Motorhome Insurance

Just like a car, the law only requires you to have ‘Third Party’ insurance on your motorhome, but for most people, the motorhome is one of their most valued possessions, and they will want to properly protect their pride and joy.

Finding an Insurer

Unlike cars, I can’t recommend comparison sites for motorhome insurance. There are a few sites around, normally on motorhome bloggers websites that get you to input all of your details and just the top five most competitive will contact you.

Only do this if you want to be pestered, now and at every renewal in 12, 24 and 36 months’ time.

A good place to start your search for motorhome insurance is our review section But with no comparison sites, you’ll need to give yourself some time and ring around, but before you do..

Have your driving licence handy, along with the licence of any other driver and the logbook. Get a notebook and record the following info, as you’ll need to refer to it a few times during the process.

• The Registration number of the motorhome
• Year of registration
• Maker, Fiat, Ford, VW etc
• Converter, Swift, Hymer etc.
• Engine size
• Weight
• Length
• How much no-claims you have?
• Where it will be kept, if not at home, is it secure and approved parking? A
• CASSOA GOLD site will help keep your premiums lower. https://www.cassoa.co.uk/
• What is the value of the van, what will it cost to replace today
• What Modifications have been fitted if any
• Alarm and or tracker make, is it ‘Thatcham Approved?”
• Do you require breakdown cover, UK & EU?
• Do you want to be covered in countries outside of the EU?
• What Contents you want covered, mention expensive specifics, cameras, laptops, watch, etc.
• Whether you will tow
• Has it got a reversing camera

The FOUR Big Insurance Don’ts

Don’t lie.​

Calls will be recorded and any lie you utter could come back to haunt you. Don’t lie about previous claims, the fittted alarm, the price, where the motorhome is kept overnight, or driving convictions, etc.​

Don’t hide things​

If the van has been modified, or had extras fitted, tell them about all these modifications. Tell them everything they need to know.​

​Don’t assume anything is covered that is not specifically mentioned​

Things like overseas travel, and the full cost of windscreen replacement, etc.

Once the policy arrives, make sure you study it and satisfy yourself that the cover you have purchased matches what you were sold. You must do this in the first few days.​

​Don’t tell them things they don’t really need to know​

If you always lock the van in a garage, use a steering lock or wheel clamp.

Maybe you keep your keys in a safe, or have a security post in front of it. Telling them about this won’t lower your premiums by more than a quid, if at all.

Then, if it is stolen, on the only night you forgot to lock the security post, or didn’t put the keys in the safe, then for that paltry quid saving, you risk them reducing their payout!​

Specialist Motorhome insurers

We are lucky enough in the UK to have enough specialist insurers to ensure the competition is healthy.

This makes it worthwhile shopping around. It surprises many people that even for those eye-watering expensive motorhomes; it often costs less to insure a motorhome than it does a car.

This, we suppose, reflects the fact that motorhomes are rarely stolen and are on the road for very few miles a year. Many motorhome owners report they do less that 5000 miles a year.

What will I pay?

The premium you pay will reflect a lot of things, and you’ll sometimes find on the forum that two people with the same van pay widely different premiums.

Insurance companies employ nerds and their computers to study every statistical item in every payout, as well as invent and assess all potential claims and the likelihood of them occurring; so they can balance your premium with their perceived risk.

Things that affect motorhome insurance premiums.

Your driving experience
Your sex and age
Your occupation
What the motorhome will cost to replace
What other vehicles you own/drive
What extras you insure, accessories cash valuables, etc
Your age and driving convictions
How many miles per annum
Where you park it
What security is in place
Whether you travel to work in it
Whether you live full time in it

Third Parties

While we said earlier, we need more than third-party cover. Let’s not forget what an important part of our insurance this third party cover is. 

If your motorhome causes an accident with extensive property damage or some people in that bus queue you run into die; then the costs you are insulating yourself from may run into millions.

We often take this aspect of the insurance for granted and choose a policy based on price or how large an excess payment is.

But nothing is more important than that third party cover. So look at this so you know precisely what you are buying.

Accessories and Contents

These vary considerably by company, so be diligent and take nothing for granted. Check your home policy, it might cover items when travelling.

It will save you paying extra to insure items that are already covered.

How much cash and valuables does the policy provide for? If it’s not enough, get it revised. Laptops, jewellery, watches and cameras are expensive; are they covered? New for old?

Do you require receipts? Have you got them? A diamond ring left to you by a parent might mean you do not have a receipt; will they accept photographs for proof of ownership?

Some items fitted to your motorhome might not be covered under the regular policy and be classed as accessories.

Things like awnings, generators and air conditioners etc. Make sure these are mentioned and covered.

Windscreen Cover

Some A Class motorhome windscreens can cost many thousands. Make sure, that whatever make of motorhome, you are covered for glass for up to the full replacement cost.

Ideally, your insurance should cover you for an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) replacement windscreen rather than a third party copy. The OEM will probably be of much better quality.

Cover Abroad

If you’re going to drive your motorhome in Europe or further afield, (and why wouldn’t you be) you must ensure you have the right insurance, breakdown cover, Green Card and other road essentials.

Most motorhome policies that you’ll buy will cover you to some extent in Europe. But you really must check the small print and satisfy yourself that all of your concerns and covered. For instance, some cheaper policies might only give you Third Party Cover while abroad, or restrict your travel to a certain number of days.

Most insurers these days will give you 180 days cover and may extend that if you ask. Some give 365 days cover abroad while others offer only 30.

Breakdown Cover

Many policies include breakdown cover for the UK. If you venture abroad, you need to ensure they adequately cover you for breakdowns to include mechanical and accidental. Ensure that your cover includes repatriation of the motorhome, and you. You will also want cover if you become too ill to drive it home yourself. If in doubt about any aspect of your policy, then ask for clarification in writing.

Know what will happen should you breakdown. Will you get repaired at the roadside or just dumped at the nearest garage? Will you get onward transport, repatriated, free car hire, etc? Will you have to pay for anything up front?

Don’t blindly accept the breakdown cover offered by your insurer. While it is normally competitive; you might find you get better or cheaper cover by arranging this separately.

Insurance for Motorhome Full Timing

For those who choose to live in their motorhome all year round, there are now several insurers who can provide cover. But getting it, while easier than it used to be, is not straightforward and there are some pitfalls. Full timing insurance is beyond the scope of this article. Look out for an article dedicated to it soon.

Your Home insurance

Before people find motorhomes, chances are, the longest they were ever away from home was for the two-week annual holiday. With motorhome ownership, this changes and trips slowly get longer.

If you are planning an extended trip, be aware that many home insurance policies have exclusions regarding how long you can leave a property unoccupied. Typically, some of these are just 31 days!

How do we know if the insurer is any good?

A big thing we’d all like to know about before we buy insurance is something we cannot test. That is the company’s claims handling. Do they react swiftly when you need them? Do they pay a fair replacement cost? Are they easy to work with or combative? It would be nice to know if the reality when making a claim, is anywhere near the promises they make when taking your money.

However, we are not helpless here. We can try to talk to others who have made claims. Ask on our forums and there are so many users the chances are you’ll find any number who can tell you what to expect.

Carry out due diligence on both the broker and the under-writer. Put names into Google, followed by the word +review and see what you find. Good or bad these days, you’ll find it.

Still got questions? Do you have anything to add?

If you have questions about motorhome insurance; or you have insurance information that beginners might find useful please lets us know in the forum thread.

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