Car & Caravan Breakdown Insurance
There are many discussions about various breakdown companies, both here and in Europe, but after extensive research, I decided to give Driver Guardian a try (Uk company too)
www.driverguardian.co.uk
Cover includes: (Cover costs £79)
- Car and Caravan
- Homestart
- Roadside Assistance
- Full European & Nationwide Recovery
- Onward travel
A mobile friendly, English speaking operator.....all for £79. YES...£79!!!! (Sorry, I got a 10% discount for my second year....i paid £71.10)
Apologies C.C. but Red Pennant is a ridiculous price in comparison; ADAC is good value but dearer and slightly messy to set up (twice put the phone down on me)
Comments
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Only interested in UK cover. This policy does not appear to offer any greater benefits than Green Flag for £60.
Green Flag would not meet my full requirements as a caravanner which is why I choose Mayday. If I have left the caravan on site, go out for the day in the car and break down, say, 25 miles from site then Mayday will return me to the caravan and provide the choice of recovery home at a time/date to suit me or return us to the caravan and the car to a local repairer.
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It's in the title, "Full European & Nationwide Recovery" so if your vehicle cannot be repaired, it will be recovered back to your home, a local garage or to your destination.......and I need it for Europe
And then there's Onward travel.......Hello! I don't work for them, only pointing out for other members who may want cover in UK and Europe.1 -
Having read what was offered the onward travel is for driver and passengers. I read no mention of caravans. I see no mention of taking the outfit to a destination and then taking the outfit home.
Notice covers a caravan up to 7m long. Is that the shipping length I wonder?
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The breakdown is for the vehicle ie the car, and if the vehicle does break down then it will recover both as will Red Pennant.
But if the caravan breaks down ie wheel bearing, axle, hitch or whatever then it is not covered, whereas Red Pennant covers the caravan breakdown as well.
I asked an advisor to explain this paragraph to me:
- Caravans and Trailers
If Your Vehicle suffers a Breakdown and Your caravan/trailer is attached, providing the caravan/trailer is
fitted with a standard towing hitch and does not exceed 7 metres in length (not including the length of
the A-frame and hitch), Your caravan/trailer will be recovered with Your Vehicle at no extra cost.
"Sorry sir, we only cover the breakdown of the vehicle, not the caravan"
Red Pennant does verge on the ridiculous regarding pricing, but it covers all eventualities.
0 - Caravans and Trailers
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http://www.driverguardian.co.uk/Images/Live/DG%20Standard.pdf
Posted after previous post which supports my general comment.
The specifics seem to say that the 7 m is body length (excluding drawbar) which is the max for trailers on vehicles below 3.5 tonne (?)
So that bit is OK?
The glaring omission is breakdown of the CARAVAN (flat tyre etc)
IMHO, ALL of these policies are badly written and need to have far more explanation specific to caravanners.
Having said all that, the alternatives to Club offerings such as the commonly mentioned ADAC and Safeguard (bolt on to their insurance, £65, purchased after much investigation, DOES COVER CARAVAN) are worth considering if you want to avoid the premium price of Mayday AND RP for cover in UK and Europe. There is also the issue of RP confusing additions of personal, travel etc items that are included but only cover caravan holidays (so you need yet more cover for other types of holiday?)
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I have just insured my car and caravan through the green flag web site for £53 and that's recovery plus. according to the documentation and the following on the website(if you purchase the caravan and trailer cover with online 40% discount)
With Green Flag you get all the benefits of our standard breakdown cover for any caravan or trailer you’re towing (up to a weight limit of 3.5 tonnes and size limits of 7 metres long, 3 metres high and 2.55 metres wide.) This way you’re fully covered on any campsite within the UK. We have a massive range of recovery vehicles available so that if we can’t repair your caravan or trailer at the roadside, we can get you, your car and your caravan or trailer moving again in no time.
So basically your caravan is entitled to the same cover as your car the only omission from Red pennant is dual recovery.
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As I comented in a previous post you will not now how good the cover is until you need to use it, haveing heard numuras horror stories from people being forced to pay thousands of euros to get their car fixed locally due to their brakedown being while the caravan is on site and car breaking down while solo, been going across the water for over 25y having used RP most of the time, I have broken down a few times but being able to fix the vehical every time bar once when a bearing went in the gearbox of the sorri on the way to Samure, the OH was very disappointed I could't fix it, RP had a disco to me within 3 days for me to continue my hols and the car returned to my home address, so alteyernative hough RP is expensive I suppose you pay get what you pay for.
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Hi johnray, I posted the following earlier this evening in a thread about ADAC. From what I can see, and others have mentioned it, the cover for caravans is when the van is attached and you run the risk of not being covered. I was in this situation for many years as I suspect are many and, if you are happy with that then that's your choice but my findings, when I looked in more detail, were that only RP and Safeguard gave the cover in this circumstance.
We considered ADAC 12 months ago and ValDa kindly sent me an English language version of their brochure.
I spent a considerable amount of time looking onto the options, including phoning several providers,and, at that time, the only two providers that stated they would recover a car and caravan when the caravan was not attached were RP and Safeguard.
A member posted on CT that he was refused recovery of his caravan which was onsite next to his car that was being recovered. Several posters thought it would be OK with ADAC but that was no reassurance so went with Safeguard.
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I think Green Flag is similar to Mayday (although you can get cover increased for Europe) BUT my last query with them was that the 7m is TOTAL length which is OK for smaller vans, plus, as you say no dual recovery, just brought to one destination of your choice. However the combined price of Mayday and RP is large so alternatives that you have investigated and decided meet your needs are still valid choices providing the tiny print is what you expect.
