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.
When buying caravan insurance there are a couple of major things to consider: Price; level of cover. It is easy just to go with the cheapest policy you can find, but this could come back to haunt you should you have to make a claim, and then discover you are not actually covered for that particular loss. The logic of this is that you need to make sure you know what you need to cover before you start trying to look for the cheapest policy.
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.
The key to saving money as with most things you buy in life is to shop around. Make sure you get quotes from a number of different providers, otherwise you may find yourself paying too much. You will often also find that there is a discount provided when buying your insurance online. There are a number of different elements to a caravan insurance policy, and you should be clear about what you require for each.
You will find that insurers offer a choice of either a ‘new for old’ policies, and ‘market value’ policies. A ‘new for old’ policy will provide you with a new caravan the same as - or equivalent to - your current caravan should the caravan be damaged beyond repair. However if your caravan is over about 5 years old you may find that this type of policy is not an option. Instead you will have to take out a ‘market value’ policy, which will pay the going market price for a caravan of the make and age of your current caravan.
Continental insurance cover is another element of a policy, one for which you should be clear on your needs. If you take your caravan abroad you will want to make sure it is included in your policy, and also that it covers you for the length of time you are going to be away. You should check how long this coverage is for as it varies widely from one policy to another.
You may well find that a variety of things are not included on the touring caravan insurance in terms of personal effects. It is worth checking your household insurance to see what it covers, as your jewellery will not be covered by the caravan policy. So you should be clear what is covered by the caravan insurance, what is covered by your household insurance, and anything else that you feel should be protected will require an additional insurance.
In the event that your caravan becomes damaged beyond being livable in you will need to find somewhere else to stay whilst away. Whilst a lot of policies will cover you for this, you should make sure that the coverage is enough.
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.