Insurance

[WelshGas]

Thank you I’ll check that out. Is there a way round it Welshgas

Eg, You drive to the airport in your California and leave it parked up while you catch a plane to the Canaries for a weeks holiday. Unless you phone them and get permission, an additional premium may be required or the answer could be No depending on the parking service you use. Failure to do this means your not insured.
Only way round it is not to use the California for this sort of trip.

 

[Crofty]

Eg, You drive to the airport in your California and leave it parked up while you catch a plane to the Canaries for a weeks holiday. Unless you phone them and get permission, an additional premium may be required or the answer could be No depending on the parking service you use. Failure to do this means your not insured.
Only way round it is not to use the California for this sort of trip.

Thanks for tip they did explain the 48 the rule. We have another vehicle so I felt this was ok for us

 

[Footy69]

Thanks for tip they did explain the 48 the rule. We have another vehicle so I felt this was ok for us

Thanks for clarifying ! Are you with Comfort or another ? To be honest I don’t thing we’d leave the Cali at the airport !

 

[camp5]

Hello.

New Cali arriving tomorrow!

Could you please let me know what Contents insurance everyone has? I have a quote for £1k Contents (with AIB) and not sure if this is enough and if not enough what insurers will give more?

Other terms are good. New for old, camping incidents insured etc, 180 days EU cover, £200 excess.

Many thanks

 

[JandA]

I have been trying to get some insurance quotes and some insurers classify the California as a Motorhome and won’t accept the no claims discount I have built up from my car as they say it dose not apply to motorhomes. How are California’s classified on the log book and has anyone had a similar problem

 

[WelshGas]

I have been trying to get some insurance quotes and some insurers classify the California as a Motorhome and won’t accept the no claims discount I have built up from my car as they say it dose not apply to motorhomes. How are California’s classified on the log book and has anyone had a similar problem

If its a new Ocean - Motorhome.

 

[B J G]

Seems odd as when I had an actual Motorhome there was no issue with recognition of NCB from a car.

Are you contacting the usual ones?
Safeguard , Comfort, AIB, or M & CC.

 

[camp5]

I have been trying to get some insurance quotes and some insurers classify the California as a Motorhome and won’t accept the no claims discount I have built up from my car as they say it dose not apply to motorhomes. How are California’s classified on the log book and has anyone had a similar problem

We ended up insuring with Comfort on their Motorhome policy. Ocean can be insured as Motorhome or Campervan with Comfort. Motorhome cover has £5k contents cover and was actually cheaper for us than Campervan with only £1k contents cover. I have not questioned whether our no claim bonus is being used - the price was around £350 so did not feel the need to ask.

 

[LPGoodwood]

Caravan & Motorhome Club will give you some no claims discount if you ask for it. It’s a token offering tho.

 

[DavidinWales]

I got my new Cali at the start of the month. Safeguard and Comfort wouldn't insure it at all, both because it's my sole vehicle (although not used for business). The guy I spoke to at the Caravan and Camping Club found a quote but didn't give me the actual price just saying it was 'well north of £1000' and that it would require a Thatcham Cat 5 tracker. I ended up going with VW itself, £546 fixed for three years and I'm very happy with the cover.

 

[66tim99]

I got my new Cali at the start of the month. Safeguard and Comfort wouldn't insure it at all, both because it's my sole vehicle (although not used for business). The guy I spoke to at the Caravan and Camping Club found a quote but didn't give me the actual price just saying it was 'well north of £1000' and that it would require a Thatcham Cat 5 tracker. I ended up going with VW itself, £546 fixed for three years and I'm very happy with the cover.

Comfort quoted me £630 with no no-claims in central London. I haven’t owned a vehicle sine 2004 and it will be my sole vehicle...so odd how they calculate

 

[Algor]

I would recommend that any cali owner gets a quote from LV, some members will say that they are not specialists but having gone through the policy I can't see that anything is excluded and they do understand what a California is and does. They also understand modifications and will charge a moderate amount for Wheel and suspension changes. Obviously the worth of any insurance company will be known when a claim is made, I haven't made one myself but did carry out the appropriate due diligence and Campervan owners in general appear to be happy with the recompense when required.

 

[MajE]

I would recommend that any cali owner gets a quote from LV, some members will say that they are not specialists but having gone through the policy I can't see that anything is excluded and they do understand what a California is and does. They also understand modifications and will charge a moderate amount for Wheel and suspension changes. Obviously the worth of any insurance company will be known when a claim is made, I haven't made one myself but did carry out the appropriate due diligence and Campervan owners in general appear to be happy with the recompense when required.