As I say, it would be much better if we could write the policy with simple things like:
Covers caravan and car breakdown.
Any length
Caravan connected at the time or not.
UK, Europe at your choice (with costs clearly stated.
Dual recovery at extra cost (if you wanted it)
A previous post mentioning repair whilst abroad slightly ignores the fact that repatriation is always the insurers choice, not yours (they will work to minimise their overall costs whilst agreeing a solution with you?) so you may have to pay for the repair whilst abroad and not at your chosen dealer?
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If you are over 50 and insure your car with Saga you can add breakdown/recovery cover for the car. And if you also insure your caravan with Saga you can add breakdown/recovery for the caravan. Is this the simple solution to end this ever repeated topic on every forum?
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On the basis of what is said here the cover is sadly lacking. Caravans can break down apart from burst tyres with seized bearing being the one that comes to mind. If that cover is not there then it is no good.
The point about the trailer having to be attached also rules this cover out. If you have the caravan on site and are out for the day and you break down it looks as though they would take you and the car back home but the caravan could be left 400 miles away.
I assume the 7 m length limit is the body but it would need putting in writing.
Cover with Red Pennant and RAC Arrival through the C&CC, gives the option of double recovery which may be important. To me the two clubs cover looks the only sensible options.
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Are Mayday and Green Flag not one of the same.?
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Any idea what the "more features are"? I ask as a Green Flag customer whom they advised it wasn't worth changing to the CC version because the cover was the same.
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Does Green Flag offer the "take you thre and get you home" option, or whatever it is called?
As in, should you break down on your way to a site, they will take your outfit there , should you wish, and if your problem has not been fixed by the time you are due to return home, they will come back and take your whole outfit home again.
Do they cover a problem that affects only the caravan, even when the caravan is not attached to the car?
Do they have a size or weight limit?
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Thanks, I shall enquire further and report back.
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I'm not doubting you for one moment but as GF told me that that their weren't any when I ask to transfer from one scheme to the other I would like the oppotuniay to talk to them; if that's OK with you?
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If Mayday is not significantly more expensive than the standard Green Flag, then it is a no brainer.
Mayday is specifically designed for caravanners, so there are no risks with it.
We have had occasion to use it only 3 times in the last 10 years........first time when we had a total gearbox failure, they took us to our site and next day took our car to the dealer of our choice......second time was when we had a puncture on the caravan on our way to our dealer, they came out and changed the wheel........third time was when our mover totally failed when getting the van off the drive to take it for a repair to the air con, they came out and got the van onto the street and hitched to the car, which we could never have done by ourselves.
I cannot see other breakdown services doing that!
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I agree totally about the Mayday/Green Flag cost thing but I believe the differences which allow the Club product to be differentiated (sales reasons) seem to be: no length limit, towing or not, misfuelling cover, and dual recovery. Plus, of course, you have to be a member of the Club.
https://www.greenflag.com/breakdown-cover/caravan-trailer
My other nagging point is that all organisations selling breakdown cover have to get providers to attend and they will use intermediaries including the few major organisations (AA, RAC, ADAC etc) who actually have their own van fleets.
However, I suspect the bulk of the work will be done by local providers who are under contract. If they don't keep the customers happy then they are likely to be dropped. I don't know if even Green Flag have their own fleet?
I'd like to know for all of these rave reviews of Club service - who actually attended (as they'd probably attend for any breakdown in that location if they were available)?
Other posters have said that this is a minefield, which it is but I don't honestly believe that other cover should be rubbished providing the tiny print matches your need.
I do wish, as I've said, that the many points raised in this and other threads should be written in plain English for caravanners (this is different for motorcaravans ;-) ). The company that does that will get a lot of votes.
Edit: Or better, the Club product covered UK and Europe (choice) and stopped being a confusing mish mash of personal, accident, breakdown and travel insurance needing extra policies for non-van holidays, there, I've said it again.
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I've seen plenty of Green Flag vehicles around here, whether they are operated by contractors or not I've no way of knowing.
I suppose it could be the same van that I keep seeing, must make a note of it's number next time I see it.
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However, I suspect the bulk of the work will be done by local providers who are under contract. If they don't keep the customers happy then they are likely to be dropped. I don't know if even Green Flag have their own fleet?
Green Flag do have there own fleet but also use local firms as well. In the last 5 or 6 years I have called on their services 4 times. 3 times they were Green Flag vehicles. I think most of the recovery is contracted out though. I suspect that in the wilds of Scotland it is more likely to be local firms contracted to them.
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Thank you for your replies fellow members (albeit now of a different Club, cough!)
Just to reiterate.....I need European and UK cover and because my caravan is new and still under warranty (therefore it's unlikely to breakdown, but if it does, it will be attached to the car) and because I have european insurance cover, which we all have to have anyway, decided to go with them for a second year @ £71.10
Will let you know if there are any problems
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The reason I go with one of the 2 clubs insurance is to fully cover the caravan.
I see your point about the caravan being new but 2 scenarios come to mind straight away. Firstly a puncture on the caravan wheel. My spare wheel is tucked so far under the chassis there is no way I could get it out and fit it myself at the side of the road. Doubt I could even get a jack under despite using all the old timers tricks. The other reason is if someone crashes into the caravan and makes it unroadworthy. I have seen this happen a number of times and that's when you realise only the 2 clubs insurance is going to get you out of the mire.
That's from research done a couple of years ago now so its possible that by now another insurer has changed their terms and conditions.
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