NEW OCEAN INSURANCE QUOTE

[Hawthorn37]

Ask the Bacon Butty question.
If I'm cooking bacon in the van on the Gas cooker and the pan catches fire, then the fabric ceiling, am I insured?

Yes I have been asking this, and the stock reply I get is, yes that’s a fire loss. I think that the motorhome/ campervan brigade of brokers and insurers recognise this element.

It would be useful to have more that insure your camping set up too. For example, way back in time, when the kids were young and we were camping with a large tent, pup tent and a trailer in UK and EU, we used Shield Insurance - covering most camping risks, for not much premium. The only one close I’ve found is CAMC.

 

[WelshGas]

Yes I have been asking this, and the stock reply I get is, yes that’s a fire loss. I think that the motorhome/ campervan brigade of brokers and insurers recognise this element.

It would be useful to have more that insure your camping set up too. For example, way back in time, when the kids were young and we were camping with a large tent, pup tent and a trailer in UK and EU, we used Shield Insurance - covering most camping risks, for not much premium. The only one close I’ve found is CAMC.

Agree. I had a very good experience with CAMC in the past with a brand new caravan written off on its first trip. They apologised as it took 6 weeks to replace as it was the last of that years range and we had to wait for the replacement to be built. Been with them eversince and pay £390 /pa this year. Premium oscillates around £400/pa.

 

[Hawthorn37]

Agree. I had a very good experience with CAMC in the past with a brand new caravan written off on its first trip. They apologised as it took 6 weeks to replace as it was the last of that years range and we had to wait for the replacement to be built. Been with them eversince and pay £390 /pa this year. Premium oscillates around £400/pa.

Good feedback thanks.

 

[BigJohn]

I just got off the phone to LV, I tried their online quote and it came out very cheap (£350, vs £510 for AIB / Comfort), but it looked very much like a car policy, not a motorhome policy, so gave them a ring. She said quite oddly that 'they don't have a specialist motorhome policy, but they do cover motorhomes' and re-quoted, it came out another £100 cheaper!! I asked all the questions...cooking fires are covered, storm damage to awning and roof is covered. £1000 contents cover (for anything not supplied with the van essentially), not including laptops & phones which I've heard elsewhere as well. No tracker required, she didn't even ask the value. New for old is only one year - Aviva may be 3 years, but it's also 15,000 miles which I expect to be about 1.5yrs so not much difference really. No restriction on leaving the van unattended either!

CAMC was my first port of call when I started getting quotes as they sound the best, but at £1,853 I can't justify it! I think a lot of the difference is because they don't take 'car' no claims discount in account, maybe in a couple of years they might be viable.

 

[Hawthorn37]

So from what I’m currently finding, Aviva appears the go-to insurer for motorhomes and campervans for a number of brokers, as it gives competitive premiums. It looks like Comfort, AIB and Think Insurance use Aviva, and it’s Aviva that has the 48 hour rule. I’m querying whether airport parking is allowed or not - through Think Insurance.

The other detail I found today was the 3 years ‘new for old‘ cover with Aviva has some limitations. It has a maximum 15,000 miles or 3 years whichever is soonest, the van must be maintained per manufacturers guidance, and it doesn’t apply to ex demonstrators, or with 250 miles on the clock when you buy it. I can understand the principles, but 15,000 miles makes it not so attractive. CAMC insurance covers 2 years new for old without the mileage stipulation.

Another detail, the Aviva based policy covers camping equipment (via Think Insurance they quoted £2500 including awnings). Initially my reaction was “that’s great news!”. Then after questioning, to be insured the kit must be locked in the vehicle, so only useful if you’re on the move. CAMC cover £1500 for awnings, toilets tents etc that are attached or in the vicinity of the vehicle.

AIB and Think are suggesting ‘a small discount for fitting a tracker’ maybe 5% or so. What was more important was the factory fit Thatcham Cat 1 alarm. However I think this will depend upon where you live / how the van is parked.

That all said, I’m still pondering - given CAMC is around double the premium of AIB and Think, and I’m conscious of not trying to over-insure.

For those who are interested, and following the post above, Think Insurance has responded to a couple of questions I asked about the Aviva cover they offered.

