Best insurance to go for on new California Ocean?

[Stu@rt]

following WelshGas comments I had and extensive discussion with senior guy at LV yesterday regarding level of cover. They acknowledged that their cover did not used to be comprehensive enough for Campervan/ motor home owners as it was all lumped into their general car policy however in recent months this has changed. They told me that as an insurer ( rather than a broker) they provided policies purpose written for brokers who specialised in campers/motorhomes and decided that they would start offering the same type of policies direct to clients as well as through brokers and providing you get their “motorcaravan“ cover and have it stated as such on your documents then that covers everything in the van and all camping accidents as you would expect. My docs didn’t with my vehicle being described as a VW T30 California Ocean 4 motion 204 however LV have now reissued my docs describing it as a VW Motorcaravan.
So thank to you Welshgas for your comments I now have the right description on my documents in the event of any issues. It’s interesting how a few words can make all the difference.

Many thanks for the very useful update. Can I ask did they charge you extra for amending the docs to reflect "motorcaravan"?

 

[JandA]

Many thanks for the very useful update. Can I ask did they charge you extra for amending the docs to reflect "motorcaravan"?

Yes it went up buy £110 to £411 which was better than to other 3 quotes I got but not by a lot it certainly “narrowed” the difference with the exception of CCC which was £1900 ...the CC wouldn’t quote

 

[Stu@rt]

Yes it went up buy £110 to £411 which was better than to other 3 quotes I got but not by a lot it certainly “narrowed” the difference with the exception of CCC which was £1900 ...the CC wouldn’t quote

Thank you very much for your honesty. I really was digging for specific personal cost. Just interested to find out if it was an "extra". Great info, thank you. And thanks for your openness.

 

[Stu@rt]

Thank you very much for your honesty. I really was digging for specific personal cost. Just interested to find out if it was an "extra". Great info, thank you. And thanks for your openness.

Wasn't! Typo

 

[pjduffill]

I went for comfort, first cali in December. They were very knowledgeabl!

 

[JandA]

Thank you very much for your honesty. I really was digging for specific personal cost. Just interested to find out if it was an "extra". Great info, thank you. And thanks for your openness.

No worries we are all here to help each other all the best

 

[WelshGas]

following WelshGas comments I had and extensive discussion with senior guy at LV yesterday regarding level of cover. They acknowledged that their cover did not used to be comprehensive enough for Campervan/ motor home owners as it was all lumped into their general car policy however in recent months this has changed. They told me that as an insurer ( rather than a broker) they provided policies purpose written for brokers who specialised in campers/motorhomes and decided that they would start offering the same type of policies direct to clients as well as through brokers and providing you get their “motorcaravan“ cover and have it stated as such on your documents then that covers everything in the van and all camping accidents as you would expect. My docs didn’t with my vehicle being described as a VW T30 California Ocean 4 motion 204 however LV have now reissued my docs describing it as a VW Motorcaravan.
So thank to you Welshgas for your comments I now have the right description on my documents in the event of any issues. It’s interesting how a few words can make all the difference.

Why they ;
1. Couldn't identify your vehicle correctly?
2. When identifying your vehicle ask if you want a Standard or Campervan policy I just do not understand.

 

[Louis II]

But I wonder why there are companies that specialise in insurance for Leisure vehicles such as camper vans and motorhomes?

Called carving out a niche. Essentially separating less price sensitive customers from a highly competitive and commoditised market through a combination of marketing trickery and very minor product differentiation in order to extract a much higher price for a very similar product.
Another way insurance companies do this is through the annual price hikes that subsequently go away when you pick up the phone and alert them to the fact that you are one of price sensitive ones.

 

[Knbd22]

We went with LV for our coast. I phoned and made sure that they changed it to motorhome, which increased the premium by about £150 compared to if you just put the reg in ( dvla have classified it as mpv)

 

[peregrinus]

I’ve been with Comfort for 8 years now. Haven’t claimed however the annual premium increases have been modest. They ask me about mileage every year to try and lower the premium.

 

[WelshGas]

Called carving out a niche. Essentially separating less price sensitive customers from a highly competitive and commoditised market through a combination of marketing trickery and very minor product differentiation in order to extract a much higher price for a very similar product.
Another way insurance companies do this is through the annual price hikes that subsequently go away when you pick up the phone and alert them to the fact that you are one of price sensitive ones.

Disagree. As far as Annual Price increase haven’t had any for the 6 yrs I’ve had my Specialist Policy, in fact a slight reduction .

 

[JandA]

Disagree. As far as Annual Price increase haven’t had any for the 6 yrs I’ve had my Specialist Policy, in fact a slight reduction .

I would expect a premium on an older VW to reduce in line with its value, brand new vehicles that cost well in excess of £70k will never be cheap .... but you pays the money, you make the choice!!

 

[WelshGas]

I would expect a premium on an older VW to reduce in line with its value, brand new vehicles that cost well in excess of £70k will never be cheap .... but you pays the money, you make the choice!!

One would expect so, but on other household vehicles the Insurance premiums only went up on renewal unless they were specifically asked to base their premium on a current valuation and then you got a substantial reduction. With the California the valuation has kept in line with current prices. Even though they are inflated due to the current situation.

