• a motorhome is typically defined as being one where the accommodation unit and drive unit both exist on the same chassis as a unified vehicle;

• accommodation that is towed on a separate non-motorised chassis may typically be categorised as either a tourer caravan or possibly a trailer tent/collapsible caravan type;

• in one sense, motorhome insurance is similar to car insurance – typically the motorhome must be insured not only if driven on the public road but even if you have it parked off-road and not in use;

• it may also be advisable to ensure that it is covered by insurance that protects it against things such as fire, theft and damage in accidents;

• some motorhome policies may have restrictions as to when and how you may use your vehicle – for example, they may require that you only park your vehicle overnight in certain location types or if you plan to leave your vehicle and go off exploring;

• similarly, they may or may not come with continental cover as standard;

• when in use (either in the UK or outside) the policy may contain requirements relating to maximum permissible mileages or in the case of continental driving, a maximum number of days use in a given year – these should be complied with if you wish to avoid the risk of invalidating your insurance;

• it may be relatively common to find that motorhome insurance policies stipulate the minimum permissible age of drivers (sometimes 25 years) and some may also require that they have held their licence for a minimum number of years – this may be referred to as the minimum experience qualification required to drive the vehicle.

%%Key points for motorhome insurance%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

Perhaps ‘necessary’ is not the way to see it and possibly the word ‘advantageous’ is more appropriate.

The fact is that the insurance market changes regularly. A policy you purchased last year may already be out-of-date in terms of the cover it provides or its pricing structure.

For example, perhaps your policy does not include continental cover as standard and requires that you make special provisions, at cost, when going overseas. Perhaps there are though, other policies now available where such cover is built into the basic policy cover.

That example may or may not strike a chord in terms of your own position but it is only by deciding to compare motorhome insurance that you will be able to be sure that your existing cover is still providing appropriate cover and in a cost-effective fashion.

How does one go about doing this?

A typical approach is to think carefully about the way you’re currently using your motorhome and the way you may use it in the near future. This paints a picture of your caravan insurance requirements.

Then look at the cover provided by your existing policy and compare this against both your requirements and what other such policies may be able to provide. This may provide you with a ‘good fit’ picture looking across a range of policy options.

It is perhaps only at this stage that it may be worth looking at policy pricing, as being attracted by the price of a policy that is perhaps unsuitable, may be at best frustrating and at worst, a serious distraction.

Taking the time to periodically compare motorhome insurance may result in you ending up with a more suitable policy – alternatively it may result in you confirming that your existing cover is still suitable for you. In either case, it would seem like you have little to lose and potentially a lot to gain from the activity.

%%Why compare motorhome insurance?%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

The cover provided by a typical policy will break down into:

• insurance for the motorhome itself against things such as accidents, theft or damage due to storms or vandalism etc;
• cover for any fixtures, fittings and contents, against the same types of risk as above;
• third party liability insurance, covering circumstances where someone has been injured, or their property damaged, by your motorhome.

Although motorhome insurance policies will typically cover the above risks, there may be significant differences between them.

Examples of such differences may include:

• drivers ages – some policies may insist upon a minimum driver age of 25 years;
• you may find that some policies will demand that your motorhome is only parked overnight in an authorised parking area – some may extend that to state that it must be a parking area approved for caravan use;
• some conditions may stipulate that when not in use, your motorhome is stored in a secure and off-road location – and may also include the requirement to fully drain down all water and heating systems;
• cover may be restricted to UK use and possibly the UK mainland only – where cover is provided for overseas use, it may be limited in terms of the countries that can be visited, the total number of days spent driving overseas and/or the total mileage driven during a given period abroad.

There may be many such variations in the cover provided by motorhome insurance policies. It is worth spending a little time reading the policy carefully, so you can be sure it meets your requirements and that it compares favourably to alternative options.

%%Important motorhome insurance considerations%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

The call of Europe

In some parts of Europe the motorhome may feel really at home.

Although the position varies by country and region, in some places motorhome parks and facilities are more widely available than they are in the UK.

Roads may be far less congested and, excluding city centres, the driving easier.

However, a little prudent preparation is required – particularly if you’re planning your first ever trip.

Some tips

So, if you are eager to be away:

• remember that some insurers may need to provide special forms of additional cover if you’re taking your motorhome outside of the UK while others may have a certain number of days European motorhome insurance included – worth checking;
• if you’re planning a very significant trip, say into Eastern Europe and countries not currently in the EU, keep in mind that your policy may provide cover for the European Union and Switzerland only and that special insurance arrangements may be required;
• be sure to familiarise yourself with the laws relating to motorhomes in the country or countries you’re visiting – a failure to comply with them may result in trouble for you both in terms of local law-enforcement and your insurance;
• if you have European cover for a specified number of days then try not to cut things too fine – being delayed by a day or so getting back might mean troubles and speaking to your insurer in advance is highly advisable.

