Caravan insurance explained

Buying a caravan is a big investment. A good insurance policy is essential, not only to protect your investment, but to satisfy the legal requirement that all vehicles on the roads or highways must be insured. We've compiled a short guide to help you make a more informed choice when buying caravan insurance.

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So what is caravan insurance?

There are three main types of caravan insurance:

Touring caravan insurance – for caravans that are towed behind another vehicle
Static caravan insurance – for caravans that are fixed in one place, for example at a holiday park

Trailer tent and folding camper insurance

Touring caravan insurance

The main features are:

New for old cover - if your caravan is under a certain age limit (every insurer has its own age limits, typically between five and 10 years) and fulfils certain criteria, you can insure it so that if anything happens to it, for example it is stolen and not recovered, you will get a new caravan as a replacement
European cover - usually 90 days free cover in Europe, and you will need to take evidence of your insurance with you on your trip. Some countries will fine you or confiscate your vehicle if you don’t have the correct documentation
Cover when your caravan is being used by family and friends in the UK
Third party or public liability cover - usually up to £2,000,000
Contents and personal effects cover
Fatal injury cover

There are some common exclusions (things your policy doesn't cover and so your insurer won't pay out for) on both touring and static caravan insurance policies, such as:

Your caravan being used as a permanent residence or for any trade, business or profession
Wear and tear, deterioration and gradually operating causes including insect and vermin damage
Mechanical or electrical breakdown
Theft of contents unless there is forced entry or exit from the caravan

Trailer tent and folding camper insurance

Typically covers:

New for old cover - if your trailer tent or folding camper is under a certain age limit (every insurer has its own age limits, typically between five and 10 years) and fulfils certain criteria, you can insure it so that if anything happens to it, for example it is stolen and not recovered, you will get a new trailer tent or folding camper as a replacement
European cover - usually 90 days free cover in Europe
Year-round touring and storage
Third party or public liability cover – usually up to £2,000,000
Fatal accident benefit
Weather damage to awnings
Cover when your caravan is being used by family and friends in the UK

Exclusions:

Mildew and vermin damage
Personal effects, audio and visual cover

For more information on motorhome insurance, please read our motorhome insurance guide.

What should I look for in a caravan insurance policy?

It's important that you protect your investment against certain risks, such as being stolen, storm damage and accidental damage.

Most insurers provide new for old cover for caravans under five years old. This means that if your caravan is stolen and not recovered, or damaged beyond repair, your insurer will replace it with a new van.

Good security can mean a big discount on your caravan insurance

Make sure you include the cost of replacing kit such as awnings, security systems and gas bottles when you take out new for old cover.

Security is an important factor to an insurer and most give a discount for security features like alarms and immobilisers, axle locks, wheel clamps and trackers.

If you have an awning, you will need storm damage cover. Check before you buy as some policies exclude storm damage to awnings.

If you plan on travelling in Europe your insurance policy should include European cover. This gives you the same level of insurance cover that you have in the UK when you travel in Europe. Most insurers will give you 90 days free cover as standard, but you may then have to pay for further cover.

You may want to include personal effects cover on your policy. This will cover you if you take anything with you from home on your holiday.

If your caravan is stolen and not recovered or it gets so damaged it can’t be used, it would be handy to have emergency accommodation expenses cover. You would get a set amount of money for a defined number of days (for example, £50 for 10 days) to cover some of the cost of alternative accommodation.

Caravan security and your insurance

As good security can mean a big discount on your caravan insurance, we've put together some information on caravan security to help you decide what would be best for your caravan:

Mechanical devices such as wheel clamps and hitch locks (covers your tow bar to stop thieves hitching your caravan to their vehicle) are a visible deterrent which make thieves think twice about stealing a caravan, and are a must for most insurers. Make sure your security device has 'Sold Secure' approval - this is the industry standard for mechanical security devices
Corner steady locks lock down the rear corner of touring caravans so the front can't be raised and hitched to a thief's vehicle
Thatcham-approved alarms and immobilisers fitted by a professional installer offer good protection for your caravan. Thatcham provide the industry standard for safety and quality for alarms and immobilisers
A tracker is a device fitted to your caravan to show where it is if it's stolen. It helps to recover your caravan quickly and minimise the damage that may otherwise be done to it. The tracker is linked to a control centre who will notify the police of your caravan's location if it is stolen
Tagging your caravan can help it be recovered more quickly if it is stolen. Tags are placed in a caravan and can be scanned by the police if they suspect it has been stolen. A well-known tagging scheme is the CRIS (Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme)
You might want to consider investing in a locking drive or hitch post or locked gates to improve security when your caravan is stored at home
If you leave anything of value in your caravan, make sure you security mark each item with your postcode. Remember, the more you have on show in your caravan, the more appealing it will look to the opportunist thief
Take pictures of both the inside and outside of your caravan so that, if it is stolen, you can show the police in order to make identification of your caravan easier