👍

 

[Buckman]

So the EVs not only get Road tax free but TP Insurance as well? I prefer competition. Left to HMG we will all be fleeced. I’ll pass on this👍

Doesn't tax free end next year. I think the TP policy in other countries is because the motorist probably pays the normal rate of tax same as any other car?

 

[Hutch]

So the EVs not only get Road tax free but TP Insurance as well? I prefer competition. Left to HMG we will all be fleeced. I’ll pass on this👍

The TP insurance is paid in the vehicle registration plate, so it is NOT free. A new registration plate every year.

 

[Raywood]

What’s DEFAQTO please ? I’ve got the insurance through OBF in the end as Zurich stopped doing caravans onto house insurance last year they told me.
When you say accidental damage cover for when towing would this be an add on to my car policy or something I ask for with the caravan insurance.
Thanks

This is a rating service for insurance policies which gives them one to five stars according to how good they are. You will see the ones with higher ratings such as Caravanguard displaying it. It is something you should look for, as it can be very had to find the differences between policies if you do not know what you are looking for.
The car policy covers only third party claims and not damage to your caravan. The RTA requires this cover and it is standard. A tow bar is a modification though and should be notified to your insurer although most do not increase the premium for it.

 

[Raywood]

In some countries when you buy the vehicle tax the third party cover is automatically included. I think that should happen here.

It would mean the tax would have to increase to cover the claims and a flat rate would hit good drivers, so I see no benefit to most of us. It does have some advantages in that it might show who were uninsured drivers, but given government inefficiency, would almost certainly cost us more.

 

[Buckman]

It would mean the tax would have to increase to cover the claims and a flat rate would hit good drivers, so I see no benefit to most of us. It does have some advantages in that it might show who were uninsured drivers, but given government inefficiency, would almost certainly cost us more.

That is correct and the road tax does increase however it is offset by the fact that a comprehensive should then be cheaper so it benefits all.

 

[Cons]

This is a rating service for insurance policies which gives them one to five stars according to how good they are. You will see the ones with higher ratings such as Caravanguard displaying it. It is something you should look for, as it can be very had to find the differences between policies if you do not know what you are looking for.
The car policy covers only third party claims and not damage to your caravan. The RTA requires this cover and it is standard. A tow bar is a modification though and should be notified to your insurer although most do not increase the premium for it.

Thanks

 

[otherclive]

Thanks

DEFAQTO allows you to compare what’s included in a policy. The higher star rating policies provide more than lower star rated. It doesn’t do anything to compare how good they are for dealing with a claim. Also many of the review site comments only relate to the purchasing of the policy again not how the company deal with claims.

 

[Raywood]

I know you disagree but the companies who give the best cover are generally the better companies. They make sure the policy is the best rather than sneak bits out and will normally be among the best for satisfaction with the claims service. I worked in the business and like most things you either try to get the whole thing right, or you cut corners everywhere.
Do you think the companies who sell you short on cover are not going to do the same with their claims service?

 

[Dustydog]

I know you disagree but the companies who give the best cover are generally the better companies. They make sure the policy is the best rather than sneak bits out and will normally be among the best for satisfaction with the claims service. I worked in the business and like most things you either try to get the whole thing right, or you cut corners everywhere.
Do you think the companies who sell you short on cover are not going to do the same with their claims service?

Looking at the compare dot coms even my old CU, now trading as Aviva List silver gold platinum. I hate this type of differentiation but it is about scope of cover. Arguably all three listings qualify for a Defaqto tick . The cover is different but the claim service will be very good on all three levels.
I suspect by now most of us Forumites could compile an accurate list of who does deal with claims in a time honoured fashion.
I’ll start with CAMC on my caravan , Aviva on my car although in that claim they were the TP Insurer. LV and NFU are also well regarded.

 

[Raywood]

Not sure if the idea of reporting bad claims service would breach the rules. We cannot name dealers but can manufacturers, so not clear where the lie is. At leas one insurer has been known to challenge bad reviews.

 

[Dustydog]

Not sure if the idea of reporting bad claims service would breach the rules. We cannot name dealers but can manufacturers, so not clear where the lie is. At leas one insurer has been known to challenge bad reviews.

The rules are clear. We cannot make any bad dealer , insurer etc. one did take us to task some years ago
As I said “I suspect by now most of us Forumites could compile an accurate list of who does deal with claims in a time honoured fashion.”
Note we only quote names of those who give good service👍

 

[Buckman]

The rules are clear. We cannot make any bad dealer , insurer etc. one did take us to task some years ago
As I said “I suspect by now most of us Forumites could compile an accurate list of who does deal with claims in a time honoured fashion.”
Note we only quote names of those who give good service👍

Was that the insurance company that deals with livestock and monthly premiums looked good until you realised that the premium was deducted every 4 weeks so actually 13 payments in a year?

 

[otherclive]

Was that the insurance company that deals with livestock and monthly premiums looked good until you realised that the premium was deducted every 4 weeks so actually 13 payments in a year?

Unlikely if #65 is valid. But I had to remove a post years ago when my wife’s Saab 9000 was written off, and the insurer was difficult to deal with and the initial offer of payment was derisory. After much work the claim offer was much improved. My wife whose family hail from Norfolk’s county town was not a happy bunny.

 

[Dustydog]

Was that the insurance company that deals with livestock and monthly premiums looked good until you realised that the premium was deducted every 4 weeks so actually 13 payments in a year?

It’s about ten years ago and is considered a taboo subject. When published I believe the Publishers were legally threatened if the comments were not removed

 

[Buckman]

It’s about ten years ago and is considered a taboo subject. When published I believe the Publishers were legally threatened if the comments were not removed

I don't think the company is still operational?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Why try to open up old wounds? especially when the forum made it clear that such comments were not to be made. Remember we are guests on this forum and we should not expose our hosts to any avoidable difficulties.

 

[Buckman]

What old wounds and why does it bother you? Are we not allow to discuss anything any more?

 

[Raywood]

I don't think the company is still operational?

It is, but a ten year old case is perhaps too old to rely on.

 

[Dustydog]

It is, but a ten year old case is perhaps too old to rely on.

Believe it or not it was 14 years ago. Best let sleeping dogs lie👍. And they still work on Lunar months!