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.
There are two primary elements to finding the right insurance for your touring caravan, coverage and price. Buying the cheapest available could prove to be false economy, as you may not be covered to adequate levels and/or some important elements may not be included. Once you know what you need covered, you should make sure you search around for the cheapest suitable policy.
The best tip to saving money when buying touring caravan insurance is to use the internet. It is far easier to find the information you need when you are next looking for insurance by going online. There are a whole host of companies on the web ready to provide you with a wide choice of policies.
Shopping around is the way to make sure you get the best price, as with any shopping. You may well find that you end up paying over the odds if you don’t ask for quotes from several providers. Another great thing about buying a policy online is that there is almost always a discount provided. As mentioned earlier you should be aware of you require from a touring caravan insurance policy, as there are several elements to consider.
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.
Before deciding which policy you want you should consider if continental cover is something you are going to require. If you do take your caravan overseas you should ensure that you have cover for a long enough period, if you stay in the UK you needn’t buy continental cover. Check how much coverage there is as it can vary quite widely between different insurance policies.
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.
An eventuality that should be considered is the question of alternative accommodation in the event that your caravan was to become uninhabitable whilst you were away in it. Many policies do include such protection, but you need to make sure that you are adequately protected should it become necessary.
When buying touring caravan insurance there are a number of ways of reducing the premiums. If you join a caravan club you will find that the insurers will reduce the amount they charge to insure the caravan. Things like axle locking devices, alarms and tracking devices, which provide added security are the other main way of reducing the cost.
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.