Caravan Insurance

Janeyb69
Janeyb69 Forum Participant Posts: 16

Hi, looking for insurance for our caravan, any recommendations?  And is there somewhere on here i can get a quote? Thank you

Comments

  • Bid
    Bid Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2016 #2

    There is a link on the site for a Club insurance quote under the section "insurance" on the home page however I found the Club just too expensive this year and ended up with Caravan Guard with just about the same cover for nearly £100 less. Good luck in the mine field of insurance!

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,666 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #3

    The Caravan Club insurance is not the cheapest, but we have found them excellent when we have needed to make a claim - including the time when one of our vans was stolen.  They were sensitive and efficient in processing our claim and without quibble.  My experience on this occasion means that I will stick with them, especially when I hear stories of other insurers trying to wriggle out of things/ knock down claims.

    When our van was stolen, another van from storeage was taken at the same time.  They were quibbling for weeks and had to have a long interview with the loss adjuster.  We had the same loss adjuster and when I realised he was coming to interview the other chap, rang them up and suggested we had our interview at the same time.  I was told no need, different insurer - or words to that effect.

    David 

  • Tirril
    Tirril Forum Participant Posts: 439
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    edited August 2016 #4

    One thing that puzzles me is how they justify the cost for comprehensive caravan insurance. My tow car, a Discovery 4 has a new price double that of my twin axle Unicorn. The car is used most days of the year whilst the caravan just 60 days, yet the car
    insurance is over £100 cheaper. It would be great to know the profit margin made by caravan policies.

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited August 2016 #5

    Yes, it's about £100 more for the caravan insurance than my Freelander 2

    Just think of a number and double it seems how insurance companies work out thier premiums.

    I am sure they would point to extensive underwriting statistics to justify a price but give how fast they drop the price if you threated to go elsewhere I think that is a load of cobblers. They charge what they think they can get away with.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited August 2016 #6

    Good quality no hassle insurance when a "problem "is what wepay for with cc,for a vehicle that is normally, compared to cars,a short production run with the higher costs of repair,where as a car of most models has a much longer production run with thousands
    of the same model bringing cost of parts and repair down 

  • Janeyb69
    Janeyb69 Forum Participant Posts: 16
    edited August 2016 #7

    Thank you for the replies, it is our job for this evening, will let you who we go with and cost.

  • BillandMargaret
    BillandMargaret Forum Participant Posts: 37
    edited August 2016 #8

    We have recently had reason to use the CClub insurers due to a caravan fire.Accident on the 28th Mat, claim concluded 29 July. They were very helpful through out the time taken. Word of caution, check that you are covered completely. It turns out that we
    were slightly under-insured. Contents is the main area. As others have said, it is your choice. You only get what you pay for.

     

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited August 2016 #9

    I don't insure contents as in the event of their being lost or damaged in a theft or fire I am happy to replace.

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,581 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #10

    One thing that puzzles me is how they justify the cost for comprehensive caravan insurance. My tow car, a Discovery 4 has a new price double that of my twin axle Unicorn. The car is used most days of the year whilst the caravan just 60 days, yet the car
    insurance is over £100 cheaper. It would be great to know the profit margin made by caravan policies.

    Car and caravan insurance are not comparable. The main problem with caravans has to be the far higher theft rate but repair costs can also be far higher although there are very few third party claims. 

    If you look at a good year for caravan sales you might make 30,000 with 500 stolen which is one in sixty. In fact the figure is a little worse than that although twin axles are more liable to theft. Car thefts for most cars are far lower.

    Caravans are far more easily damaged and parts are costly so accident damage is far more expensive for minor accidents.

    The market is very competitive and premiums do vary wildly. Be aware though you get what you pay for and the cover offered by the two clubs is as wide as it gets and certainly the CC insurers have an excellent reputation for service and fair claims settlements.

