Breakdown and recovery insurance
I am asking members for information on Breakdown cover that will offer towing caravan to storage or campsite while transporting a broken down tow car to a garage for repairs.
I will also require a service that will change a wheel on the car and caravan, there is no way I will attempt a wheel change on a busy highway without security offered by flashing yellow lights and a heavy recovery vehicle.
In addition because we live in N Ireland and frequently cross the border to caravan in the Republic of Ireland we are required by most insurers to take out continental cover at additional cost.
Our Caravan is just over 7 meters shipping length and this seems to present a limit on recovery for most insurers.
Comments
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For some reason I don't know, NI appears to be different to the rest of UK for some insurances so that will be a major initial question.
Full European cover is obviously needed to go to another country (R of I)
Not quite understanding of your requirement to tow to storage OR CAMPSITE which sounds like Club's Dual Recovery so need clarification on that if it is a "must have"
Other than that, I'd start with Brittania and Safeguard (although you have to take their caravan insurance to get the £65 breakdown)
You would probably need both Club Mayday (if it applies in NI) AND Red pennant to cover your circumstances?
You do need, as ever to check carefully that the tiny print meets your needs and ask them questions getting response in writing to confirm as it seems to me that companies don't make everything very clear and will actually work with you (within their decided limits) to get a best solution - repatriation/taking car and van home may well be a last option if repairs can be made.
Always interested to hear experiences and options finally given.
I'm only posting because you've had nothing in 7 hours but I'm certain alternative views will be around soon.
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Thank you DougS. It is a difficult one, I am an experienced caravanner and as time has passed insurance companies seem to have "tightened up" and also frequently amend terms and conditions in response to market conditions. My Honda Assist (AA) is about to run out and when I spoke to the caravan Club I was advised that to be covered in RoI I would need to take out Red Pennant for each occassion. As the border is completely open, the only way you know you have crossed in many places is because the road markings are different and speed limits are KpH. I use Red Pennant for our annual trip to France and it is clearly very good but I think I'll have to compromise and the rest of the time go with L V Brittannia which I can get the continental version of at a considerable discounts through a member organisation.
Again thank you for your input, I will await further comments from members. My deadline date is 11 Jan 2016.
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I do feel that RP is a bit of a "comfort blanket" in that it is so expensive it must be (and no doubt is) good but I'm puzzled by your comment about using LV Brittania for "the rest of the time"? I always (boringly) say that RP has elements of travel, health, breakdown built in but ONLY for caravan holidays?)
If you have caravan insurance, Brittania breakdown (checking all of the tiny print and asking specific questions which I've done) and travel insurance in the case of illness plus EHIC of course, you should have a complete package? Then (apart from your specific aim of what sounds like dual recovery - and what you want may be possible within LV or others, you don't need anything else?
(Just keeping this at the top of the thread and stirring up anyone watching to give alternative views or anything between us that we've missed? ;-) )
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Red Pennant will cover Ardsboy in southern Ireland, and Mayday will cover him in Northern Ireland - paying expensively twice over. But if I lived over there and regularly criss crossed the border I would want
one breakdown policy which covered both areas.There may be insurance brokers over there in Ireland who can point him towards a single policy - so certainly talk to them - and also look at a German based ADAC policy which is Europe wide, although with some limitations.
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I think you are looking at the problem of a break down that needs recovery and you want the caravan taken to storage and the car home or to a garagae. Mayday does that here but if not over there you could try RAC who do have a caravan extension available as an add on and if you are a member do a policy similar to Mayday for the C&CC. Whatever you choose though I would speak to them first and specifically ask if they provide the services you want.
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Got recovery for car ins for caravan need recovery for caravan
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Got recovery for car ins for caravan need recovery for caravan
Some possibilities have already been suggested - Brittania, Safeguard, Mayday (for UK), Red Pennant (for EU) - and of course the C&C Club too if you are one of their members.
But there are others - for instance I just renewed my annual caravan insurance with Saga and they asked whether I wanted to include caravan breakdown recovery, and no doubt Google will give you others ideas too. But none of us can choose for you, I'm afraid. They all give different levels of cover.
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