 

[AJM660]

Hi we are collecting new Cali and wondering as first time owners best insurers to go for from people with experience, what should we make sure we have and any tips welcome

We've been with Scenic for a couple of years, they have been good, others mentioned here were about £100 more or didnt cover occasional commuting in the van
Andrew

 

[testpilottimmy]

Why they ;
1. Couldn't identify your vehicle correctly?
2. When identifying your vehicle ask if you want a Standard or Campervan policy I just do not understand.

I phoned LV this morning to cancel my old car that is being collected today and to set up for our Ocean that is due to arrive next Wednesday.

I asked to confirm that we would be covered as a campervan policy and the chap on the phone confirmed that the Ocean was classified as a motorhome by default.

It's also almost 1/4 the cost to insure compared to our last car with like for like cover (well actually more cover as we now have motorhome cover )

 

[WelshGas]

I phoned LV this morning to cancel my old car that is being collected today and to set up for our Ocean that is due to arrive next Wednesday.

I asked to confirm that we would be covered as a campervan policy and the chap on the phone confirmed that the Ocean was classified as a motorhome by default.

It's also almost 1/4 the cost to insure compared to our last car with like for like cover (well actually more cover as we now have motorhome cover )

Maybe they've had some training or updated their systems, but that's as it should be.

 

[davidgmo]

Hi we are collecting new Cali and wondering as first time owners best insurers to go for from people with experience, what should we make sure we have and any tips welcome

I got a good deal from NFU Mutual who we insure all our vehicles with

I recently claimed on another vehicle and they processed the claim so fast.

 

[66tim99]

I phoned LV this morning to cancel my old car that is being collected today and to set up for our Ocean that is due to arrive next Wednesday.

I asked to confirm that we would be covered as a campervan policy and the chap on the phone confirmed that the Ocean was classified as a motorhome by default.

It's also almost 1/4 the cost to insure compared to our last car with like for like cover (well actually more cover as we now have motorhome cover )

Amazing how inexpensive Cali insurance is, given their value. I watched a YouTube film where the chap suggested a 20 year old driver consider a Jaguar X Type. Can be the same price as a fiesta but £600 to insure, because 20 year olds don’t crash X Types, because 20 year olds don’t drive X Types...
By that logic Cali’s don’t get nicked or crashed often either?

 

[MickyTwoPints]

I've just received my renewal quote from Comfort for this year and it's gone up by over 20%. Nothing's changed in my circumstances since last year. Has anyone else noticed a marked increase in premiums this year?

 

[David O'Neill]

L & V all day long.
I can't see how Safeguard and Comfort can justify their premiums.
Maybe I should have asked Welsh gas......he seems to know everything as usual!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I've just received my renewal quote from Comfort for this year and it's gone up by over 20%. Nothing's changed in my circumstances since last year. Has anyone else noticed a marked increase in premiums this year?

Seems normal. Just get quotes from others, should be fairly easy to ‘save’ the additional 20%. Just make sure cover is the same.

 

[KGCali]

I recently looked at many of the insurance companies and the main difference between LV and others 'proper' motorhome insurers is that LV and a few others only cover personal belongings up to £1,000 whereas others offer a more realistic £5,000 cover and a higher level windscreen cover. All now appear to cover original manufacturer internal fittings like the kitchen etc. in case of damage, fire or theft BUT you need to check that the manufacturers fitted roll out awning is covered.
We initially went with Comfort but then cancelled as their policy of having to inform them every time the vehicle was left anywhere unattended (other than our drive) for more than 24 hours, otherwise it may not be insured, wasn't suitable for us.
We then went with the Caravan and Motorhome Club Insurance (Devitt) as it offered a good price, a very clear motorhome policy and 'up to £5,000 for any personal belongings that are damaged or stolen as a result of fire, theft or attempted theft'. If you added up all the additional camping items, external tent/awning, mattress, isotop, brandrup bits, cooking items, clothes etc. it soon comes to well over £1,000

We were with AIB last year, but had issues getting written proof of no claims from them for our renewal so wouldn't recommend them.

 

[testpilottimmy]

What do people carry around that is worth more than £1000 that wouldn’t be covered under your home insurance anyway?

 

[KGCali]

What do people carry around that is worth more than £1000 that wouldn’t be covered under your home insurance anyway?

I said that to my wife then she starting listing all the California accessories ... Isotop, poptop cover, windscreen covers, bed comfort mattresses, Sea to Summit airbed, tent etc. Soon adds up!

 

[Rupes]

What do people carry around that is worth more than £1000 that wouldn’t be covered under your home insurance anyway?

I can say from experience that our 3 bikes mounted on a bike rack were worth a lot more that £1000 when someone drove into the back of me last year and wrecked them. Thankfully, the cost was eventually recovered from the other driver (although it took over a year). But it certainly made me think again about my levels of cover.

The bikes might also have been covered by my home insurance too but in that situation it was more than enough hassle managing one insurance claim and then facing the premium hike so I wouldn’t want to have to make two separate claims following an accident and then end up paying higher premiums on two policies.