Claims

In the hopefully unlikely event of an accident or other problem, remember to stay calm and avoid escalating the situation by becoming menacing or excited.

If you are the victim of a crime involving your motorhome while abroad, the matter should be reported to the local police and evidence obtained that you have done so.

These few precautions, plus having a suitable form of European motorhome insurance, may help you achieve a worry-free trip!

%%European motorhome insurance%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

The motorhome

The motorhome is a classic recreational vehicle.

It’s usually defined as being a caravan that is integral to the motor vehicle itself.

They can range from vehicles that can be truly described as petite up to those vast American motorhomes that sometimes look as if they’re filling an entire street!

In terms of insurance, they are typically regarded as being:

• large;
• expensive;
• potentially containing expensive levels of equipment and contents;
• possibly a little challenging to drive and suitable only for experienced drivers;
• vulnerable to burglary and theft.

Motorhome direct insurance needs to cope with all these risks although perhaps they may not necessarily all apply to your particular vehicle.

Insurance implications

Motorhome insurance is typically considered slightly specialist insurance.

It is part of the general caravan insurance range of products and if you have a very large and expensive vehicle, then the insurance premiums may be rather high.

That’s why knowing the market and the insurance providers is important if the more suitable and cost-effective deals are to be found.

Controlling your destiny

There’s not much you can do to change the nature of the way insurers see motorhomes in principle but you may, through some insurers, be able to keep your premiums down a little by adopting a few common-sense steps:

• improving the insurer’s perceptions of your responsibility by becoming a member of an owners’ club or association;
• fitting additional security locks, bolts, alarms and trackers to your motorhome;
• making sure that your vehicle is securely parked off-road in a secure location when not in use;
• avoiding young and inexperienced drivers being included on the policy (in fact, you may not have much choice as some insurers may have minimum age requirements).

Although none of these things may radically affect the final bill, they may make a contribution to helping keep down the costs of your motorhome direct insurance – and that has to be a good thing!

%%Want motorhome direct insurance?%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

As you know, motorhomes can be expensive and while you may be fairly sure that you’ll enjoy the unique experience that is a motorhome holiday, you may never be able to be 100% certain.

Having a trial run may typically be a sensible approach to avoid making what could be a very costly mistake.

Options

You’ll typically find that temporary motorhome insurance policies are available :

• by the day from anywhere between 1 and 28 days;
• by the week;
• and even for periods in excess of 28 days.

Some policies may provide cover for UK driving only. So, if you plan to take the motorhome abroad you’ll need to be sure that the temporary insurance policy you select also covers driving the motorhome abroad.

If you are planning an extended break then you may typically need to make sure that your motorhome insurance covers you for things like;

• breakdown cover – to allow your to reach your destination and get home again;
• if your motorhome breaks down and is taken away to be fixed then you’ve not only lost your transport, you’ve also lost your accommodation, alternative accommodation cover can be the difference between continuing with your holiday and having to come home.

Restrictions

What your temporary insurance may not typically provide for you is cover:

• if you decide to use the motorhome for commuting or for business purposes;
• if you are under 25 years old.

These restrictions typically apply to many of the annual motorhome insurance policies issued so may be worth bearing in mind for the future.

Flexibility

If you are an established motorhome owner then you may still be able to benefit from temporary cover if, for example you;

• need to insure an additional driver to drive your motorhome;
• intend to lend your motorhome to a friend or rent it out;

Temporary motorhome insurance can be a convenient way of providing short-term cover for yourself or to allow someone else to drive your motorhome.

%%Temporary motorhome insurance to sample motorhome holidays%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

If that happens, that won’t be the time to suddenly discover that your cover isn’t quite what you hoped it was!

Cover and options change

There are a number of things that you may wish to consider about your current motorhome insurance cover:

• is it still cost-effective in terms of its pricing;
• is its cover still commensurate with your requirements;
• does the cover it provides stand comparison with what other policies on the market are now offering;
• is it offering the same flexibility as other policies.

Price is, of course, always going to be an important factor but it might be prudent to balance that against what you’re getting for your money.

Having the world’s cheapest policy may not be of much consolation if it doesn’t cover aspects of your claim following an accident.

Variations

Typically, motorhome insurance will provide certain core components of cover that may be broadly similar between insurance providers (though it may pay to check).

These may include things such as protection against third-party claims and vehicle theft etc.

