Caravan breakdown insurance query

ScreenName7594E86547
ScreenName7594E86547 Forum Participant Posts: 1

Bit new to caravanning....

We already have breakdown insurance on the car we will use to tow our caravan.  They have said that will cover the wheels of the caravan, but that's all.

Do I also need caravan breakdown insurance, and if so, why? When I look at the Mayday UK cover it  looks like it cover both car and caravan.  So, perhaps this would be better in future, instead of our existing breakdown cover?

is there a better way to organise this in future?

Many thanks for any help and advice.

 

 

 

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #2

    Yep, Mayday (Green Flag) with this club, or Arrival (RAC) with C&CC, is surely the way to go.

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #3

    Mayday has three advantages.

    - Length limit is greater which may effect a few members.

    - Van is covered when not attached to an immobilised car

    - Two way cover, IF, you are pre-booked into a site.

    Our car is still under warranty and has a breakdown cover included. I must admit I am considering not having Mayday this year.

     

    Colin

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #4

    UKbreakdown.com is another one to look at . It has an additional level of cover specifically for those who are towing (caravans up to 7.0 metres excluding A frame and hitch) . Their prices are very attractive. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,857 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #5

    Welcome to the Forum.

    We have used Mayday for years and since we changed from a caravan to a motorhome it covers both our vehicles. At the latest renewal I extended cover to Home as I had a few issues with my car battery last year through lack of use!!! Mayday is pretty comprehensive in terms that you have a number of choices should you have a problem.

    David

    PS May I suggest you go to your profile to change your username to something of your choice rather than the allocated name.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2021 #6

    Your standard car recovery will recover the caravan when being towed if the breakdown is because of a fault with the tow car, if however there is a problem with the caravan .... you're on your own. ;-) Obviously MayDay etc is a bit more than that  .... 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2021 #7

    When I had a new car in 2005 I never considered my all singing and dancing Mayday

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,666 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2021 #8

    We've also used MayDay for years and have been really pleased with the service we have had.  Not only is the caravan covered if there is a problem (as well as the car), but should the car break down on the way to a pre-booked site, they will tow your caravan to the site for your holiday, and should it not be possible to fix the car, they will recover your car and caravan home at the end of the holiday.

    We also have Personal cover.   This means that any vehicle we travel in is covered.  On one occasion, I was out with my son and his car broke down.  The car was recovered to his home under my policy.  My wife is covered in the same way.

    I can't see us changing from MayDay at the moment.  As a caravanner, it suits us really well.  However, there are different levels of cover, so always check that the terms of the policy are suitable for you.   From what I can remember, we pay about £120 a year for Personal Cover for both of us.

    David 

  • davetommo
    davetommo Forum Participant Posts: 1,430
    edited March 2021 #9

    My car is also still under warranty. That is no good if you’re towing. If the car needs recovering they will only recover the caravan to where they take the car for repair. After that you have a caravan to get home. And usually the dealer will give you a car but without a tow bar.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Booziepal
    Booziepal Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited April 2021 #10

    We have a mobility car which is covered for breakdown by RAC but you can no longer purchase the caravan add on with them. Therefore the cover for the caravan when towing is very limited. Any advice from other motability car users as the best way forward to ensure we are covered should any accident be caused by the caravan?

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #11

    If the accident is caused by the caravan whilst being towed then the Public Liability section of your Motor Insurance will pick up the claim. The wording you enclosed merely mentions no cover for breakdown costs  if the fault lies with the caravan itself.

    The 2 instances you mention are not connected.

    It would appear you still need breakdown cover should the breakdown be the fault of the caravan.

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,664 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #12

    We are also with  Mayday, and have been since 1998.

    We have in the last couple of years also taken personal cover to cover our other car, and us when using our daughter's car.

    We have used the cover to get our van taken to the site we were booked onto, and then the car taken to a suitable dealer, who then gave us a courtesy car for 3 weeks (car needed a new autobox)

    More recently we had a problem with our mover, which we need to get the van on and off the driveway.  We called Mayday and they came and helped us to get the van onto the road and hitched to the car.

    We also had to call them out when we had a puncture on the van on our way to a service appointment, they got out the spare from  the Alko  Carrier and fitted it.

    Well worth the premium IMO. 

  • figbat
    figbat Forum Participant Posts: 18
    edited April 2021 #13

    As a consequence of this thread we looked into the existing breakdown cover we have and discovered that we are covered for towing too - this is the Volvo Assist that you get with a new car.  I don't suppose it is an especially comprehensive cover, but it is better than "sorry mate, you're on your own".

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,664 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #14

    I think the main points to be considered here are what cover do you have if the car is fine but the caravan has a problem, and what happens to the caravan if it is on site and your car has a problem, which cannot be fixed at the roadside, when you are out for the day?

    You need the answer to those 2 questions before you decide what to do.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #15

    K, your Q.1 - a breakdown service covering the caravan will fix it. Mayday is not the only policy giving cover for caravan as well as car 

        Your Q.2 - the breakdown man takes you back to the caravan and you live in it until the car is fixed at a garage. We did that from a Friday afternoon until Tuesday over a public holiday weekend - there was the option of a  small runabout car but we didn't bother. 

  • commeyras
    commeyras Forum Participant Posts: 1,853
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    edited April 2021 #16

    I tried to reply in similar vein as Kjel and ET yesterday but the site was so slow my post did not make it through!

    I have a similar cover with VW Assist as Volvo Assist.  If caravan has a problem on the road you are on your own.  So say you are unfortunate enough to lose a wheel on the caravan when towing then tough!  Figbat, you need to read the policy carefully to ensure that it gives what you want.  Volvo Assist is a car breakdown policy not a caravan breakdown policy.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #17

    An option for that situation for those with a new car where the breakdown cover is only for the car is to add caravan breakdown cover as a package to the annual caravan insurance. There are insurance companies which will do that. 

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,299 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2021 #18

    Personally I considered it worth the premium to have both with the same recovery outfit and kept on the mayday. As it was also covering another vehicle the cost was minor.

  • CHALKY2
    CHALKY2 Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited April 2021 #19

    I purchased a Bailey Grande a year ago and was surprised to learn that my current breakdown insurance does not provide for the recovery of my type of caravan. Most policies have a 2.3 Metres width limit and Bailey Grande models are 2.45 Metres wide. It was a relief to be informed on the telephone today that Mayday (via the club) has no such width limit. Also a Mayday policy is far more comprehensive and includes getting you to your site for your holiday and then getting the caravan back home. I suggest that members with wider caravans may wish to check their existing policy before going out on the road.

  • Lyke Wake Man
    Lyke Wake Man Forum Participant Posts: 238
    edited January 2022 #20

    yes change you breakdown to mayday, they will come out if it is the caravan in trouble,

    like brake cable broke, also is you get stuck in mud

    AA & RAC salesmen say they cover your an if you are towing,

    what they mean they will recover your caravan if your are towing, but their terms say that the broken down vehicle must be registered with the D.V.L.C. so they will only come out if it is your car that has broken down

    Mayday cover the caravan as well