3rd party road cover for caravans

Betsy Og

Caravan owners, read your car motor policy carefully. I always thought I was covered by car cover but recently on my renewal I see that while I'm covered to tow a trailer it specifically lists loads of things NOT covered, and a caravan is specifically not covered. Car insurer suggested I get cover with my house insurance.

I checked with a broker that specialises in camper/caravan cover and they only cover the unit itself, not the 3rd party cover on the road, so it has to be with the motor insurers (as I suspected).

Anybody ever get definitive 3rd party road cover on a caravan? was it through your car cover? Broker or Insurance Co name?

Thanks,

btb

I was checking this today as insurance due for renewal soon, had caravan on house insurance up to now for the same mistaken belief, and paying through the nose for it. On checking with my car insurer AXA, they confirmed that I am covered for 3rd party risk on car insurance to tow caravan, cant find insurance schedule to verify this, but if correct then will save 200 notes on my renewal.

db

Betsy Og, who are you insured with ?

Betsy Og

db wrote: »

Betsy Og, who are you insured with ?

The Broker is Glennon's in Dublin - they do a good rate for my profession (particulary when I was a young male driver, not such a saver now but usually some small benefit). The actual insurer tends to be Allianz

Betsy Og

btb wrote: »

I was checking this today as insurance due for renewal soon, had caravan on house insurance up to now for the same mistaken belief, and paying through the nose for it. On checking with my car insurer AXA, they confirmed that I am covered for 3rd party risk on car insurance to tow caravan, cant find insurance schedule to verify this, but if correct then will save 200 notes on my renewal.

Just to make the point to anyone reading this that the cover with your house insurance will give you back the value of the caravan should it get robbed, go on fire, you hop it off a ditch etc etc, but wont cover damage you might do to other cars on the road.

Whereas the motor cover MAY (depending on the wording of the policy) cover damage you do to other vehicles on the road (i.e. 3rd party cover) but not damage to the caravan itself.

So if your caravan is worth a lot then maybe keep it on the house insurance. If not then dont bother.

BUT I think it would be illegal to be on the road without 3rd party cover for the caravan. The other question is whether the insurer would try to evade covering your car (comprehensive & 3rd party) if you were towing a caravan which did not have 3rd party insurance. Couldnt get any straight answers on the above, or even much understanding of the issue.

Betsy Og

An update to this story, the wording on the policy is shown in 2 different places as repeated below. I havent left out any commas etc so the doubt is whether everthing after the word "excluding" isnt covered at all, or just isnt covered when uncoupled. Girl on the phone tells me the exclusions only apply to uncoupled items (i.e. a caravan when coupled to the car is covered). I asked for an email to that effect but nothing received yet.

While I think she's right it could be read either way and they should really be clearer because theres quite a difference between the 2 interpretations.

Anyone know if the last line " ... unless required by any Road Traffic Act legilation" would mean that a caravan when being towed by a car which is insured must, by law, be covered 3rd party by the car's insurer???

Policy Schedule
"Trailers: Third Party cover is provided for towing trailers and while they are uncoupled single axle trailers up to a half tonne weight unladen excluding caravans, trailer tents, boat trailers, mobile homes, permanently sited temporary dwelling, trailers used for commerical purposes or which incorporates machinery or equipment unless required by any Road Traffic Act legislation."

Product Suitability

" Trailer Cover - Third Party conver in respect of any coupled trailer used in connection with your car, and also any trailer whilst uncoupled provided they are single axle and not more than a half tonne in weight unladen but excluding any caravan, trailer tent, boat trailer, mobile home or permanently sited temporary dwelling and any trailer which is used for any commercial purpose or which incorporates machinery or any other equipment. Broader cover is available on other policies. Comprehensive cover is available on specified trailers for an extra premium. Where you have selected such cover details will be shown on your schedule".

Betsy Og

All sorted, chased it up again and got the following on email:

"Your caravan will be covered third party once its attached to the car."

So that puts it beyond doubt.