  • Bid
    Bid Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2016 #11

    My problem with the Club insurance, as with most, no discount for loyalty. I had been with them for a number of years and the premium just kept going up so one year my OH rang for a quote at renewal and was give a figure £145 less than my renewal. I was
    not happy but they would not go down so went to Saga who quoted £185 less so I went with them had a claim 6 months in a got a new replacement van within 2 weeks with no problem. You don't always get better by paying more. 

  • Tirril
    Tirril Forum Participant Posts: 439
    100 Comments
    edited August 2016 #12

     

    My problem with the Club insurance, as with most, no discount for loyalty. I had been with them for a number of years and the premium just kept going up so one year my OH rang for a quote at renewal and was give a figure £145 less than my renewal. I was
    not happy but they would not go down so went to Saga who quoted £185 less so I went with them had a claim 6 months in a got a new replacement van within 2 weeks with no problem. You don't always get better by paying more. 

    Write your comments here... That is good to hear Bid, however a word of caution. We used to insure two cars with Saga and despite no changes or accidents our premiums went up each year well ahead of inflation. I went elsewhere one renewal time and Saga contacted
    me and said they would have reduced my premiums if had contacted them before leaving. It seems to be standard practice across the industry so you will need to check carefuly at renewal time.

  • Janeyb69
    Janeyb69 Forum Participant Posts: 16
    edited August 2016 #13

    We went with CC in the end, we could of got it £100 cheaper but like you say " you get what you pay for"

    Thanks for the advice ?

  • Bid
    Bid Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2016 #14

    Tirril I agree with your comments and always do a search every renewal but am only prepared to deal with companies that give the amount of cover I require at a price I am prepared to pay. I know cover can be got for peanuts and you only get what you are
    paying for but I think the Club is taking the mickey with the current high premiums In comparison with other companies offering good quality cover at lower prices 

  • DougS
    DougS Forum Participant Posts: 327
    edited August 2016 #15

    Tirril I agree with your comments and always do a search every renewal but am only prepared to deal with companies that give the amount of cover I require at a price I am prepared to pay. I know cover can be got for peanuts and you only get what you are
    paying for but I think the Club is taking the mickey with the current high premiums In comparison with other companies offering good quality cover at lower prices 

    Agree, whilst I have tried to be a loyal customer with firms that offer good cover at (for me) a sensible price, it appears that you are almost forced to change every year.

    Saga used to price match, seem to have currently stopped? All companies now appear to change their prices and policy on matching every year therefore shopping around (if you want to) is vital to compare prices and cover. If you don't have the time and simply
    renew, that's what they rely on as they are not your friends (especially when you want to make a claim) I also don't fully subscribe to the "get what you pay for" argument but you may.

  • Pippah45
    Pippah45 Forum Participant Posts: 2,452
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    edited August 2016 #16

    I have had satisfaction with the CC&C insurance fast settlement of claims etc.  Last year I tried a comparison site before renewing and while there were cheaper insurances my no claims was 4 years not 5 - so went back to CC&C - one of the cheaper companies bombarded me with emails and phone calls afterwards - which was very tedious.  I don't quite understand why you have to give so much information on comparison sites. 

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited August 2016 #17

    My problem with the Club insurance, as with most, no discount for loyalty. I had been with them for a number of years and the premium just kept going up so one year my OH rang for a quote at renewal and was give a figure £145 less than my renewal. I was
    not happy but they would not go down so went to Saga who quoted £185 less so I went with them had a claim 6 months in a got a new replacement van within 2 weeks with no problem. You don't always get better by paying more. 

    ...Saga are good but pricey after ,as you got,   a new customer discount,

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited August 2016 #18

    I have had satisfaction with the CC&C insurance fast settlement of claims etc.  Last year I tried a comparison site before renewing and while there were cheaper insurances my no claims was 4 years not 5 - so went back to CC&C - one of the cheaper companies bombarded me with emails and phone calls afterwards - which was very tedious.  I don't quite understand why you have to give so much information on comparison sites. 

    ..+! ,i tried that and they are on the sites because they pay to be on the sitesUndecided

    And one of the reasonns premiums go up every year is because the cost of repairs increase every year,like car serviceing costs its still the same car

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited August 2016 #19

    I do like club insurance as they really are designed for our use. Others might be but I have found the club ones offer a bit more.

