Does my car insurance cover my caravan?

If you’ve invested in a caravan, you’ll want to protect it as best you can, but does your existing car cover give you what you need? Here, we provide the answer to a question we’re frequently asked – does my car insurance cover my caravan?

Does car insurance cover my caravan?

Most standard car insurance policies will cover damage caused by your caravan. However, your policy is unlikely to compensate you if your caravan is damaged in an accident.

For example, if you were involved in an accident and your caravan damaged someone else’s property, your policy should provide them with compensation (known as third party cover). But, if your caravan was also damaged, you’d generally be expected to cover those repair costs yourself – unless you had caravan insurance.

Does car insurance cover a trailer?

If you’re towing a trailer, it’s a similar scenario. So, while your car insurance will usually cover third party damage (damage to other people’s property), policies are unlikely to compensate you for damage to the trailer itself (or its contents).

Do I need caravan insurance by law?

No, unlike car insurance, caravan insurance is not something you need by law, but remember that it’s up to you to pay for repairs or buy a replacement if it’s damaged or stolen.

With that in mind, buying caravan insurance is very much the sensible decision. Plus, don’t forget to make sure the policy you choose is appropriate for the type of caravan you have (for example, a touring caravan or fold-up trailer tent).

If you’ve got a motorhome, then caravan insurance isn’t suitable, you’ll need motorhome cover instead.

What does caravan insurance cover?

Caravan insurance typically covers theft, as well as damage caused by an accident, vandalism or even storms. For an increase in your premium, you’ll also usually be able to add on other features including cover for your contents, European travel and breakdown services.

What is new for old cover on caravan insurance?

New for old cover is when your insurer will replace your old caravan with a new one (usually of the same make and model).

Bear in mind that new for old is not something that’s automatically included with policies, and it often only applies to caravans under a certain age.

What caravan can I tow?

You can only tow caravans and trailers up to a certain weight limit – known as the ‘maximum authorised mass’ or MAM. The MAM also includes the laden weight of the trailer or caravan. The amount your car can safely tow should be clearly set out in your owner’s manual. If you don’t have this, it’s also printed somewhere on your car.

The total MAM that you can legally tow also depends on when you passed your driving test.

If you passed your test before 1 January 1997

You can drive a car or van with a trailer with a total combined MAM of 8,250kg.

If you passed your test after 1 January 1997

You can tow a trailer with a MAM up to 3,500kg. This is a change from the previous rules which only let drivers in this group tow a trailer up to 750kg.

Do I need any special equipment to tow a caravan?

The short answer is yes, you will need suitable equipment to tow your caravan safely. If you don’t, you can be fined up to £2,500 and be given three penalty points. In the worst-case scenario, you could be banned from driving altogether.

To ensure you stay on the right side of the law, you’ll need to consider:

Compare car and caravan insurance from leading providers

Insurance for your caravan might not be a legal requirement, but it can make financial sense in the long run and cover the cost of expensive repairs.

To help you find suitable cover for either your car or your caravan, we’ve teamed up with Quotezone to bring you dozens of quotes from leading insurers. Simply tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll do the searching for you.

You can also find out more about caravans by taking a look at our handy guides, including how to keep your caravan warm in winter, and whether or not you can live in one permanently.