+1 for LV.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

If anybody is thinking of asking for an insurance rebate/reduction due to Reduced mileage in these Covid times, here’s what my insurers said when I asked:-

I hope you and your family are keeping well and safe.
I refer to your email below and whilst we appreciate, along with the majority of motorists, that motorhome owners are driving significantly less during this period, we use the 25,000 miles per annum to indicate unlimited mileage. If you were to reduce to 10,000 miles per annum, that still qualifies for unlimited mileage so would not make any difference to the premium you paid.
With regard to your comment on car insurance, car premiums are significantly higher than motorhome premiums with the average premium for a car being double that of a motorhome. Motorhomes are typically worth a lot more in value than a normal family car but, again, the premiums are half that of car insurance and reflect this in the price due to risk and type of vehicle.
This Policy also provides cover on your motor home, while off the road, for damage, fire or theft. There are also other factors i.e. at the beginning of 2020, the UK experienced the worse weather conditions for the first three months of the year which greatly impacted insurance reserves. In addition to that we have now had Brexit which has resulted in the cost of parts and repairs being pushed up so making it even more expensive. It is a combination of factors that have affected the renewal premiums that are being offered but, unfortunately at this moment in time, we can only speak on behalf of the motorhome scheme that we offer with Aviva and that the rates and terms that were offered to you were correct for the coming year based on the Policy being over a 12 month period.
Our Policies are already very competitive and are priced with consideration to the seasonality of the motorhome ownerships. We are aware that many owners place their vehicles off the road for the Winter months and feel that the premiums reflect this with the ability to reduce the mileage. Our paramount concern is to our customers to ensure they always have the best possible cover and not leave them exposed to situations where a possible claim could result in no cover. In circumstances such as malicious and accidental damage, just because the vehicle is off the road doesn’t mean it isn’t prone to losses.
The rates that are charged are set by the Insurers and currently it is our understanding that the specialist motorhome/campervan Insurers, and the insurance market in general are not providing rebates. We are in regular contact with the Watchdogs such as the FCA, the ABI and also the Insurers themselves, and we will always keep our customers up to date with any changes that could affect our Policyholders during this challenging period for us all. Insurers and the Industry as a whole have introduced various measures which include:
• Assistance for those experiencing severe financial hardship due to Covid-19
• Extended home and motor insurance cover to support the changes customers are needing to make such as working from home or alternative commuting arrangements.
In addition to these initiatives, all our Insurers are continuing to monitor the performance of all Personal and Commercial Line products which have been impacted by Covid-19. This is in line with the requirements included within the FCA guidance issued in June 2020 around Product Value and Coronavirus guidance, and EIOPA statement in July 2020 – expectations on product oversight and governance requirements. This includes a longer-term view of the impacts of Covid-19 and whether the Insurers are still able to provide the cover and the service to customers in determining whether there is a customer need for the product.
With kind regards

 

[Louis II]

If anybody is thinking of asking for an insurance rebate/reduction due to Reduced mileage in these Covid times, here’s what my insurers said when I asked:-