1. To claim on the personal possessions cover, must there be forced entry (I.e. not “opportunity theft”)? The insurer confirms there must be a forced entry. However, accidental damage to personnel possessions is covered.
2. Are tents or awnings covered when pitched? The insurer confirmed that any detachable tent will be covered under the personal effects section, to a single item limit of £400.
3. Does the 48-hour unattended limit apply to extended hotel stays, and airport car parks? The insurer confirms hotel parking over 48 hours are covered, and airport long stay car parks are covered whilst touring.

Another detail that my interest new Cali owners - as we’ve not owned a Campervan before (just hired them), we are really not sure what the annual mileage is going to be in the first year. We have a possible range 7500 to 12500 miles. The guy at Think Insurance advised going to low end when buying the insurance, as insurers don‘t refund for lower mileage. Then, if you’re finding you are doing more miles, they will allow uplifts to the annual limit without admin charges, and you simply pay the cost difference pro-rata the term remaining. This seems fair.

The comparison in terms of like for like pricing, CAMC £724 with 2 years new-for-old (no limit), and Think Insurance (Aviva) £363 with 3 years new-for-old (15000 miles limit). So CAMC are exactly double. Some slightly better cover from CAMC for things like valuables, camping tents and awnings (£1500), more ‘get home’ costs, personal accident, no glass XS., but a slightly higher compulsory XS. The CAMC costs are reduced (in my case) for a tracker (£52/year), where Think suggest only a 5% reduction.

I offer the above as our one-off experience, all insurance quotes are made on a multitude of personal circumstance factors.

 

[WelshGas]

For those who are interested, and following the post above, Think Insurance has responded to a couple of questions I asked about the Aviva cover they offered.

1. To claim on the personal possessions cover, must there be forced entry (I.e. not “opportunity theft”)? The insurer confirms there must be a forced entry. However, accidental damage to personnel possessions is covered.
2. Are tents or awnings covered when pitched? The insurer confirmed that any detachable tent will be covered under the personal effects section, to a single item limit of £400.
3. Does the 48-hour unattended limit apply to extended hotel stays, and airport car parks? The insurer confirms hotel parking over 48 hours are covered, and airport long stay car parks are covered whilst touring.

Another detail that my interest new Cali owners - as we’ve not owned a Campervan before (just hired them), we are really not sure what the annual mileage is going to be in the first year. We have a possible range 7500 to 12500 miles. The guy at Think Insurance advised going to low end when buying the insurance, as insurers don‘t refund for lower mileage. Then, if you’re finding you are doing more miles, they will allow uplifts to the annual limit without admin charges, and you simply pay the cost difference pro-rata the term remaining. This seems fair.

The comparison in terms of like for like pricing, CAMC £724 with 2 years new-for-old (no limit), and Think Insurance (Aviva) £363 with 3 years new-for-old (15000 miles limit). So CAMC are exactly double. Some slightly better cover from CAMC for things like valuables, camping tents and awnings (£1500), more ‘get home’ costs, personal accident, no glass XS., but a slightly higher compulsory XS. The CAMC costs are reduced (in my case) for a tracker (£52/year), where Think suggest only a 5% reduction.

I offer the above as our one-off experience, all insurance quotes are made on a multitude of personal circumstance factors.

I'm paying £390/yr with CAMC, 2 drivers, 20,000 milage limit which I get very close to, except for last year. Mind you, this year already on 4,000 with 10 months to go.
I have been with them for 7 yrs and the highest premium was the 1st year £420. It is parked on the drive and the post code is a good one.

 

[Kimmy491]

Hi All!

First post, so be gentle! After being a silent stalker on here for the last year I’m finally picking up my Ocean on Saturday. I’d wrongly assumed the insurance process would be straightforward, affordable and very much the final tick in the box before enjoying long anticipated road trips - how naive of me!

I’ve ordered a well specced 199 4Motion having recently sold my 2017 530d BMW M Sport which was insured with LV for £450, yet LV now won’t quote. The price comparison sites offered £1346 as best and final with some unknown providers; however I’ve just had £846 offered online through Safeguard. I’ll give them a call in the morning; however just wanted to see if there is any further guidance or advice in terms of providers and also do’s and don’t when requesting a policy for the van? i.e, I’ll occasionally be using the van to commute (is this a “no-no”?), I’ve added my wife to the policy who despite driving far more aggressively than me is saving me significantly versus a standalone policy for myself! That kind of thing..

