When looking for touring caravan insurance it is important to use some common sense, or risk finding yourself out of pocket. In the UK, the law doesn’t insist that owners must specifically have insurance for their touring caravan, but it is nonetheless a very good idea to be covered. A shocking fact is that each year in the United Kingdom there are over 3,000 caravans stolen. What I hope to achieve here is enable you to make sensible choices to ensure you are properly covered in the event that you have to claim.
Price and what the policy covers are the main aspects to consider when looking for caravan insurance. You may have a nasty shock that you are not covered for what you are expecting if you just buy the cheapest policy on offer. So before looking around for the best price, you need to know what coverage you actually require.
Far and away the single best tip to save cash when buying caravan insurance is to make use of the web. The wealth of information it provides at your fingertips will make life much easier when it comes to buying your next policy. Many of the best caravan insurers have websites that will enable you to get quotes and details of their policies.
An obvious piece of common sense is to make sure you shop around for your policy, otherwise you are likely not to be paying the best price. If you don’t get prices from multiple insurers you are unlikely to be paying the lowest price that you could. You should be aware there are several different components to a touring caravan insurance policy, and as mentioned earlier, you should know what you need from each of these.
One of the primary decisions you need to make is whether to opt for ‘New for Old’ or ‘Market Value’ cover. New for Old means, as you would expect, that you will be provided with a new model of your existing caravan. This is normally only applicable for caravans up to five years old. Older caravans will only be covered for Market Value which, as you would expect, is the amount you would need to buy a like for like replacement for your caravan.
Continental insurance is another element that needs to be considered before plumping for a policy. If you don’t take your caravan abroad then you don’t need it, but if you do, you should make sure you are covered for a long enough period. The amount of continental coverage can vary quite widely between policies, so this should be checked.
You should be aware that there are things that will not be covered by a touring caravan insurance policy. You will find that jewellery is excluded among a variety of things - electronic devices being another - so you should have a look at your household insurance to see if that covers it. Anything that falls outside the coverage of your caravan and household insurance will need to be insured elsewhere if you feel it is needed.
You should also bear in mind that should your caravan become uninhabitable while you are away, you will need to find alternative accommodation. Many policies do cover for this eventuality, but you need to ensure that what is provided is adequate for your requirements.
It is possible to reduce the cost of caravan insurance by several different methods. Caravan clubs are one of main ways you will find that the insurers are willing to offer you a discount. Making your caravan more secure is another, with common devices like alarms, tracking devices, and axle locking devices being the common way.
Making sure you get the best price and the correct cover for your caravan requires some thought and research but is well worth it. You may end up with completely the wrong coverage at way over the odds in cost terms if you just buy the first policy you come across. So for peace of mind, spend a little time and effort when searching for your touring caravan insurance.
As a founder of touring caravan insurance website Caravan Insurance Cover, Carl Way regularly provides valuable information about touring caravan insurance online.