Touring Caravan Insurance Buyer's Guide

What's in this guide?

In this guide we’ll take you through the key points of our touring caravan insurance, giving you some pointers on how to get the best value out of your touring caravan insurance. Read on to find out more on:

• What is touring caravan insurance?
• Do I need touring caravan insurance?
• What does touring caravan insurance cover?
• Dispelling some insurance myths
• How to get the best value from your touring caravan insurance
• How do I find out how much my touring caravan is worth?
• Updating your touring caravan policy
• Touring caravan insurance exclusions explained
• Touring caravan insurance jargon buster
• Touring caravan insurance from Towergate

What is touring caravan insurance?

In essence, touring caravan insurance protects your caravan against loss or damage as a result of unexpected events. Some third-party liability cover is provided by your regular car insurance however, to protect your caravan as an investment, you really need specific touring caravan insurance. Depending on what cover you choose, your caravan insurance can:

• Provide ‘new for old cover’ (meaning a new caravan if yours gets written off) or ‘market value’
• Cover third-party liability costs
• Contribute to the cost of repairs when your caravan is damaged by an insured event
• Provide financial help to replace lost or stolen items including the caravan itself

Do I need touring caravan insurance?

Though it’s not a legal requirement, touring caravan insurance is an essential regardless of whether you’re new to caravanning or you’re a seasoned pro.

What does touring caravan insurance cover?

At Towergate we offer a flexible product so you can choose the cover package that suits your needs, whether your caravan is permanently sited, or you tow all over Europe. We spoke to thousands of our customers to find what they wanted from their caravan insurance. Then we built the core cover based on what our customers told us was important to them and our own data, so you can be confident the most common risks to your caravan will be covered. These include cover for accidental damage whilst towing, fire, theft, storm, malicious damage and third-party liability.

Here are just a few of the features and benefits of our touring caravan insurance:

• Simplicity – we’ve made it easier for you to buy. You simply start with the core cover, then choose what additional and extended cover you require.
• Choice – no longer a one size fits all approach, giving the choice back to the customer, so you can decide what’s the best cover for your caravan.
• Flexibility – our core cover means you are covered for general towing risks, then if there’s any other cover you need, or you don’t need, it’s up to you.
• New for old cover – you can choose from ‘new for old’ or ‘market value’ cover; in the event of a total loss on new for old we will replace your caravan with a brand new equivalent model, available on caravans less than ten years old. If you select market value you will be covered up to the value of the caravan at the time of the loss, if you were to replace with like for like. You will need to ensure you provide the correct sums insured for the replacement value of your caravan. If under insured, in the event of a claim, the maximum amount payable will be the sum insured.
• Accidental damage whilst towing as standard – accidents do happen, that’s why we cover you for mishaps whilst towing. You can also choose to extend your accidental damage cover for when your caravan is pitched-up or in storage at an agreed location.
• Go continental – if you travel abroad with your caravan you can choose to extend your towing cover to include European towing cover in your policy.

Dispelling some insurance myths

“My touring caravan is covered by my car insurance”

Your car insurance usually covers you for third-party liability scenarios. It won’t cover you for loss or damage to the caravan. It pays to get specific touring caravan insurance with a specialist like Towergate Insurance.

“My new for old is based on the market value of my caravan”

New for old is based on the value to replace your caravan as brand new. In order for us to give you a correct new for old replacement, you should provide us with the brand new value of your caravan, or equivalent similar model. It is important to make sure your caravan is insured for the correct value, or ‘sums insured’, so that in the event of a claim you will be insured for the full cost of a replacement caravan, subject to your sums insured.

The market value of your caravan is the value at time of loss, taking into account the age, condition, wear and tear etc.

If your caravan is underinsured, it will affect your final settlement, and the maximum you will receive is the sums insured.

How to get the best value from your touring caravan insurance

To help you get the right policy, here are some things to think about when buying your insurance.

What insurance is right for me based on how I use my touring caravan?

• Do you use your caravan abroad?
• If so, how many days per year do you go away for?
• Do you keep it on site or do you tow it all over the country? Similarly, where do you store it during the off-season?

Ask yourself all these questions to establish what cover you need. Our core cover includes day-to-day cover for the essentials, including accidental damage whilst towing, fire, theft and storm damage. You then have the option to extend or add extra cover, including European towing, accidental damage whilst static, protected no claims, legal protection, key protection and excess protection.