    Thing is which club insurance to go for? Going for the cheapest of the two club quotes is a reasonable tactic but it is resulting in changing providers each year.

    That's getting to be a bit of a pain and so a loyalty bonus would sit well with me.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2016 #20

    I do like club insurance as they really are designed for our use. Others might be but I have found the club ones offer a bit more.

    Thing is which club insurance to go for? Going for the cheapest of the two club quotes is a reasonable tactic but it is resulting in changing providers each year.

    That's getting to be a bit of a pain and so a loyalty bonus would sit well with me.

    ..Is it worth joining the c&cc to save on insurance premiums and change over bi annually to get the "new" discounts?Wink

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited August 2016 #21

    Not an issue for me as I am in both clubs but the answer would be to enquire and then compare the two.

  • geoffeales
    geoffeales Forum Participant Posts: 322
    edited August 2016 #22

    We switched to Saga when CC became too pricey, no problems so far, the only claim was a couple of years ago when a bird flew through the front window on the M1, they paid for the whole thing without quibble, We don't insure contents as they are covered by
    our domestic policy

  • Pippah45
    Pippah45 Forum Participant Posts: 2,452
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    edited August 2016 #23

    As you will see on another thread - membership of both clubs is quite widespread - giving more options on site locations and the great Temporary Holiday Sites deals. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #24

    I suspect the cost of caravan insurance will also be governed by the insured value. Being optimists I think we tend to think our caravans are worth more that they actually are. Perhaps a realistic reappraisal of caravan value when renewing and insurnce policy might save some money? Perhaps not so much use if you have a new for old policy.

    David

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2016 #25

    Just gone through renewal pricess.With SAGA.Got various quotes. including club £25 off quote. Went back to SAGA and they matched best quote.Simple telephone call- make sure you have like for like detals and sorted in about 10 mins.

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,581 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #26

    I suspect the cost of caravan insurance will also be governed by the insured value. Being optimists I think we tend to think our caravans are worth more that they actually are. Perhaps a realistic reappraisal of caravan value when renewing and insurnce policy
    might save some money? Perhaps not so much use if you have a new for old policy.

    David

    The premium is normally a simple multiple of the sum insured so if you insure on the replacement value kee[img this down to the right figure does save money but cut it too far and you could lose out.

    Replacement as new needs you to do the opposite and keep up with the current price. Do watch how they calculate the payment if a total loss though. Good policies will give you the sum insured if it is a bit low but I have seen at least one that reduced cover
    to indemnity i.e the second hand figure.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2016 #27

    I suspect the cost of caravan insurance will also be governed by the insured value. Being optimists I think we tend to think our caravans are worth more that they actually are. Perhaps a realistic reappraisal of caravan value when renewing and insurnce policy
    might save some money? Perhaps not so much use if you have a new for old policy.

    David

    My first couple of vans were 7 or 8 years old when I bought them. By the time they were say 15 years old I would value them low with a high excess purely so that I was covered if for example one ran away off the car and caused damage or if there was a fire
    somebody else would pick up the tab. I wasn't too bothered about possible loss because, as far as I was concerned, I had already had my money's worth. 

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,581 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited August 2016 #28

    I suspect the cost of caravan insurance will also be governed by the insured value. Being optimists I think we tend to think our caravans are worth more that they actually are. Perhaps a realistic reappraisal of caravan value when renewing and insurnce policy
    might save some money? Perhaps not so much use if you have a new for old policy.

    David

    My first couple of vans were 7 or 8 years old when I bought them. By the time they were say 15 years old I would value them low with a high excess purely so that I was covered if for example one ran away off the car and caused damage or if there was a fire
    somebody else would pick up the tab. I wasn't too bothered about possible loss because, as far as I was concerned, I had already had my money's worth. 

    If the caravan broke away from the car then the car insurance deals with any claims for damage it causes. From what I have seen the most common third party claims are for people falling off the caravan steps.