What does touring caravan insurance cover?

You probably know how standard vehicle insurance works if you’re a car owner. But you may wonder—‘what does touring caravan insurance cover, and do I need it?’

We explore what touring caravan insurance covers and why you might want to consider it for your tourer in this quick guide.

 

Theft of your touring caravan

It may shock you to learn that 1,625 caravans have been reported stolen across the UK over the last three years.

Caravan theft has also increased by 9% during this period, making it more important than ever for owners to protect their holiday homes.

As a minimum requirement for most insurance policies, you must secure your touring caravan using a wheel clamp and tow hitch. Otherwise, it can easily be hooked up to someone’s vehicle and towed away.

However, even by taking these precautions, your caravan could be stolen, and imagine the cost of replacing it if you didn’t have the appropriate cover.

Through Ripe, your touring caravan is automatically covered against theft and attempted theft. Up to £75k worth of extensive cover is included for theft, loss, and damage.

You can also opt to cover a caravan aged up to 15 years (as long as it was purchased new) to be replaced on a new-for-old basis, giving you complete peace of mind against the risk of theft.

 

Accidental and malicious damage

Even if you’re incredibly careful when travelling in your touring caravan, there’s still a risk of damage.

Say you hit a wall when parking it at a campsite, or accidentally tear your awning whilst setting it up—touring caravan insurance can cover repair costs, so you’re not left out of pocket.

But it’s not just accidental damage you should think about—your caravan could be maliciously damaged through vandalism, too.

Sadly, vandals often target caravans, and can inflict thousands of pounds worth of damage. Hopefully, this won’t happen to you, but if it does, you could have an excessive repair bill on your hands if you haven’t got insurance.

Touring caravan insurance arranged by Ripe includes up to £75k worth of extensive cover for accidental or malicious damage (alongside theft), so you don’t need to worry.

Related: A complete guide to caravan weights 

 

Contents and awnings

Decking out your touring caravan with all the essential gear and mod cons is part of the fun. There’s nothing better than kicking back and relaxing with your favourite TV show after a day of exploring.

But if you’re unlucky enough to be targeted by thieves or vandals or accidentally damage your contents, your holiday could be spoiled completely. This is why you might decide to choose a policy with this cover option included.

Through Ripe, contents are covered up to a maximum of £10k, with a single article limit of £1k.

Thinking of buying an awning, or already have one attached to your tourer? We don’t blame you—they bring a unique indoor-outdoor living set-up to your caravan adventures. But they’re certainly not cheap, making them costly to replace if they’re stolen or damaged.

Through Ripe, you can cover your awning up to a maximum of £2.5k. So, you can enjoy dining al fresco and making memories with your loved ones without worrying about unforeseen circumstances.

 

Injury to another person or third-party property

Events like these happen more frequently than you might think.

Say you park your tourer using a motor mover and accidentally damage another vehicle. Or, you’re reversing the caravan onto your pitch and fail to notice a passer-by, accidentally knocking them over.

Without specialist touring caravan insurance—more specifically, Public Liability cover—the legal costs you incur from such claims wouldn’t be covered.

Given how expensive lawyers can be, this could be a reason to consider specialist insurance if you haven’t already.

Through Ripe, you’ll also receive free accidental death cover, which provides a payment of £10k for accidental death whilst using the caravan.

 

New-for-old replacement

As with cars, new caravans depreciate at a rate of around 15% per year, which is a significant loss over a decade.

If you purchased your tourer new, or you’re in the market for the latest model, you might want to consider this form of cover to offset depreciation costs in the event of an accident.

For example, a storm could damage your touring caravan beyond repair. If you didn’t have new-for-old cover, it may only be replaced with a model at its current market value.

Through Ripe, if you purchased your tourer new and it’s less than 15 years old, you can opt for new-for-old cover and receive a comparable brand-new equivalent replacement in the event of a total loss.

 

Optional extras

You can often add extras to your touring caravan insurance policy based on your individual needs.

However, some companies offer cover as a pre-bundled package, leaving you to pay for add-ons you won’t benefit from.

At Ripe, though, we believe you should only ever pay for the cover you need. So, we have a range of optional extras available so that you can build your policy based on your lifestyle and preferences.

These include:

• Family and friends’ extension—covers your friends and family whilst they are using your caravan
• European cover extension—extends your insurance to cover you whilst in 35 European countries (shown in the touring caravan insurance booklet)
• Hotel and caravan hire—provides alternative accommodation or caravan hire charges if your caravan is unhabitable as a result of theft or damage
• Legal expenses up to £25k—includes UK Legal Expenses insurance up to £25k for instances such as sale and purchase disputes
• No claims protection—protects your no-claims discount with an additional premium, even if you need to make a claim 

 

Touring caravan insurance FAQs

Do I need a separate licence to tow a caravan?

This depends on the current driving licence you hold.

If you passed your driving test before 1 January 1997, you can drive a vehicle and caravan with a combined maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 8,250kg.  

If you passed your driving test on or after 1 January 1997, you can tow caravans up to 3,500kg MAM.

You can learn more in our article on how to tow a caravan.

 

Do I need to inform my car insurance if I tow a caravan?

Towing a caravan or trailer requires a valid car insurance policy, but it’s not a legal requirement to cover the towed unit itself.

However, it could be a good idea to let your insurer know you plan on towing to learn more about your options.

Car insurance policies only include third-party damage if you decide to insure your tourer through your current provider. But touring caravan insurance provides a higher level of cover, such as damage to your caravan.

Read more in our guide—does car insurance cover towing a caravan?.

 

Is it illegal not to insure a touring caravan?

Touring caravan insurance isn’t a legal requirement.

However, you might want to consider protecting your tourer through insurance so you can travel knowing that you won’t lose out on your investment if the worst happens.

As with cars, there’s always the risk of theft, loss, or damage, especially when towing a caravan on busy roads.

 

What age of touring caravan do you cover?

At Ripe, we can arrange cover for touring caravans up to a maximum of 15 years old.

 

What is the average cost of touring caravan insurance?

The cost of your insurance depends on several factors, such as:

• your towing experience
• the value of your caravan and its contents
• security measurements in place
• where it’s stored

The quickest way to check the cost is the get a free online quote.

 

Specialist touring caravan insurance through Ripe

Want added peace of mind whilst travelling this year? You might want to take out specialist touring caravan insurance to protect yourself, your passengers, and your holiday home.

Through Ripe, the cover protects your tourer from theft, loss, or damage up to the value of £75,000 and your Public Liability up to £2m. So, you can travel with the comfort of knowing you’re financially protected if the worst happens.

You can get an instant online quote and protect your holiday home in minutes.