HELP, car insurance will only insure upto 7metres

[DQ2025]

We’ve just bought a normal, single axle, 4 berth Bailey Madrid. I thought I’d better ring up my insurance company (RAC) to let them know we’d now be towing and get the policy amended and they said they would only insure a maximum length (including car) of 7metres. Well, the caravan alone is 7.25m in length according to the manufacturers spec (shipping length I’m going by, not external length, is that correct?) so obviously that policy or even any policy with the RAC isn’t going to be viable.

Have I got this wrong? Should I be going by the internal length? (5.5 metres) but then our car is surely going to be more than 1.5 metres?

Anyway, did anyone else have this problem? Can anyone recommend an insurance company that won’t have restrictions on tow length to exclude what should be a normal sized caravan?!

TIA, caravan newbies and my first post!

 

[otherclive]

We’ve just bought a normal, single axle, 4 berth Bailey Madrid. I thought I’d better ring up my insurance company (RAC) to let them know we’d now be towing and get the policy amended and they said they would only insure a maximum length (including car) of 7metres. Well, the caravan alone is 7.25m in length according to the manufacturers spec (shipping length I’m going by, not external length, is that correct?) so obviously that policy or even any policy with the RAC isn’t going to be viable.

Have I got this wrong? Should I be going by the internal length? (5.5 metres) but then our car is surely going to be more than 1.5 metres?

Anyway, did anyone else have this problem? Can anyone recommend an insurance company that won’t have restrictions on tow length to exclude what should be a normal sized caravan?!

TIA, caravan newbies and my first post!

If best check with RAC as most cars will fall between 4.5-5.0m so all you could tow would be a very small trailer. A normal clause is a 7m caravan, and that’s the body length not the shipping length which includes A frame. If they haven’t made an error cancel your policy. If you are within the 14 days cooling off period you should be able to cancel the policy and find a suitable one.

 

[rich0805]

I've always added a towbar as a modification when getting car insurance but have never told them or been asked about what I tow.

 

[DQ2025]

when I googled if you’re meant to notify your insurer if you intend to tow a caravan- I got this and given that my current policy only insures me for upto 7 metres, it’s a good job I did notify them and check!

I’m now starting to wonder whether the majority of caravan towers are doing so without adequate insurance cover. I’m just really hoping that 7metres isn’t standard maximum insurance capacity.

 

[DQ2025]

Just found this and now I’m really worried, so does that mean that anyone towing a caravan more than 7 metres in length with a vehicle with a maximum towing capacity of 3.5ton in the U.K. is doing so illegally?

Is our Bailey stupidly long or is 7.25 metres about average for a caravan?

 

[Jcloughie]

Better info here.

Towing with a car

Towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with a car, including the weight and size limits, and what licence you need to have

www.gov.uk

Note, the length does NOT include the ‘A’ frame.

John

 

[otherclive]

Just found this and now I’m really worried, so does that mean that anyone towing a caravan more than 7 metres in length with a vehicle with a maximum towing capacity of 3.5ton in the U.K. is doing so illegally?

Is our Bailey stupidly long or is 7.25 metres about average for a caravan?

For starters you are quoting Google AI not your policy from the RAC. So you should read your RAC policy T&C. But it stipulating a caravan length of 7.0 m isn’t unusual, as it’s also limited by the MAM of the tow vehicle. 7m is body length not shipping length. So the majority of those who tow caravan are quite legal with their tow car policy. Don’t forget that if you have an accident whilst towing your car policy doesn’t cover your caravan for damage. That requires a separate caravan insurance policy.

 

[rich0805]

My policy says

 

[Dustydog]

My caravan has a shipping length of 7,89 m and internal of 6.5.
I agree with Clive's points.
Does the OP have a copy of his RAC Proposal form?

 

[CustardAvenger]

Not seen this before.

Unless DQ2025 has mis-read the T&Cs the law as previously posted by Jcloughie states the maximum length and width of a trailer, excluding the A-frame which is key here, is 7m x 2.55m [c23' x 8' 4"] You legally cannot tow a longer caravan with a regular car that is 3500KG or less.

So if the RAC is being quoted correctly, you'd probably only get away with towing one of those little Erdé trailers from Halfords.

 

[RogerL]

My caravan has a shipping length of 7,89 m and internal of 6.5.
I agree with Clive's points.
Does the OP have a copy of his RAC Proposal form?

Part of the problem is that the UK legal restriction for cars towing trailers relates to the external body length excluding A-frame - and caravan makers don't generally publish that.

I suspect that the RAC Online policy restriction relates to 7m body length but is badly worded.

 

[Dustydog]

Part of the problem is that the UK legal restriction for cars towing trailers relates to the external body length excluding A-frame - and caravan makers don't generally publish that.

I suspect that the RAC Online policy restriction relates to 7m body length but is badly worded.

As usual on here a lot of the “evidence”is AI. Frankly meaningless and irrelevant to a constructive discussion