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CARAVAN INSURANCE

Euro Caravan Services

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What should I look for in a caravan insurance policy?

It's important that you protect your investment against certain risks, such as being stolen, storm damage and accidental damage.

Most insurers provide new for old cover for caravans under five years old. This means that if your caravan is stolen and not recovered, or damaged beyond repair, your insurer will replace it with a new van. Make sure you include the cost of replacing kit such as awnings, security systems and gas bottles when you take out new for old cover.

Security is an important factor to an insurer and most give a discount for security features like alarms and immobilisers, axle locks, wheel clamps and trackers.

If you have an awning, you will need storm damage cover. Check before you buy as some policies exclude storm damage to awnings.

If you plan on travelling in Europe your insurance policy should include European cover. This gives you the same level of insurance cover that you have in the UK when you travel in Europe. Most insurers will give you 90 days free cover as standard, you may then have to pay for further cover.

You may want to include personal effects cover on your policy. This will cover you if you take anything with you from home on your holiday.

If your caravan is stolen and not recovered or it gets so damaged it can’t be used, it would be handy to have emergency accommodation expenses cover. You would get a set amount of money for a defined number of days (for example £50 for 10 days) to cover some of the cost of alternative accommodation.

Caravan security and your insurance

As good security can mean a big discount on your caravan insurance, we've put together some info on caravan security to help you decide what would be best for your caravan.

• Mechanical devices such as wheel clamps and hitch locks (covers your tow bar to stop thieves hitching your caravan to their vehicle) are a visible deterrent which make thieves think twice about stealing a caravan, and are a must for most insurers. Make sure your security device has 'Sold Secure' approval, this is the industry standard for mechanical security devices
• Corner steady locks lock down the rear corner of touring caravans so the front can't be raised and hitched to a thief's vehicle
• Thatcham approved alarms and immobilisers fitted by a professional installer offer good protection for your caravan. Thatcham provide the industry standard for safety and quality for alarms and immobilisers
• A tracker is a device fitted to your caravan to show where it is if it is stolen. It helps to recover your caravan quickly and minimise the damage that may otherwise be done to it. The tracker is linked to a control centre who will notify the police of your caravan's location if it is stolen
• Tagging your caravan can help it be recovered more quickly if it is stolen. Tags are placed in a caravan and can be scanned by the police if they suspect it has been stolen. A well known tagging scheme is the CRIS (Caravan Registration and identification Scheme)
• You might want to consider investing in a locking drive or hitch post or locked gates to improve security when your caravan is stored at home; insurers will often give a discount for additional security
• If you leave anything of any value in your caravan, make sure you security mark each item with your postcode. Remember, the more you have on show in your caravan, the more appealing it will look to the opportunist thief
• Take pictures of both the inside and outside of your caravan so if it is stolen you can show the police to make identification of your caravan easier

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