A “common insurance mistake” could end up costing caravan owners £4,000, an insurance company has warned.
Ripe Caravan Insurance has alerted caravaners to not fall for the assumption that their vans are fully covered by car insurance when they’re towing a caravan and to instead check the finer details of their policy. In reality, the insurance company said, the majority of comprehensive policies will only offer cover in third-party liability cases.
Explaining what this means, Ripe Insurance have said that you will be covered “if your caravan injures someone else during a collision or causes damage to a vehicle” – however, it will not offer any cover for damage caused to your caravan.
While towing on motorways, tourers are most commonly damaged when they sway and subsequently fall over. In contrast, on narrow roads and country lanes, a caravan is more likely to suffer from scrapes and scratches. Analysing internal data, Ripe Insurance found the average charge caravaners subsequently face is £4,027.
Founder of Ripe Caravan Insurance, John Woosey, said: “Confusion around towing rules is commonplace amongst caravan owners and, unfortunately, many do get caught out by this part of their motoring policy. The last thing we want is for a holiday to be ruined by an unexpected bill – so we would urge caravanners to read up on the finer details of their insurance. This will help to ensure they’re covered for damage in the event of an emergency.”
If you’re looking for somewhere to go for your first tour of the year, take a look at our best caravan park guide, where we share the standout sites in the UK.
Update: Ripe did a further study that revealed claims for caravan storm damage were found to be seven times higher for the October to December 2023 period, compared to the same period in 2022.
- Caravanners have also been warned to urgently check their gas hobs by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, due to an issue that is affecting certain models.
Image: Tim Andrew
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