I hope you and your family are keeping well and safe.
I refer to your email below and whilst we appreciate, along with the majority of motorists, that motorhome owners are driving significantly less during this period, we use the 25,000 miles per annum to indicate unlimited mileage. If you were to reduce to 10,000 miles per annum, that still qualifies for unlimited mileage so would not make any difference to the premium you paid.
With regard to your comment on car insurance, car premiums are significantly higher than motorhome premiums with the average premium for a car being double that of a motorhome. Motorhomes are typically worth a lot more in value than a normal family car but, again, the premiums are half that of car insurance and reflect this in the price due to risk and type of vehicle.
This Policy also provides cover on your motor home, while off the road, for damage, fire or theft. There are also other factors i.e. at the beginning of 2020, the UK experienced the worse weather conditions for the first three months of the year which greatly impacted insurance reserves. In addition to that we have now had Brexit which has resulted in the cost of parts and repairs being pushed up so making it even more expensive. It is a combination of factors that have affected the renewal premiums that are being offered but, unfortunately at this moment in time, we can only speak on behalf of the motorhome scheme that we offer with Aviva and that the rates and terms that were offered to you were correct for the coming year based on the Policy being over a 12 month period.
Our Policies are already very competitive and are priced with consideration to the seasonality of the motorhome ownerships. We are aware that many owners place their vehicles off the road for the Winter months and feel that the premiums reflect this with the ability to reduce the mileage. Our paramount concern is to our customers to ensure they always have the best possible cover and not leave them exposed to situations where a possible claim could result in no cover. In circumstances such as malicious and accidental damage, just because the vehicle is off the road doesn’t mean it isn’t prone to losses.
The rates that are charged are set by the Insurers and currently it is our understanding that the specialist motorhome/campervan Insurers, and the insurance market in general are not providing rebates. We are in regular contact with the Watchdogs such as the FCA, the ABI and also the Insurers themselves, and we will always keep our customers up to date with any changes that could affect our Policyholders during this challenging period for us all. Insurers and the Industry as a whole have introduced various measures which include:
• Assistance for those experiencing severe financial hardship due to Covid-19
• Extended home and motor insurance cover to support the changes customers are needing to make such as working from home or alternative commuting arrangements.
In addition to these initiatives, all our Insurers are continuing to monitor the performance of all Personal and Commercial Line products which have been impacted by Covid-19. This is in line with the requirements included within the FCA guidance issued in June 2020 around Product Value and Coronavirus guidance, and EIOPA statement in July 2020 – expectations on product oversight and governance requirements. This includes a longer-term view of the impacts of Covid-19 and whether the Insurers are still able to provide the cover and the service to customers in determining whether there is a customer need for the product.
With kind regards

Time to change insurers! Mine gave me £25 per vehicle which equated to about 15% discount and I didn’t even need to ask.

 

[66tim99]

Time to change insurers! Mine gave me £25 per vehicle which equated to about 15% discount and I didn’t even need to ask.

Who are your vehicles insured with Louis?

 

[Louis II]

Who are your vehicles insured with Louis?

Admiral, pretty sure it was a thing they did for all customers.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Admiral, pretty sure it was a thing they did for all customers.

We got the £25 per vehicle refund, but of course they tried to claw it back with the renewal which went up £50 per vehicle..Needless to sat we found another insurance provider. We are with LV now who don’t charge for reg number change.

 

[Louis II]

We got the £25 per vehicle refund, but of course they tried to claw it back with the renewal which went up £50 per vehicle..Needless to sat we found another insurance provider. We are with LV now who don’t charge for reg number change.

I take it for granted that renewals will include a price increase but a quick phone call seems to sort it out.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

I take it for granted that renewals will include a price increase but a quick phone call seems to sort it out.

No they wouldn’t budge on price plus Admiral have too many “Extra” charges. I’ve been insuring vehicles for more than 55 years so know how it works. If they can’t give a good price on renewal I will look for someone who does. I know insurance companies are all out to make as much as they can and give away as little as possible.

 

[66tim99]

No they wouldn’t budge on price plus Admiral have too many “Extra” charges. I’ve been insuring vehicles for more than 55 years so know how it works. If they can’t give a good price on renewal I will look for someone who does. I know insurance companies are all out to make as much as they can and give away as little as possible.

I had a great quote from LV. Sounds from another post on here that they know what they’re insuring too

 

[ToulonTom]

Renewal quote with Comfort was £400+ and they wouldn't budge (up from £315 last year). Quote with Safeguard - £317. Easy decision for me.

 

[JamesTT]

I would recommend that any cali owner gets a quote from LV, some members will say that they are not specialists but having gone through the policy I can't see that anything is excluded and they do understand what a California is and does. They also understand modifications and will charge a moderate amount for Wheel and suspension changes. Obviously the worth of any insurance company will be known when a claim is made, I haven't made one myself but did carry out the appropriate due diligence and Campervan owners in general appear to be happy with the recompense when required.

I’m with LV for my car but won’t be using them for my new Cali despite them being significantly cheaper £250 v £449. They do not offer New for Old and will only pay their market price in the event of a loss. This amount is calculated by them, with depreciation etc. If you suffer a total loss in the first year they will only pay the invoice amount, which may not take account of any discount you managed to negotiate when you purchased your vehicle. As discounts aren’t as good as they used to be you would not receive enough to replace your Cali with one of the same spec.

 

[JamesTT]

I had a great quote from LV. Sounds from another post on here that they know what they’re insuring too

They know what they are insuring but the cover is lacking in serveral ways, particularly if you have a new van which you managed to negotiate a good discount on.

 

[JamesTT]

Make sure you understand the 48hr rule which Comfort operate.

You also need to be on the electoral register at the house where your Cali resides. If you’re not they won’t pay out in the event of a claim and they will check.