Campervan insurance

dmm82

Hi I'm hoping to buy my first campervan this year. Have seen one I like but I'm having problems trying to find insurance. There seems to be a lot of stipulations, the height of the van etc. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to go about getting the insurance? Should I join a campervan club in order to get it? Slightly clueless here

runner2011

You can join the motorhome club or go direct to a broker and save yourself the cost of the motorhome club fee. Dolmen and Stuarts are two brokers I am aware of. There are rules stipulating what a motorhome is under Irish law in regards to the VRT and road TAX so the Insurance companies have to follow that. It does seem a bit of a drama getting the motorhome insured the first time around but its not really once you understand the terminology. depending on the year of the MH you are buying you will need an engineers report , which is very easy to get done, and or photos of certain areas often MH to ensure it is a MH , in my experience. MH insurance is based on a group scheme so pretty much the same cost for everybody thanks to years of lobbying by dedicated folk out there , same with the road TAX. so a bit of hassle upfront and then many years of joy and excitement !

jimbobwalton

do some of the insurance companies offer a discount if you in one of the clubs?

runner2011

when i switched to Dolmen a few years back it was the same price but i didn't have the club fee to pay so net effect was cheaper NOT being in the club.. perhaps that has changed now?

Rainbowsend

+1 for Dolmen, very helpful pleasant company to deal with paid €350 first time insurance for camper, includes breakdown cover.

jsabina

Sorry if I add myself to the thread.
I am looking to buy a small campervan.. not sure about the terminology.. let's say similar to the mazda bongo.
So I believe it would be a converted van.
I would use it for weekends but also for daily trips / commuting (sometimes).

Does that change for the insurance? I went on the dolmen website and it is talking about "holidays only" use.

Just per people experience, is it more expensive than a normal car?
(I have been quoted 750 euro to renew my polo insurance this year, with no accidents, no points, full irish licence, 9 years no accidents... and few years ago I was paying only 450..)

Thanks!

runner2011

without looking at the Dolmen site i imagine what they are referring to when they say "holiday use" is that you are not covered with insurance to live in the camper van full time.. which is a standard condition i believe. i would imagine that once your camper van is a registered camper van and meets all the conditions set out by customs to be a camper van the insurance cost is the same. There is a strict criteria to define what a camper van is in the eye of customs... the insurance companies just follow those rules.