By contrast, the cover available may vary in areas such as:

• new-for-old or market value replacement of contents;
• emergency accommodation provision;
• cover for awnings and external fittings;
• minimum driver ages;
• the use of the motorhome for the purposes of commuting;
• the cover provided for use outside of the UK.

Pausing for reflection

As your policy renewal time approaches, it may be all too easy to take the easy path and simply stay with what you know.

That may be a missed opportunity though because reviewing your motorhome insurance cover may result in either lower prices or better cover – in fact possibly both!

%%Reviewing your motorhome insurance cover%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

The period of an insurance policy

When you take out any form of insurance policy, including motorhome insurance, the policy will typically have a start and end date.

Just to make life confusing, insurance companies may use different terminology to describe these things and you may see expressions used such as:

• inception date;
• policy commencement date;
• expiry date;
• effective period;
• and so on.

In fact, technically speaking there may be some differences in precise meaning between some usages of these terms. For simplicity’s sake though, we’ll just say that there is a date (and perhaps time) upon which your cover will commence and another where it will cease unless you do something to renew or extend it.

The period of time between the start and end dates is often referred to as the term of the policy.

Term motorhome insurance

Typically, the term of a motorhome insurance policy is 12 months – i.e. the familiar annual vehicle policy.

Of course, there may be situations in which you require cover for a shorter period.

Perhaps you’re:

• planning to dispose of the vehicle in a short while;
• keeping it for a short period while you evaluate it to decide if you want it;
• putting it on the public highway temporarily pending major overhaul;
• etc.

For all these reasons, you may find that you need shorter-term protection.

Your options

If so, you may typically find two options:

• you take out a standard annual policy and cancel it when you no longer need the cover – though check in advance with the insurance provider what the cost implications of this would be;
• some providers may offer cover on a monthly or quarterly basis etc.

Keep in mind that if you’re considering this simply for reasons of economy and deferred payments, that some providers of term motorhome insurance may offer helpful payment facilities.

%%What is term motorhome insurance?%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

Although it might be interesting to discuss the differences between the descriptions such as classic, vintage, heritage and clapped-out, whatever you call your motorhome it is still likely to be a valuable possession.

As with all valuable possessions, insurance might be highly desirable – and in the case of motorhomes the law will require some sort of insurance to be in place before it can be driven on the public road (or parked on it).

Not only that, if you are using your motorhome, however vintage it may be, losing it or replacing it may be extremely expensive if you need to meet all the costs yourself.

That’s why taking out classic motorhome insurance may be a very sound idea.

Of course, if your vehicle really is a little past its prime, you may be looking for ways in which to keep the cost of your insurance down.

Some providers of motorhome insurance may highlight opportunities for reducing your costs, perhaps including things such as:

• fitting additional security devices;
• using a tracker (if not fitted as standard);
• not trying to cover young and inexperienced drivers (some policies may insist upon a 25 minimum driving age).

You may also benefit from a further discount if your vehicle is garaged or parked off-road when not in use. This reduces the risks of passing-by accidents, vandalism and theft – and insurance companies may recognise this with lower prices.

If you were unlucky enough to experience some sort of accident to your classic motorhome or be on the receiving end of theft, then you’ll probably hope to find that you have an insurance cover that can help.

That’s why taking a little bit of time selecting your classic motorhome insurance policy may be sensible.

%%The approach to classic motorhome insurance%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog

Budget versus function

Much as we’d all like to have the very best of everything, including caravan and motorhome insurance, in reality compromise is often required.

Yet in the case of insurance, too much comprise can leave us inappropriately insured.

Given the typically high value of a motorhome, being unsure as to whether or not you’re adequately covered may be a very high risk to take.

That’s why trying to keep a balance between economy and protection is typically a wise move to make.

What’s in and what’s not in

Inevitably, this isn’t always easy. Trying to understand what cover you need, what your current policy provides and what other policies may offer, may take a little time.

The good news is that the specialist caravan insurance providers’ sites make it easier to look at a number of different policies and have helped the comparison side.

Once you can do that, you can start to compare the detail of the cover as well as the, sometimes thornier, subjects of conditions, exclusions and excesses.

Once you have a picture of everything you’re getting or not getting for your money, starting to decide what really is budget motorhome insurance becomes a lot easier.

Your financial interests

Your motorhome is presumably something that you care about – and it is certainly a significant financial asset.

It may be stating the obvious but finding out you got the balance wrong between price and cover, is not something you’ll want to discover in the context of a claim.

That’s why the attractions of the phrase budget motorhome insurance may need to be reviewed in cold logic against the above issues of cover and exclusions etc. If not, you may find out that the budget insurance wasn’t such a good purchase after all.

%%Budget motorhome insurance – food for thought%% is a post from: Caravan Insurance Blog