What is campervan insurance?

There’s nothing better than packing your bags and setting off on a road trip in your campervan. The ability to get away and explore new places was probably one of the main reasons you bought a campervan in the first place.

As a campervan owner, you’ll know that there’s so much fun to be had with one. Owning a campervan is truly liberating, and there are so many possibilities—but campervan life is not without risk, and things can (and sadly do) go wrong from time to time.

But that’s the last thing you want to be thinking about when you’re away with friends and family, making memories. That’s where campervan insurance comes in.

In this blog, we’ll explain what campervan insurance is, why it’s important, and some of the things it can help you with.

Campervan insurance is a form of financial protection that covers your campervan against some of the risks associated with ownership.

For example, let’s say:

• your campervan is damaged in an accident or bad weather, meaning you’re unable to use it for a while
• your campervan is stolen or broken into and vandalised, and some of your possessions kept inside the campervan are stolen too

Specialist campervan insurance can step in to help cover any costs you may incur as a result of repair or replacement work. This type of insurance is designed to give campervan owners peace of mind and protect them and their campervans should the worst happen.

Read more: Campervan and Motorhome Insurance Booklet

What does campervan insurance cover?

Campervan insurance can cover you and your campervan in various scenarios.

Though it can be quite complex depending on what type of campervan you own and the level of cover you require, campervan insurance often provides cover for things like theft, traffic accidents, and injury to yourself and your passengers.

Through Ripe, campervan insurance includes the following as standard:

• public liability (includes unlimited cover for death or injury caused to a third party, £20m cover for damage caused to someone else’s property, and £5m cover for legal costs)
• theft, accidental damage, fire and flood cover
• equipment and accessories cover (includes additional items for your campervan, such as awnings, utensils, and camping equipment)
• new for old cover (for campervans up to 2 years old that were bought new and have fewer than 12,000 miles on the clock)
• emergency accommodation cover (includes the cost of hotel accommodation or replacement vehicle hire if your campervan is stolen, damaged, or becomes uninhabitable and you’re more than 50 miles from home)

However, if you’re in the market for campervan insurance, one thing you may want to be cautious of is pre-bundled packages, as these can often leave you paying for additional cover you might not necessarily need or benefit from.

For example, if you don’t own any kitchen accessories, there would be no reason for you to be paying for their cover as part of your campervan premium.

At Ripe, we believe that you should only ever pay for the cover you need. That’s why when you take out a campervan policy through us, you’ll be shown a list of optional extras that you can add to your policy if you need to. If you don’t need them, simply leave them out.

These optional extras include:

• enhanced windscreen cover
• personal accident cover
• Continental Europe cover
• legal expenses cover
• key cover

For a more detailed guide on what campervan insurance through Ripe covers and what you can choose to add on top, check out our separate blog here as well as the Campervan and Motorhome Insurance Booklet.

Why should I consider campervan insurance?

The freedom of the open road is all part of the fun of owning a campervan, but like anything, it’s not risk-free. Like with standard car insurance, if you drive your campervan on public roads, campervan insurance is essential.

Campervans are often expensive and contain high-value gadgets and equipment, making them a prime target for thieves and criminals. Regardless of whether you’re actually using your campervan or if it’s parked up and empty on the side of the road, its mere presence could be an incentive for thieves to strike.

Campervans are certainly not immune from traffic accidents either. Not to mention they’re also more vulnerable to the elements than bricks and mortar, and so the chances of damage from adverse weather can be higher, too.

That’s why many campervan owners choose to protect their vehicles with specialist campervan insurance, and why you may want to consider doing the same. Theft and damage to your campervan are covered as standard through Ripe to give you peace of mind year-round, saving you from forking out for repairs, replacements, or to settle third-party claims from your own pocket.

Read more: Campervan Insurance

How much does campervan insurance cost?

The cost of campervan insurance can depend on various factors. When you take out a policy through Ripe, these factors include:

• the value and age of your campervan
• your no claims bonus
• where you live
• your annual mileage
• if you have any additional drivers
• the security measures you have in place
• your personal circumstances (e.g. age and driving experience)

The easiest way to price up your campervan policy is to get an online quote. However, there are a few things you can do which could make your campervan insurance cheaper, such as fitting trackers and additional security measures, keeping your campervan in a garage, secure car park or on a driveway, or getting some advanced driving qualifications.

For more information on how you could potentially make your campervan insurance cheaper, check out our separate blog here.

Specialist campervan insurance through Ripe

Through Ripe, you can cover your campervan against theft, accidental damage, fire, flood, and much more. You can also get cover for your campervan equipment and accessories for complete peace of mind on the road.

Learn more about specialist campervan insurance through Ripe or get a free online quote today.