Insurers - who are you with?

[T5sevilla]

Some interesting posts here. My story: Trying to get insurance for my LHD 2008 Cali SE so that I can finalise it's transfer to UK V5 etc. Comfort - £300 +, until I informed them that it's currently on Spanish plates, fully legal for the UK pending transfer to UK.... quote now becomes £600+, as they can only insure those vehicles currently on UK plates.... I explain that in order to get a V5, and hence UK plates, DVLA need proof of UK insurance..... figure that one out!!
Scenic - no cover available if vehicle is primary means of transport.... Again, figure that one out! Admiral - £500+
Finally, Adrian Flux - cover at just over £300, plus acceptance of Spanish earnt NCD, which the others wouldn't accept, including Direct Line, who I was insured with in Spain! (Linea Direct - same company apparently, but told on phone that DL UK no longer recognise them!)

 

[dfps]

SAGA Insurance. £320

Fully Comp, 365 European Travel, Myself and wife to drive
8,000 miles
UK & European Breakdown

I have no connection with SAGA or any other insurance company.

Cover at a glance

Our Comprehensive motorhome insurance includes protection that comes as standard:

• Uninsured driver cover - If an uninsured driver hits your motorhome, through no fault of yours, as long as you supply their vehicle registration and the accident details we'll refund any excess paid and your No Claim Discount won't be reduced
• If a motor or medical emergency interrupts your journey, any driver can take over the driving or take your motorhome back home
• Saga provides 'get you home' cover in the event your motorhome is immobile following an accident, which enables you to claim travelling and/or hotel expenses of up to £500
• If you take your motorhome abroad, Saga automatically includes cover in the European Union at no extra cost and for an unlimited period
• Your No Claim Discount will not be affected if you make a claim for damage caused by vandals
• New for old cover for motorhomes under two years old if you are the first registered keeper and if the motorhome's mileage is less than 12,000 miles
• Windscreen/glass repairs if one of our nationwide approved repairers does the work, with no excess to pay and your No Claim Discount unaffected
• Guaranteed replacement car for up to 14 days while your motorhome is being repaired by one of our approved repairers following an incident in the UK
• Personal effects cover of up to £1,500 for personal effects and clothing, £500 for camping equipment, and £1,500 for awnings
• Unlimited audio/visual cover for permanently fitted equipment such as Sat Nav, CD or MP3 players and reverse parking cameras.

 

[WelshGas]

Some interesting posts here. My story: Trying to get insurance for my LHD 2008 Cali SE so that I can finalise it's transfer to UK V5 etc. Comfort - £300 +, until I informed them that it's currently on Spanish plates, fully legal for the UK pending transfer to UK.... quote now becomes £600+, as they can only insure those vehicles currently on UK plates.... I explain that in order to get a V5, and hence UK plates, DVLA need proof of UK insurance..... figure that one out!!
Scenic - no cover available if vehicle is primary means of transport.... Again, figure that one out! Admiral - £500+
Finally, Adrian Flux - cover at just over £300, plus acceptance of Spanish earnt NCD, which the others wouldn't accept, including Direct Line, who I was insured with in Spain! (Linea Direct - same company apparently, but told on phone that DL UK no longer recognise them!)

DO a Google search on Adrian Flux!

 

[MrSheen]

We were with Adrian Flux for a few years, they were very good with our claim but the renewal went up by 20% so we changed to Safeguard

 

[ArunAlec]

Just taken out insurance with Comfort. They were a lot cheaper than Safeguard, even with Safeguard offering to give a big discount. LV, who I already have car insurance with were cheaper but I feel happier with a "specialist". £239 for fully comp, full no claims, 6000 miles annual mileage.

 

[Meoncoast]

We are with the Caravan Club. I felt is was the best policy for us as we needed cover for 15k per year. Many of the specialist camper policies had limited milage cover.Comfort not using a NCD system so as our only mode of transport could not work for us after a few years as your NCB can expire if not used.
There has been lots stated on the forum about some company's not covering the equipment if an accident happens. I can understand all your pot and pan's bedding etc ( the carried camping equipment)not being covered but I can't see how parts of the van not being covered. If you are insuring a VW California on your policy surley they must cover a VW California as it comes out of the factory.

 

[GrannyJen]

I am with Comfort.

No particular reason.

As a 15k plus mileage insurer they are a little bit expensive. however mostly it's because I find that trying to ring other insurers up I have lost the will to live after listening to the recorded message telling me all about the financial services act, answer all questions honestly or be shot at dawn and these calls will be recorded so that we can all have a good laugh when we disallow your insurance claim ....

 

[SimonB]

You left out the bit where this really helpful recorded voice tells you how important your call is to them and they are trying to connect you just as fast as they can.