If you don’t mind sharing (and I fully comprehend the complex insurance algorithms mean it’s difficult to compare like for like), but how much are you paying and with who?

Thanks in advance and I promise to be more active one I have the keys in hand!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I maybe late with this. K

Hi All!

First post, so be gentle! After being a silent stalker on here for the last year I’m finally picking up my Ocean on Saturday. I’d wrongly assumed the insurance process would be straightforward, affordable and very much the final tick in the box before enjoying long anticipated road trips - how naive of me!

I’ve ordered a well specced 199 4Motion having recently sold my 2017 530d BMW M Sport which was insured with LV for £450, yet LV now won’t quote. The price comparison sites offered £1346 as best and final with some unknown providers; however I’ve just had £846 offered online through Safeguard. I’ll give them a call in the morning; however just wanted to see if there is any further guidance or advice in terms of providers and also do’s and don’t when requesting a policy for the van? i.e, I’ll occasionally be using the van to commute (is this a “no-no”?), I’ve added my wife to the policy who despite driving far more aggressively than me is saving me significantly versus a standalone policy for myself! That kind of thing..

If you don’t mind sharing (and I fully comprehend the complex insurance algorithms mean it’s difficult to compare like for like), but how much are you paying and with who?

Thanks in advance and I promise to be more active one I have the keys in hand!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i maybe too late with this. I used to work for a major insurer so know a little. In my opinion basically your car insurer really are not right to insure this type of vehicle. I also looked at insurance with the company I worked for and insured my day to day car but it did not meet the needs of a Cali. I too have gone with Comfort at a very good price of £560 ish and the cover needed.

 

[Hawthorn37]

Note about Comfort Insurance: I’m arranging my new insurance right now, and had a call with Comfort today. They have suspended CC VIP discount for now, but “may look at this later in the year”.

That said, for my needs they are still more competitive than other brokers offering the Aviva motorhome policy. With a tracker (not required, but we are fitting anyway), 6000-8000 miles, no voluntary excess, £323.

48 hour rule doesn’t apply to UK long stay airport parking. CORRECTION: While conventional long stay airport parking should be fine, you still do need to advise Comfort about the parking event if over 48 hours. Although the same underwriter is involved (Aviva), the Comfort requirement is different to Think Insurance in this respect.

 

[Wrongford]

There is loads of info on the forum re insurance. Use the "search forums" function on the top of the page. We use Comfort Insurance, as do many members. They really know about insuring Californias, and rates are good. We pay £341 for a 204 4Motion , husband and wife, no convictions ( at the moment! ), and are old. Comfort tel: 020 8984 0777

I second that. Just paid £340 for me and Mrs Wrongford with Comfort for a 2019 199 4M

 

[Hawthorn37]

Had a ‘final quote’ from Safeguard as I see many CC members use them. £540 was the best they could offer me, via Highway Insurance (an LV company), or £550 with breakdown cover. This was a phone quote, and I tried to do an apples-for-apples comparison. I had read the policy to determine no ‘new for old’ provision per Comfort, AIB and CAMC.

On this basis, I am going with Comfort at £322.

 

[Corradobrit]

My quote in Germany with Allianz for the new (when it arrives) Coast 199/204 4Mo, fully comp 300/150 Euro excess, 24 month new for old, 10 years no-claims (they took my classic car insurance history in the USA), EU and UK breakdown cover, green card for travel throughout EU and UK, 9500 km/yr (sounds low but given this won't be a commuting vehicle I think I can make it work). If I go over the allowed mileage, the policy just gets bumped up to the next tier of 12,500km for 50 Euro more. Annual premium 770 Euro/yr.

