How much!?

[Ukzero]

We are getting to the point where we need to get our insurance set up for our new Inos.

First problem comes with the make: The Fifth Wheel company.  Not all insurers list it and then assume (as would I) that it's a fifth wheel trailer and not a regular caravan.

Then, because it isn't on their normal list comes the question "Is it UK manufactured?" one agent actually asked when I said it is made in Wales, "So is that UK manufactured?"

Some insurers wouldn't cover us because we can't use AL-KO wheel locks (our 2800kg chassis doesn't have the adapters) so Wraiths will have to do.

The thing most latched on to as a positive feature was ATC and all wanted an active tracker.

The bit which really annoys is after you've had insurance turned down a few times because the value is too high you try and save everyone time and trouble by saying up front "before we start, can you offer cover for a caravan worth £xx,xxx?" and they can't say until after you've been through the whole quotation process only to say at the end .......

Then there were the quotes we did get:

Highest: Well over £2,000 (I actually laughed out loud)

Then a sliding scale down through the likes of Caravan Guard down to the two cheapest:

Ripe: £787

Caravan Club: £784

Best cover: Caravan Club. Best price: Caravan Club.

Bear in mind I have only have 2 years since coming back to caravanning after a long break that works out at just over 1% of value, so for me a £30k caravan new for old policy would cost just over £300 which sounds about right.

I could try some more insurers but I don't think I'm going to do much better.

However, the main reason for this post, are there any insurers you might recommend me to try?

 

[Wildwood]

Well done CAMH. They have never been anywhere near the cheapest for most cases, but are certainly one of the best, so I would be as happy as I could be with that quote. 

Good luck with the new purchase.

[hp100425ev]

Switched mine to Coast on 14 December 2021.

2021 Coachman VIP 545 (a snip at £32,000!!), new for old with equipment and awning premium was £260.80.

Coast are 5 star Defaqto rated.

They didn’t insist on AL-KO wheel lock, which suited me because I prefer Nemesis Ultra anyway.

Edited January 19 by hp100425ev

[Oscarmax]

10 minutes ago, hp100425ev said:

Switched mine to Coast on 14 December 2021.

2021 Coachman VIP 545 (a snip at £32,000!!), new for old with equipment and awning premium was £260.80.

Coast are 5 star Defaqto rated.

They didn’t insist on AL-KO wheel lock, which suited me because I prefer Nemesis Ultra anyway.

Wow that cheap we are paying £324 new for old on £26,000 ?

[Ukzero]

Just tried Coast.

They use Aviva (just like Ripe) but come in cheaper at £750 - so cheapest deal so far.

It's just a question now if CMC offer added value for the extra.

[Lagerorwine]

For £34 I would stick with CMC everytime.

[-Jim-]

5 hours ago, Ukzero said:

However, the main reason for this post, are there any insurers you might recommend me to try?

Have you tried ClubCare with the Camping and Caravanning Club ? 

I’ve been caravanning for over 30 years and the CCC have never been beaten on price for like-for-like cover.  

 

And the 2 claims I’ve put in have received first class attention and quick payouts. 

 

The CMC have always come up with such ridiculously high prices that I no longer bother checking them at annual renewal.

 

Jim

[Ukzero]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I have tried ClubCare with the CCC. Due to the unusually high value they had to refer "up" and as yet have not got back to me. I will try them again tomorrow.

However, as I gave them the CMC quote as a yardstick, not getting back to me could be viewed as ominous 

[VOLVOVANNER]

Imho i usually feel i cant afford to buy the cheapest of anything!!!!!

I cannot answer for Coast as dont know them but I do know Aviva and would have no problem with them (any point contacting them direct?)

We have been with CMC for some years and would take some switching - have heard many reports of claims dealt with well when things do go wrong and they understand caravans and caravan repairers. If you were unfortunate enough to have to make a claim on that very specialised caravan of yours may be best to have the specialists on board (CMC) even if a bit more expensive. In many cases again imho you get what you pay for.

[Readingblue]

Caravan Club every day of the week. They actually understand caravanning.

 

For example, if it's in storage you get an automatic cover of 72 hours to load and unload at your house.

 

When it's in for a service and the servicing dealer refuses to fit your own wheel lock, they appreciate that and allow cover to continue.

 

Never heard of any claims problems either.

[PR1]

35 minutes ago, Readingblue said:

Caravan Club every day of the week. They actually understand caravanning.

 

For example, if it's in storage you get an automatic cover of 72 hours to load and unload at your house.

