Touring Caravan Insurance

What is a Touring Caravan?

Touring caravans are the ‘trailer-style’ mobile holiday homes, designed to be towed. Although they act as living quarters, touring caravans are lightweight, without an engine and driving functionalities, and are narrow enough to fit within road markings.

Touring caravans are incredibly popular in the UK, as they offer holidaymakers the opportunity to pitch up their caravan and use their towing vehicle to explore the local area without restrictions. Whereas somebody using a campervan or motorhome can find they are somewhat restricted unless they take an additional vehicle for day trips.

What’s the difference between a touring caravan and a static caravan?

This is a very commonly asked question, and one we can answer quite easily.

Touring and static caravans differ in that touring caravans are made to be mobile and towed, with wheels, whereas static caravans are ‘static’, remaining permanently on a site once built.

Despite touring caravans typically being less spacious and equipped than static caravans, their mobility makes them perfect for owners who want to be on the move whilst on holiday, and not located on a site. It’s for this reason that they’re more flexible, accommodating for holidays in different locations whilst still offering somewhere to stay that is familiar.

You can find out more about how we can help you to insure your static caravan on our Static Caravan Insurance page.

Do you need to insure a Touring Caravan?

To answer this question simply, a touring caravan is a major asset, so purchasing good quality touring caravan insurance will protect this asset. We know that kitting out your caravan can be an expensive endeavour and can contain many home comforts, so we also offer the option of insuring your caravanning equipment, your awning, and the contents of your caravan against the unforeseeable.

So, although you’re not legally required to have touring caravan insurance, we do recommend that you get a quote to ensure you’re not left out of pocket.

What’s covered under Howden’s Touring Caravan Insurance

Every insurer will offer to cover you in their own way, but generally, you can expect specialist touring caravan insurance to typically cover you against the following:

• Both internal and external accidental damage
• Flooding, fires, or weather damage (e.g., storms, lighting, earthquakes)
• Theft
• Accidental damage (both internal and external damage)
• Vandalism or burglary
• Public liability and third-party liability

You could also expect that your touring caravan insurance protects you against more specific incidents, such as key loss. Add-ons such as European cover are also available if you are planning to enjoy your touring caravan in Europe.

How much does Touring Caravan insurance cost?

Ultimately, each caravan and its owner are different, meaning that the amount you should expect to pay for touring caravan insurance premiums will depend on several factors.

A touring caravan insurance provider must weigh up the likelihood that they’ll have to cover the cost of anything unfortunate happening to your property, and prices will vary depending on how much an insurance provider believes keeping your touring caravan covered is worth.

For touring caravan owners, premiums are usually calculated based on:

• The owner’s insurance history
• The owner’s age
• The touring caravan’s make and model
• The touring caravan’s contents
• Where the touring caravan will be parked
• The touring caravan’s security features
• The length of the policy
• The level of the cover chosen
• The policy’s excess amount

How to cut the cost of your touring caravan insurance?

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to cut the cost of your touring caravan insurance. For instance, you could:

• Increase the amount of security devices that you use on your touring caravan to minimise theft risk.
• Volunteer to have a higher policy excess.
• Become a member of a registered caravanning club.
• Use a Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) registered storage location. Discounts may vary for whether your CaSSOA registered storage location is in a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum CaSSOA category. If you’re unsure if your touring caravan storage location has been awarded with a CaSSOA storage award for security levels, your storage location owner will be able to provide you with this information.
• Change your cover level from a New for Old basis to a Market Value basis.

If you’d like help with cutting down the cost of your insurance premiums, get in touch. We’d be happy to offer you some advice and source the best value quotes we have available, to sit your budget.

How to get a Touring Caravan quote from an insurance broker

So that we can provide you with the best touring caravan quotes, we require the following information from you:

• Your personal details and claims history for caravan and motor insurance if you’re towing your caravan.
• Who will use or tow the touring caravan and their claims history.
• The storage location(s) of your property.
• Information about the security and claims history of the storage location of your touring caravan.
• The make/model/year of make of your touring caravan.
• The amount you need to ensure your touring caravan for to replace it due to an insured claim if it’s classed as beyond economical repair by your insurer on either a New for Old or a Market Value basis.
• Security devices that you’ll use with your touring caravan.

If you wish to include optional cover for your equipment, contents, or your awning, you’ll need to provide the relevant amounts that you need to insure these for on either a new for old cover basis or a market value cover basis.

