How to choose the best touring caravan insurance for your needs

Planning your next adventure in your touring caravan? Before you hitch up and hit the road, it’s essential to make sure your caravan is properly protected.

With so many insurance providers out there, and each policy boasting unique benefits and protections, finding the right one can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re a seasoned tourer or just starting out, this guide will help you choose the best touring caravan insurance for your needs.

Features of touring caravan insurance

Some policy features may be more desirable or relevant to your needs than others, so finding an insurer that can offer your highest priority benefits is important.

Let’s take a look at common features that a touring caravan policy may cover, and why these features may be useful to you.

Theft

This covers the event of your caravan being stolen, or damaged during attempted theft, often also covering against theft of contents and equipment from inside the caravan. Caravan theft isn’t entirely avoidable, even with robust security measures, so finding a policy that covers against theft is advisable for any touring caravan owner.

Vandalism and malicious damage

Vandalism or malicious damage is usually defined as intentional damage caused by a third party, such as broken windows, slashed tires, or graffiti. While unfortunate, vandalism is often unavoidable, so it’s an important element of any touring caravan policy.

Accidental damage

As it sounds, accidental damage refers to any unintentional damage caused to the caravan. This could include road accidents, like reversing the caravan into a wall, hitting a low bridge or tree branch, or damage due to clipping a curb while towing. Most policies will also cover against accidental damage while the caravan is pitched or in storage, such as a falling branch hitting the caravan, damage to the awning while setting up, or damage from dropping the jockey wheel too quickly.

As with the nature of an ‘accident’, accidental damage cover is an important layer of protection for any caravan insurance policy.

Extreme weather and storms

Covers damage from storms, floods, hail, high winds, lightning, and sometimes snow. While extreme weather conditions in the UK are rare, they do actually occur more often than you think, and, unfortunately, caravans often fall victim to serious damage due to extreme weather.

With plenty of attractive holiday destinations close to the coastline, cover against extreme weather and storms should be a priority on anyone’s touring caravan insurance checklist.

Fire

Protection in case of fire, whether accidental, electrical, or from gas appliances. Fire can become devastating in a short period of time, so having the right protection in place is vital.

Contents cover

‘Contents’ refers to the belongings inside your caravan, like TVs, kitchenware, and clothing, but it may also extend to awnings, gas bottles, and outdoor furniture. If you were to lose your caravan and everything inside it, such as through theft or fire, contents cover will provide financial compensation for the items that were lost.

Storage cover

Make sure that the policy covers the caravan while it’s not in use, whether that’s while stored at your home or while in a specialist storage facility. Theft, vandalism, fire, and extreme weather damage can all occur while you are away from your caravan, so this is just as vital a time to be protected as any.

Emergency recovery

Motor breakdown cover often doesn’t extend to touring caravans, so finding a caravan insurance policy that offers emergency recovery and/or roadside assistance will cover you in the event of a breakdown mid-trip.

Public liability

This will cover legal costs and compensation if someone is injured or their property is damaged due to your caravan, such as the caravan rolling into another car. Public liability cover through your car insurance will likely not cover instances caused by the caravan while being towed, so this is an important inclusion in any touring caravan policy.

Alternative accommodation

If your caravan is damaged and becomes uninhabitable during a trip, alternative accommodation cover can provide financial relief for the cost of a temporary hotel or B&B stay.

European cover

Some policies will extend your protection abroad when taking your caravan throughout Europe. This is usually set to a certain number of days per year, so if you plan to leave the UK with your caravan frequently, make sure your chosen policy can support this. Other insurers will add European cover to your policy for an additional premium.

New-for-old vs market value

If your caravan is written off or stolen and needs replacing, there are two types of cover available. New-for-old cover replaces your caravan with a brand-new equivalent, however, the caravan needs to be within a certain age to qualify for this type of cover. Market value cover will reimburse you the amount that the caravan was worth at the time of the incident.

If your caravan is relatively new or particularly expensive, new-for-old cover is the best layer of protection. Selecting market value cover can lower the price of your premium, but you may be a little worse off than the alternative if you do find yourself claiming for a replacement caravan.

Family and friends cover

A touring caravan policy will usually only provide cover for you, the policyholder. If you plan to allow family members or friends to use your touring caravan, you will need to choose a policy that offers family and friends cover to ensure the features of your policy extend to cover their use of your caravan.

Accidents can happen at any time, especially if the people borrowing your caravan are less experienced at towing and pitching. Family and friends cover can give you, and those using your caravan, an additional peace of mind.

Touring caravan insurance checklist

You should now have an idea of which caravan insurance features are most beneficial for your needs. Here’s a quick checklist of things to look out for before you commit to a new policy:

• Does the policy cover the caravan while it is in storage or being towed, or do the protections only begin once the caravan is pitched?
• If the policy covers the caravan whilst it’s in storage, are there any requirements about how or where it is stored?
• Are you required to use a wheel clamp, hitch lock, alarm, tracker, or other security device?
• What are the exclusions of the policy? For example, wear and tear, cosmetic damage, vermin damage, and damage due to improper towing or loading.
• Does the policy cover awnings, windows, and tyres? If so, are these elements suitably protected by the policy, or is it somewhat limited?
• What is the value limit for contents cover, and will this suitably cover your belongings?
• Are there any single-item limits or total claim limits for contents?
• Do you need to opt for an additional add-on to cover high-value items like leisure equipment or gadgets?
• What is the policy excess? Would this excess be affordable in the event of making a claim?
• Is the insurer reputable? How easy is it to claim? Is the insurer known for fair payouts and good communication?

The right touring caravan insurance policy is nothing if it’s from the wrong insurance provider. Always check reviews for an insurer before purchasing a policy, and reach out to their customer service team if you have any questions.