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Touring caravan insurance is a subject to be taken seriously if you want to avoid the risk of finding yourself out of pocket. Despite the fact that there is no legal imperative to have anything more than car insurance to be able to tow a caravan, it is sensible to protect yourself. It is a sobering fact that over three thousand caravans are stolen each year in the United Kingdom. This article aims to help you make sure that you are properly covered in the event of loss or damage to your caravan.

There are two primary elements to finding the right insurance for your touring caravan, coverage and price. Buying the cheapest available could prove to be false economy, as you may not be covered to adequate levels and/or some important elements may not be included. Once you know what you need covered, you should make sure you search around for the cheapest suitable policy.

Far and away the single best tip to save cash when buying caravan insurance is to make use of the web. The wealth of information it provides at your fingertips will make life much easier when it comes to buying your next policy. Many of the best caravan insurers have websites that will enable you to get quotes and details of their policies.

Shopping around is the way to make sure you get the best price, as with any shopping. You may well find that you end up paying over the odds if you don’t ask for quotes from several providers. Another great thing about buying a policy online is that there is almost always a discount provided. As mentioned earlier you should be aware of you require from a touring caravan insurance policy, as there are several elements to consider.

One of the primary decisions you need to make is whether to opt for ‘New for Old’ or ‘Market Value’ cover. New for Old means, as you would expect, that you will be provided with a new model of your existing caravan. This is normally only applicable for caravans up to five years old. Older caravans will only be covered for Market Value which, as you would expect, is the amount you would need to buy a like for like replacement for your caravan.

Continental insurance cover is another element of a policy, one for which you should be clear on your needs. If you take your caravan abroad you will want to make sure it is included in your policy, and also that it covers you for the length of time you are going to be away. You should check how long this coverage is for as it varies widely from one policy to another.

You may well find that a variety of things are not included on the touring caravan insurance in terms of personal effects. It is worth checking your household insurance to see what it covers, as your jewellery will not be covered by the caravan policy. So you should be clear what is covered by the caravan insurance, what is covered by your household insurance, and anything else that you feel should be protected will require an additional insurance.

An eventuality that should be considered is the question of alternative accommodation in the event that your caravan was to become uninhabitable whilst you were away in it. Many policies do include such protection, but you need to make sure that you are adequately protected should it become necessary.

It is possible to reduce the cost of caravan insurance by several different methods. Caravan clubs are one of main ways you will find that the insurers are willing to offer you a discount. Making your caravan more secure is another, with common devices like alarms, tracking devices, and axle locking devices being the common way.

Clearly there is some effort up front required to make sure you get the cheapest and best caravan insurance for your needs. The alternative of going for the first insurance you find is that you may end up with a wholly inadequate and overpriced policy. What the time and effort will bring you however is a touring caravan insurance policy that gives you peace of mind.

As a founder of touring caravan insurance website Caravan Insurance Cover, Carl Way regularly provides valuable information about touring caravan insurance online.

If you own a touring caravan you may be interested to know what makes up the main elements of a touring caravan insurance policy. The main elements are: Damage and Loss; Contents; Liability to the public; continental use; Excess; general exclusions. This article will give you an overview of each of these different parts of the policy.

Damage and Loss of a caravan are covered, normally up to the value of the caravan itself. New For Old cover means that you will get a new caravan replacement caravan, but this is normally only for caravans up to 5 years old. Market Value cover means that if your caravan needs replacing, you can claim the prevailing market value for your old caravan.

Contents and personal effects is often an optional extra, and is generally quite limited in coverage, so check what is covered. Normally excluded are money and credit cards, valuables, audio/video devices, bikes, phones, documents and computers. Forcible entry is also required to be able to make a claim, and also policies differ in whether they cover theft from awnings, trailer and toilet tents.

Liability to the public is to protect the owner in the case of injury or loss to the general public resulting from use of the caravan. This will often cover people the caravan is leant to, as long as it is not for business purposes or hired to them. The level of cover is normally between 1 and 2 million pounds, sometimes including costs, sometimes plus costs.

You must make sure you have continental use coverage if you are going to mainland Europe, as this doesn’t always come as a standard. Some policies will also offer repatriation of the caravan (up to its insured value) and roadside assistance (up to a maximum amount). A number of the former Soviet block states are not covered, among them Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

When you make a claim you will have to pay the first x amount yourself, this is what is called the excess. Should you make a 1000 claim and have a 300 excess, you would receive a 700 payout from the insurers (i.e. 1000 – 300). If you want to save some money on your policy, this can be achieved by increasing the amount of excess on it.

General exclusions are a feature of all policies, and are generally very exceptional circumstances, however you should still be aware of them. Terrorism, pressure waves from supersonic aircraft, and hostilities to name a few, but be aware that use other than social, domestic and pleasure is excluded also. Often the general exclusions are fairly consistent between the different available caravan insurance policies.

Carl Way is a founder of Caravan Insurance Cover, the UK’s premier website for touring caravan insurance uk.