 

When it's in for a service and the servicing dealer refuses to fit your own wheel lock, they appreciate that and allow cover to continue.

 

Never heard of any claims problems either.

Just been looking at my Caravan Club caravan insurance policy, and it no longer asks where my caravan is stored. So the 72 hour limit for loading and unloading no longer appears.

Also it only asks for a hitch lock! I do put other security on though!

Edited January 19 by PR1

[Readingblue]

3 minutes ago, PR1 said:

Just been looking at my Caravan Club caravan insurance policy, and it no longer asks where my caravan is stored. So the 72 hour limit for loading and unloading no longer appears.

Also it only asks for a hitch lock! I do put other security on though!

Interesting.

 

I know the plethora of security devices each add a certain amount of discount. We actually don't declare a wheel lock so pay a bit more but still fit one.

 

Need to check the location because when I asked for a quote for home storage there was no price change, suggesting they don't mind any more ...

[8ftWanderer]

8 hours ago, Readingblue said:

Need to check the location because when I asked for a quote for home storage there was no price change, suggesting they don't mind any more

This was the big attraction of CMC policy for me. They don't care where it is stored as long as  it is in the U.K. When we took our policy out the other insurers were more explicit about where the caravan was and what levels of security were in place at the storage facility.

 

Caravan Guard only allowed a small window for the Caravan to be at our home address rather than in the storage facility, which just was not practical as we like to bring the caravan to the house a full week in advance.

 

18 hours ago, Ukzero said:

Best cover: Caravan Club. Best price: Caravan Club.

I think you have your answer and considering your investment the CMC would definitely be the route I would go. You do need to get your head around the fact that technically it isn't actually an insurance and instead it is cover from a discretionary mutual Caravan Cover vs Caravan Insurance

[Ukzero]

Given the situation I am definitely leaning towards CMC.

Interestingly I approached CMC last year when we were considering the Inos (I wanted to know how difficult insurance would be to secure and at what approximate cost).

At that stage they told me they couldn't offer cover because the value was too high.

I guess with the surge in new prices of mainstream luxury caravans pushing beyond £40k CMC must have raised the value cap.

[Wildwood]

The policy cover and premiums will be reviewed each year, so yes you are probably correct. I would have no hesitation in going with them.

[Ukzero]

Just got a quote back from ClubCare at CCC. 

Quote was £750 for very good cover.

However, for them to quote at all I would need to take our caravan away from its current resting place at our home, with permanent EHU, very easy access, security post, CCTV, security lighting and nosy neighbours in a cul de sac and tow it roughly 12 miles away to a CaSSoa Gold site for a cost of roughly £650 per year - bring the premium to effectively £1,400 per year with loss of convenience, etc, etc.

CMC it is then 

Edited January 20 by Ukzero

[-Jim-]

3 hours ago, Ukzero said:

Just got a quote back from ClubCare at CCC. 

Quote was £750 for very good cover.

However, for them to quote at all I would need to take our caravan away from its current resting place at our home, with permanent EHU, very easy access, security post, CCTV, security lighting and nosy neighbours in a cul de sac and tow it roughly 12 miles away to a CaSSoa Gold site for a cost of roughly £650 per year - bring the premium to effectively £1,400 per year with loss of convenience, etc, etc.

CMC it is then 

Ah well, was worth a try 🙂

Jim

[Ukzero]

It was definitely worth trying.

The CMC quote would have been 15% lower if we had AL-KO wheel locks fitted.

Our caravan may be twice the price of many others, but they don't fit the receivers so these are not an option for us. 

One consolation is that the Wraiths will be much easier to fit. I know we have E&P, but had that on our last 'van and it still wasn't always as easy to fit the AL-KO locks as we'd have liked.

Edited January 20 by Ukzero

[Glengavel]

On 19/01/2022 at 12:50, Oscarmax said:

Wow that cheap we are paying £324 new for old on £26,000 ?

 

I've got a renewal quote from  CMC for a 2021 Swift Challenger - £449.56, up from £433.14 last year. Quotes on confused.com start at less than half of that...

[Wildwood]

Sorry but I would avoid the cheaper quotes as in general you gat what you pay for. You need DEFAQTO four or five star cover and if the policy does not show that then the wording may be suspect.  The club policy is probably the best on offer and the service and claims settlements very good. All policies are not the same and you have to look beyond price if you want the best.

It is like buying your caravan, you could have saved a fortune buying something like a Freedom but that was not what you wanted, insurance is very similar. If the policy costs half as much, the payouts have to follow the same principle.