I had a really good call with an insurer some years ago and confirmed that I could drive my car at work and at a reasonable price. I wrote to confirm this and had a complete rejection of the phone call statement.
Calls weren't recorded in those days, but I always wonder if you would be able to have access to their recording to prove something that they denied saying.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

I got insurance with Admiral for £118 ..on multi car
Fully comp
I was suprised, as the same for my 02 focus worth £2000
I got the girl to check, and she said it was correct, they would not insure a t5 van, but for a Cali motorhome, that was the price. And they gave me free 14 years no claims.
Maby it is because I am a new customer. I was with them 2 years ago!

 

[jts46]

Me also with comfort, just had renewal quote for £420 including european breakdown cover.

John

 

[WelshGas]

Caravan Club. Last year £420. This year £390. Fully Comp. 270 + days foreign travel. No Milage limit + 2nd yr GAP insurance.

 

[snowy55]

We use Comfort. Vw nor any of the High Street insurance companies would cover Morocco.
We also use purchased Comforts breakdown insurance although still covered by the 3 year recovery that comes with the Cali ever helpfull Vw wouldn't extend it for Morocco and non of the usual breakdown companies cover extends that far.

 

[mikeringrose]

Hi, I have been with Comfort for two years and their Customer Services lady (Debbie) phoned me due to my move of home. What a rude, unhelpful and stroppy lady. She even threatened to cancel my insurance. The maximum on road parking rule of 36 hours is nuts and it's enforced by authoritarians. I would hate to make a claim.
Regards
Mike

 

[DavidofHook]

In your shoes Mike, I think that i would want to change!
We are with the Camping and Caravanning Club £315 including European Breakdown cover , Legal expenses and Key cover. The last is a waste of time, they send you a metal boomerang which they insist is attached to your keys, but it won't then go in your pocket! That apart they are good to deal with, although, as I park on the drive, they initially wanted a lockable bollard when the van is valued at over £40000. Immediate revaluing by me to 39000 resolved that and they were happy.

 

[MCh1777]

In your shoes Mike, I would definitely change. Over the past few months I have experienced such hopeless, bordering on the bizarre, contact with my present insurers that I am voting with my wallet.
To preserve my sanity and maintain the will to live I just need three things from an insurance company: an office local to me, a named contact who talks sense, and confidence that the insurer will be helpful and competent when I need them.
So far the NFU is the only one I have found that meets these requirements. This move will cost me an extra £200/year or so - a small price to pay for the knowledge that I will not be talking to my present insurer ever again!

 

[WooburnCalifornia]

Be careful with NFU, we tried to insure through them as they also insure our house and our pets however they could not confirm if the habitation area would be covered ( for example if we had a fire from cooking or if there was a major roof problem) We did ask them if they could confirm in writing what was covered and they said they could not do this.

My advice is anyone who is not insured with the normal motorhome insurers ( Comfort, Safeguard, C&CC etc... ) make sure you get it in writing that habitation area is covered as when we spoke to Comfort we found out their policies are very different as they are underwritten especially for leisure vehicles to make sure all parts of the vehicle are covered.

 

[MCh1777]

Thank you for that advice Wooburn. I didn't think to include in my list of requirements that all parts of the vehicle would be covered! I could be down to a very small short-list at this rate.

 

[DM]

We are with the Caravan Club. I felt is was the best policy for us as we needed cover for 15k per year. Many of the specialist camper policies had limited milage cover.Comfort not using a NCD system so as our only mode of transport could not work for us after a few years as your NCB can expire if not used.
There has been lots stated on the forum about some company's not covering the equipment if an accident happens. I can understand all your pot and pan's bedding etc ( the carried camping equipment)not being covered but I can't see how parts of the van not being covered. If you are insuring a VW California on your policy surley they must cover a VW California as it comes out of the factory.

I'm still considering who to go with but Comfort assured me that whilst they do not offer additional no claims discount you can maintain / build up a no claims history.

 

[WelshGas]

I'm still considering who to go with but Comfort assured me that whilst they do not offer additional no claims discount you can maintain / build up a no claims history.

Just be aware however. If you should ever decide to use your California to drive to the airport and leave it there while you fly to the States or anywhere else, Comfort may not insure it while you are absent.

 

[Meoncoast]

I'm still considering who to go with but Comfort assured me that whilst they do not offer additional no claims discount you can maintain / build up a no claims history.

I think they would say that as they are trying sell you their policy when I looked at it itwas some time ago(around 2012) the NCB with comfort is not used and after a number of years if not active I understand other companies will not honor your past built up NCB. if not used for about 3 years I also found Comfort staff I spoke too a bit pushy

3rd year with caravan club feel best to meet my personal needs. Protectect NCD works for me.

I also could not find out how a Comfort Policy would change if you made a claim with their policy.

 

[larrylamb]

Our renewal quote with Comfort is £262inc. This includes £5000 personal effects & camping equipment as well. New for old van replacement is now 3 years or 15k miles. As the Cali is not our main vehicle we can use our ncd discount on other policies. This cover works well for us as low mileage users.