You can tailor your policy for the best level of protection for you, whether you holiday once a year or are a globe-trotter travelling in style.

What insurance cover do I need for my touring caravan?

The sums insured part of your policy will depend on whether you have New for Old or Market Value cover. It includes the value of the caravan, the items contained within, and external accessories on your caravan that you would like covered. This may include push bikes, kitchenware and other caravan contents. The key is not to leave anything out and if you end up taking more away with you, be sure to add those items to your policy before you travel to make sure they’re covered.

Contents cover up to £1,000 is included in our policy as standard, and you can choose to increase this cover as an optional extra if you need a little more. It is worth noting that items such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets and high value items (such as jewellery) may not be covered, and it is worth checking with your household insurance to make sure these are covered whilst away from the home.

How do I find out how much my touring caravan is worth?

The value of your caravan will affect your new for old value or replacement value. You should know the market value of your caravan and the ‘buy-new’ value if possible. If you have bought a brand-new caravan, finding out these values should be easy. However, if you have a second-hand caravan or an older model, it’s best to take it to a registered dealership who can guide you on how much your caravan is worth.

Updating your touring caravan policy

If you need to take more items away with you or you modify your touring caravan in some way which affects its value, be sure to let us know so that your insurance cover remains valid. Please also notify us if you need to make any changes to your policy, for example if you have purchased a new caravan or changed your storage arrangements.

Touring caravan insurance exclusions explained

You’ll find the full list of policy exclusions in your policy documents. However here are a few exclusions that often escape our customers’ attention:

• Mobile phones and laptops are NOT covered – Unfortunately we cannot cover electronic devices. Devices like iPads and laptops should be covered under your household insurance.
  We recommend that you check with your home insurance provider to see if these items are covered away from your home. TVs permanently stored in the caravan, kitchenware and other items can be insured at your request.
• Our cover only applies to touring caravans used for leisure – if you hire out your caravan or use it for any business venture, this will not be covered on our standard policy. Similarly, if your caravan is your permanent residence our policy would not be suitable for your requirements.
• General wear and tear – insurance is different from maintenance cover, and is here to cover you financially should something unexpected happen to damage your caravan, and to cover you for any liability. It is therefore important to ensure good maintenance, and ideally have your caravan serviced annually. This helps prevent problems due to wear and tear, or mechanical breakdown which unfortunately we cannot cover under your caravan insurance.
• Tyres are not covered – your policy will cover repairs to your caravan, but excludes damage to tyres by punctures, cuts, bursts or braking. As with any other roadgoing vehicle, your tyres will become worn or perish over time, therefore it is always good to give your caravan tyres a spring health check before setting out.
• Check your awning is covered – storm damage to awnings attributed 13% of all touring caravan claims in 2016, according to Towergate claims data. That’s why, if you have an awning, it’s important to make sure it’s covered, and check you have included awning cover in your policy.

Touring caravan insurance jargon buster

Sometimes insurance can be a bit like a foreign language. Here’s our run down of a few words and phrases which may be a little confusing.

• Indemnity - Putting you back in the same position you were in before the loss.
• Public liability - Your ‘responsibility’ for the wellbeing of other members of the public and their property. In insurance, this refers to the cover given to compensate legal costs and compensation payments resulting from injuries or property damage to others, which was caused by you.
• Loss of use cover - Cover for alternative accommodation if something has happened to the caravan that makes it uninhabitable.
• Excess - A payment you make towards a claim on your policy.
• New for old policies - Your caravan and contents will be covered for replacement as new. (If we cannot replace your caravan with the same model we will work with you to find the best equivalent).
• Market value - The cost of replacing your caravan at its present value - taking into consideration; year of manufacture, type, wear and tear.
• Policy schedule - Your insurance document outlining the period during which your policy is valid.

Touring caravan insurance from Towergate

Our touring caravan insurance can cover you for accidental damage while towing, fire, theft, storm, malicious damage and third-party liability. As specialists in caravan insurance for over 20 years, we’ve come to understand what caravanners want from their insurance. Combined with our flexible approach to insurance and helpful customer service, we’re confident that our cover and service will bring peace of mind and allow you to travel in your caravan with confidence.

For more information visit our touring caravan insurance page or call us on 0344 892 1413.