Who Howden work with

The great relationships we have with a wide range of trusted touring caravan insurance providers allows us to provide a service which supports each and every one of our clients.

The years of experience our team have working in the insurance industry, in addition to being enthusiasts themselves, has meant that Howden continues to be rated highly by our clients.

Claims

We’re here to assist you when it matters most.

Whatever’s happened to you or your van, we’re here to help. It’s part of our service to make sure that your claim is dealt with as quickly as possible and without any hassle.

MAKE A CLAIM

I have a unique touring caravan, can I still get insurance?

Regardless of the type of caravan you have, whether it’s a unique make or model, we’ll do everything we can to help you get the right touring caravan insurance quote.

However, there are some aspects that some insurers may consider before they offer you a quote. Some UK insurers will only insure caravans which have been manufactured in the UK. The reason for this is that the parts are harder to source in the event of an insured incident as they’ll need to come from the country of manufacture and won’t be easily available for repairs. This results in there being a higher likelihood of the caravan becoming beyond economical to repair in the event of an insured claim, which means that the insurer would then be liable for a higher amount to pay to the client as a claim cost, than they would if the caravan was of UK spec.

There are also insurers who will choose to not insure a type of caravan if they believe it’s subject to a higher rate of theft, or its parts are too difficult to source, if its manufacturer went out of business, for example.

Do I need touring caravan insurance if I am travelling abroad?

You can usually choose to include or exclude cover to take your touring caravan abroad to Europe under your insurance policy. Cover for taking a touring caravan abroad usually comes with an additional premium under your policy.

Do I need to tell my car insurance provider if I'm towing a touring caravan?

First and foremost, you need to check that your policy covers you for “third party road risks cover” before you tow a caravan with your car. Most car insurance policies, but not all, include this cover.

If your car insurance policy includes this cover then you’ll be covered for any damage that your car or the touring caravan attached to it causes to any third party or their property.

Is touring caravan insurance a legal requirement?

No, it’s not a legal requirement to insure your touring caravan, but it’s highly recommended.

Can passengers ride in a touring caravan which is being towed?

No, it’s illegal for anyone to ride as a passenger inside a touring caravan whilst it’s being towed, for safety reasons. You're safe to ride in a towing vehicle, though.

What are the minimum security requirements for touring caravans?

Most insurers will require at least two security devices for your touring caravan as a minimum amount of security under their caravan insurance policy requirements. These devices are usually one wheel clamp and a hitch lock.

If your caravan is a twin axle, then they may require a minimum of three security features to provide you with cover. The type of devices required will be dependent on each insurer but generally you’ll need two-wheel clamps and a hitch lock or a combination of a wheel clamp, a hitch lock, a manufacturers alarm, a tracking device, an al-ko chassis secure lock, (or equivalent make) and a wheel bolt which locks the chassis.

Should I insure my awning?

Awning cover is usually optional under your touring caravan policy. You may wish to insure your awning, depending on its value.

What touring caravan tracking devices are acceptable?

Which tracking devices are deemed as acceptable depends on the insurer’s policies. However, it’s generally thought that either pro-active or non-proactive devices are accepted, but they must be professionally installed and deemed to fall under Thatcham categories S5, S6 and S7. Self-track or self-fitted devices are not accepted.

Can I live in a touring caravan?

Yes, you can live in a touring caravan. In fact, you can live in it permanently if you’d like, as long as the land you have parked on is your own (subject to planning permission), or you have the permission of the landowner to park there.

Will I be covered if I live in my touring caravan?

No, you won’t be covered if your live in your touring caravan under most touring caravan insurance policies. They’re designed to cover touring caravans which are used for holiday purposes only.

Do I need to pass a test to tow a touring caravan?

If you passed your driving test after the 1^st January 1997 and received a standard driving license, you’re allowed to tow a touring caravan. Then, you can either tow with a vehicle that is within the maximum authorised (MAM) of 3,500kg if your trailer weighs less than 750kg, or, if your trailer weighs over 750kg, the combined trailer and vehicle maximum authorized mass must be no more than 3,500kg.

Visit the Towing section of UK government’s website for more information.

Can you park a touring caravan on the road?

Yes, you’re allowed to park your touring caravan on the road. However, legal measures may be applied if the touring caravan is deemed to be parked dangerously or without consideration of others. You must also make sure that you’re not invalidating your insurance when parking on the road.