 

[Curryzz]

Did anyone find it odd that LV didn’t seem to want the value of the vehicle? Just did a phone call quotation, also she said it will go down as a Petrol on the paperwork, I did question it but she said it doesn’t matter

 

[Hawthorn37]

Did anyone find it odd that LV didn’t seem to want the value of the vehicle? Just did a phone call quotation, also she said it will go down as a Petrol on the paperwork, I did question it but she said it doesn’t matter

In this context, I found the quote from Safeguard odd. They wanted to know the value of the vehicle and all the details of model etc. The underwriter they chose was Highway Insurance, the division of LV that deals with higher risk policies. The price quoted was 2.5 times that of LV. This leads me to question the straight LV cover

 

[BigJohn]

Did anyone find it odd that LV didn’t seem to want the value of the vehicle? Just did a phone call quotation, also she said it will go down as a Petrol on the paperwork, I did question it but she said it doesn’t matter

yes! Seeing as everyone else asked, it did seem odd, I mentioned it as well.

 

[Curryzz]

yes! Seeing as everyone else asked, it did seem odd, I mentioned it as well.

Did you go with LV in the end? I’m leaning towards comfort but LV would be more convenient as my cars are with LV but been put of with the lack of knowledge about the California

 

[Wildcamper]

In my opinion the low LV quotes are just for the van. As an experiment I got quotes for a new California and a new Highline Panel Van. They were the same.

 

[Curryzz]

In my opinion the low LV quotes are just for the van. As an experiment I got quotes for a new California and a new Highline Panel Van. They were the same.

That’s an interesting way to look at it.. also worrying. I feel comfort insurance mite be the better choice.

 

[BigJohn]

Did you go with LV in the end? I’m leaning towards comfort but LV would be more convenient as my cars are with LV but been put of with the lack of knowledge about the California

Not yet, still waiting for delivery, I think we probably will though. I liked comfort, but would need to get a tracker and we were really put off by the 48hr unattended rule.

 

[Cotswold_outdoors]

We got our new Ocean this week, a week speced 150. Comfort were around £400, VW insurance were £350 but £1000 excess! We finally insured with NFU for £252, £150 excess. We did get some discount as we insure our business with them.
Good luck!

 

[Hawthorn37]

Note about Comfort Insurance: I’m arranging my new insurance right now, and had a call with Comfort today. They have suspended CC VIP discount for now, but “may look at this later in the year”.

That said, for my needs they are still more competitive than other brokers offering the Aviva motorhome policy. With a tracker (not required, but we are fitting anyway), 6000-8000 miles, no voluntary excess, £323.

48 hour rule doesn’t apply to UK long stay airport parking

We got our new Ocean this week, a week speced 150. Comfort were around £400, VW insurance were £350 but £1000 excess! We finally insured with NFU for £252, £150 excess. We did get some discount as we insure our business with them.
Good luck!

I hope you enjoy it - nice plate !

 

[Hawthorn37]

Not yet, still waiting for delivery, I think we probably will though. I liked comfort, but would need to get a tracker and we were really put off by the 48hr unattended rule.

I put more faith in an underwriter that takes care to spell out the conditions upon which they are taking on the insurance risk, rather than a firm that takes your money without quibble, and doesn’t speak to the future. Cheap tends to be cheap for a reason.

The way we approached our decision was, firstly, we really liked the idea of a tracker (S5 Plus, which includes a remote immobiliser) to protect the van as far as reasonably practical. If the van gets nicked, you’ll always have uninsured losses, so best to protect it. Then, which firm gives the best impression (and policy) they will support, if the worst happens, but at a price that is within reason?. It’s a balance. And very individual. I talked a few times to each of the main players. This included posing WelshGas’s chip butty question (internal accidents) , awning tents, and in the case of Comfort, I asked about the 48 rule. I got an understanding that, should we need to park in long stay airport parking that would be accepted, although we still need to call. Hotels are ok. We couldn’t think of any other circumstances that would impede us.

The most bizarre was per my previous post about Safeguard who quoted us via Highway, a division of LV, at a hugely more expensive premium.

 

[Curryzz]

I put more faith in an underwriter that takes care to spell out the conditions upon which they are taking on the insurance risk, rather than a firm that takes your money without quibble, and doesn’t speak to the future. Cheap tends to be cheap for a reason.