 

[DM]

WelshGas has expressed some concerns with the 'storage' definition on a Comfort policy. That has got me nervous. Comfort seems to be coming out with the best deal for me overall - especially since I do not have an NCD to transfer across as the Cali will be an additional vehicle.

Comfort has an exclusion as follows:
13. Cover in respect of fire, theft or vandalism whilst your camper van is stored at a non-approved storage location

There has been quite a lot of discussion on the Forum about Comfort's 36 hour rule. As far as I can see this only applies outside the UK and there is no definition of what unattended period might be considered as storage in the UK.

Comfort define Storage as follows:

Storage
Your camper van will be considered to be stored or in storage when it is not in use for the purposes of travel or other day-to-day activity

That raises some specific questions such as:
i) will my van be covered if it is parked on the street outside my house for a week whilst my drive is being re-surfaced?
ii) will my van be covered if I park it overnight at my parents house whilst visiting (but not sleeping in the van).
iii) will it be covered if I leave it unattended in a car-park overnight whilst I go on an overnight back-packing or canoeing trip?
iv) will it be covered if I leave it in an airport car-park for two weeks whist I am away on holiday?

The key question is what does 'travel or other day to day activity' mean. I believe that scenarios ii) and iii) above could probably successfully be argued but they may be able to wriggle out of liability for scenarios i) and iv).

I also have some concern about Comfort's exclusion clause about personal posessions:

3. Loss of personal effects whilst the vehicle is left unattended unless following forcible and violent entry.

This effectively means that personal effects are not covered against theft at any time when the vehicle is unattended! Isn't that what insurance is for?

I will put these specific questions to Comfort later today and post the replies.

Does anyone have an personal experience of these types of claims with Comfort (or indeed other insurers)?

I have not been able to find the full policy wording for caravan Club on-line. I'll ask them for a copy today.

 

[DM]

WelshGas has expressed some concerns with the 'storage' definition on a Comfort policy. That has got me nervous. Comfort seems to be coming out with the best deal for me overall - especially since I do not have an NCD to transfer across as the Cali will be an additional vehicle.

Comfort has an exclusion as follows:
13. Cover in respect of fire, theft or vandalism whilst your camper van is stored at a non-approved storage location

There has been quite a lot of discussion on the Forum about Comfort's 36 hour rule. As far as I can see this only applies outside the UK and there is no definition of what unattended period might be considered as storage in the UK.

Comfort define Storage as follows:

Storage
Your camper van will be considered to be stored or in storage when it is not in use for the purposes of travel or other day-to-day activity

That raises some specific questions such as:
i) will my van be covered if it is parked on the street outside my house for a week whilst my drive is being re-surfaced?
ii) will my van be covered if I park it overnight at my parents house whilst visiting (but not sleeping in the van).
iii) will it be covered if I leave it unattended in a car-park overnight whilst I go on an overnight back-packing or canoeing trip?
iv) will it be covered if I leave it in an airport car-park for two weeks whist I am away on holiday?

The key question is what does 'travel or other day to day activity' mean. I believe that scenarios ii) and iii) above could probably successfully be argued but they may be able to wriggle out of liability for scenarios i) and iv).

I also have some concern about Comfort's exclusion clause about personal posessions:

3. Loss of personal effects whilst the vehicle is left unattended unless following forcible and violent entry.

This effectively means that personal effects are not covered against theft at any time when the vehicle is unattended! Isn't that what insurance is for?

I will put these specific questions to Comfort later today and post the replies.

Does anyone have an personal experience of these types of claims with Comfort (or indeed other insurers)?

I have not been able to find the full policy wording for caravan Club on-line. I'll ask them for a copy today.

OK - Just spoke to Comfort. I'm not 100% convinced that the advisor fully understood the issues. But she was adamant that the 36 hour rule applies in the UK as well as overseas. If at any-time the vehicle will be left unattended fro more than 36 hours then you must inform Comfort. She said that they would give permission for my scenarios i) and ii) above but couldn't say whether they would require an additional premium for scenario i). She said that they would not cover scenario iii) under any circumstances and that scenario iv) would depend upon the security arrangements at the car park it is left in.

It all makes me a bit nervous. I'd happily pay a bit more not to have to worry about this.

 

[Tactical]

She said that they would not cover scenario iii) [unattended in a car-park overnight whilst I go on an overnight back-packing or canoeing trip] under any circumstances

But presumably they must cover that under their rules if you complete your trip in less than 36 hours. Since the vehicle will not have been left unattended for more than 36 hours you will have complied with their terms.

OR are they seriously saying that they will not cover the vehicle at all in respect of fire, theft or vandalism while the camper van is in any car park for any length of time since it is then being 'stored at a non-approved storage location' ?

 

[Meoncoast]

'm not 100% convinced that the advisor fully understood the issues.

is not worth the risk if you are not 100% happy at the start. ( my view as there are loads of happy users on the forum)
Still have not had anyone say how a claim as be delt with by them and what you pay in the years after a claim. I was not 100% happy so went elsewhere.