The way we approached our decision was, firstly, we really liked the idea of a tracker (S5 Plus, which includes a remote immobiliser) to protect the van as far as reasonably practical. If the van gets nicked, you’ll always have uninsured losses, so best to protect it. Then, which firm gives the best impression (and policy) they will support, if the worst happens, but at a price that is within reason?. It’s a balance. And very individual. I talked a few times to each of the main players. This included posing WelshGas’s chip butty question (internal accidents) , awning tents, and in the case of Comfort, I asked about the 48 rule. I got an understanding that, should we need to park in long stay airport parking that would be accepted, although we still need to call. Hotels are ok. We couldn’t think of any other circumstances that would impede us.

The most bizarre was per my previous post about Safeguard who quoted us via Highway, a division of LV, at a hugely more expensive premium.

I agree, its such an expensive item to insure. LV insurance doesn’t want any details about it, left me feeling concerned if they actually know what vehicle I own & want insured . I also don’t think the 48 hours rule is an issue for me. Can I ask who your insured with?

 

[Hawthorn37]

I agree, its such an expensive item to insure. LV insurance doesn’t want any details about it, left me feeling concerned if they actually know what vehicle I own & want insured . I also don’t think the 48 hours rule is an issue for me. Can I ask who your insured with?

We’ve gone with Comfort. To be honest it was a flip of the coin with Think Insurance, Comfort and AIB. All offer the Aviva motor home policy, and all very similar prices and terms, and all were easily contactable without long waits. We compared the customer feedback ratings on insurance sites, and Comfort nudged ahead for us. CAMC were also in the mix, but we couldn’t see the value difference given their premium is double.

 

[Curryzz]

We’ve gone with Comfort. To be honest it was a flip of the coin with Think Insurance, Comfort and AIB. All offer the Aviva motor home policy, and all very similar prices and terms, and all were easily contactable without long waits. We compared the customer feedback ratings on insurance sites, and Comfort nudged ahead for us. CAMC were also in the mix, but we couldn’t see the value difference given their premium is double.

Great, I think I will do the same, after searching the forum, getting quotes & reading reviews. I always end up in the same place, Comfort Insurance. Thanks for your help.

 

[GollyOlly]

Campervan insurance! Interesting to say the least.

So, we hunted for an insurance company who would insure a vinyl half-wrap 2017 Ocean and it was not fun. There are few out there who will actually insure a van with a vinyl half-wrap. Comfort will not because they don't want to be replacing vinyl panels. Even after I told them it was the van I wanted insured and not the vinyl the answer was still no.

After a long search we finally settled on Admiral more because of submission than quality. Admiral offered a decent vehicle insurance for about £570. But they classified the Ocean as a car. When reading through the Definitions, cars had a personal belongings limit of £150. I explained that the Ocean is a production van but because their selection list does not show it as a van, they list it as a car. Then they tried to say it was a conversion and it would be covered up to £250. I explained it was not a conversion van but a production van. However, their Definitions state there is a £500 limit for Personal Belongings in campervans! So, guess how that discussion went? Nope...it's still classified as a car according to Admiral but they would allow the £500 Personal Belongings limit for Fixtures and Fittings. Obvious question...."what is the definition of a fixture and fitting"? Duh, was about the most intelligent answer I received. I would have cancelled the policy but I was right up to the limit of the cooling off period and off on a trip. I was not able to review the policy documents until today because Admiral buried them at the bottom of their webpage (not in the documents sent to the customer) hidden in many drop-down menus. The staff were nice. polite and tried to be helpful but Admiral as a campervan insurance company specifically for the VW California Ocean is woeful.

One insurance company (I won't mention names but their initials are J.U.S.T.K.A.M.P.E.R.S) put a hard insurance limit on mileage. If you specified 6,000 annual miles, that is all you are covered for. If you have an accident and you have exceeded your annual mileage limit, you are not covered. That was a definite no for me although I understand why the limit is there. Check it out:

2 Limited Mileage
This insurance will only offer cover for up to 6000 miles per period of cover. If you are involved in an accident and at the date of the accident you have travelled more than 6000 miles during the current period of cover, that accident will not be covered by this insurance.

It solidifies my belief that insurance companies are like snake-oil salesmen...use at your own risk and don't trust any of them.