Wombles
LIFE MEMBER
Shopping around for motorhome insurance gave Mr Wombles a lot more work than expected recently as so many policy variations on small details that could make all the difference or even invalidate insurance in the event of a claim. We drew up a hit list which was a mixture of Which? Best Buy car insurance insurers, those reviewed on this forum, a few wild cards from Facebook group & friends recommendations & he also checked motorhome insurance comparison websites. Some were 50% dearer than others but level of cover was more important to us (when it comes to insurance) than cost although it still has to be good value for that money.
What is the best policy really is a personal choice depending on your circumstances so what is best for one won't be for another. For our criteria Saga was overall the best cover for us & it's reassuring that their policies are Defaqto 5 Star & Saga are a Which? Best Buy rated insurer too. LV, Comfort, Adrian Flux & C&MC (if already a member) were close contenders. Our criteria is "New For Old" plus a good level of Personal Accident cover as well as a fair comprehensive policy overall so if you have a motorhome over 3 years old or already have life insurance or another policy that gives Personal Accident cover then other insurers may be a better choice for you.
Surprising Facts:
If you buy a "new" motorhome that has been used as a demonstrator then for some insurers "New For Old" (NFO) terms will not apply in event of a claim - Comfort is one such insurer. Considering how many buy motorhomes off the dealers forecourt where all there are demo models that clause is concerning for new owners if they are not aware. Can see the insurance company point too though as they could end up replacing an ex demo which may already be 2-3 years on the forecourt (sounds a lot but know it happens) before being bought as "new" with a new factory order otherwise. Our first motorhome was just 5 days as a demo at a NEC Show after being taken there direct from the factory by transporter & we thought we had NFO cover but maybe we didn't then - luckily no claims so never had to find out!
Another foible of NFO is that if an insurer offers it for one year then it is only up until that motorhome is one year old so if like us it has taken two months to register it then it only has that cover for 10 of the 12 months. One insurer stated that it would be for the full year with them but when we got them to double check this was not the case! Knowing this made us choose a provider with 2 years NFO for our first year rather than LV who like others could only offer (less than) a year.
Personal Accident ranged from just £5,000 (AIB with no increase possible) to £100,000 (LV as an affordable optional add on) - we settled for 50,000 when choosing Saga.
Policy documents emailed with quotes to customers aren't always correct - Comfort had Personal Accident cover as £15,000 on their website but just £2,500 on the policy information document that it emails to customers - although we didn't choose them this time we did point this out to them & they confirmed it is an error & should be £15,000 so it will be amended especially as this error may have lost them customers.
Insurers aren't obligated to use genuine parts in event of a claim - Saga do for the period that a motorhome is under warranty but may not after that.
EU cover varies from 60-365 days.
All insurers we contacted were happy to insure LHD motorhomes - we thought we would get at least one that would refuse or charge more but none did.
Caravan Guard who otherwise have a good level of policy don't insure self imports (although they do insure LHD
) - every other insurer we contacted had no problem or premium loading for self imports so long as UK registered once imported.
One last one that we found previously - although all insurers are allowed to provide VIN insurance for 365 days most only offer 30 days if at all even though it normally takes around two months to go through the whole registration process - crazy but true!
If in doubt about anything or unclear if you are answering a question correctly for an online quote ring the insurer (noting day, time & name of who you spoke to as calls are normally recorded) & check or you may find your insurance is invalid if you have to make a claim. We had a couple of instances this time where that could have been the case if we hadn't rung the insurer for clarification
What this has shown us is that don't just go for the insurer that a friend says is good or has a good reputation - it is essential to check the small print & make sure it meets your needs especially as many keep changing their terms to stay competitive price wise. We will be checking all policies much more thoroughly in future even though it is tedious & time consuming it has to be done for our peace of mind.
Hope all this typing & sharing our experience helps a Funster or two.
What is the best policy really is a personal choice depending on your circumstances so what is best for one won't be for another. For our criteria Saga was overall the best cover for us & it's reassuring that their policies are Defaqto 5 Star & Saga are a Which? Best Buy rated insurer too. LV, Comfort, Adrian Flux & C&MC (if already a member) were close contenders. Our criteria is "New For Old" plus a good level of Personal Accident cover as well as a fair comprehensive policy overall so if you have a motorhome over 3 years old or already have life insurance or another policy that gives Personal Accident cover then other insurers may be a better choice for you.
Surprising Facts:
If you buy a "new" motorhome that has been used as a demonstrator then for some insurers "New For Old" (NFO) terms will not apply in event of a claim - Comfort is one such insurer. Considering how many buy motorhomes off the dealers forecourt where all there are demo models that clause is concerning for new owners if they are not aware. Can see the insurance company point too though as they could end up replacing an ex demo which may already be 2-3 years on the forecourt (sounds a lot but know it happens) before being bought as "new" with a new factory order otherwise. Our first motorhome was just 5 days as a demo at a NEC Show after being taken there direct from the factory by transporter & we thought we had NFO cover but maybe we didn't then - luckily no claims so never had to find out!
Another foible of NFO is that if an insurer offers it for one year then it is only up until that motorhome is one year old so if like us it has taken two months to register it then it only has that cover for 10 of the 12 months. One insurer stated that it would be for the full year with them but when we got them to double check this was not the case! Knowing this made us choose a provider with 2 years NFO for our first year rather than LV who like others could only offer (less than) a year.
Personal Accident ranged from just £5,000 (AIB with no increase possible) to £100,000 (LV as an affordable optional add on) - we settled for 50,000 when choosing Saga.
Policy documents emailed with quotes to customers aren't always correct - Comfort had Personal Accident cover as £15,000 on their website but just £2,500 on the policy information document that it emails to customers - although we didn't choose them this time we did point this out to them & they confirmed it is an error & should be £15,000 so it will be amended especially as this error may have lost them customers.
Insurers aren't obligated to use genuine parts in event of a claim - Saga do for the period that a motorhome is under warranty but may not after that.
EU cover varies from 60-365 days.
All insurers we contacted were happy to insure LHD motorhomes - we thought we would get at least one that would refuse or charge more but none did.
Caravan Guard who otherwise have a good level of policy don't insure self imports (although they do insure LHD
) - every other insurer we contacted had no problem or premium loading for self imports so long as UK registered once imported.One last one that we found previously - although all insurers are allowed to provide VIN insurance for 365 days most only offer 30 days if at all even though it normally takes around two months to go through the whole registration process - crazy but true!
If in doubt about anything or unclear if you are answering a question correctly for an online quote ring the insurer (noting day, time & name of who you spoke to as calls are normally recorded) & check or you may find your insurance is invalid if you have to make a claim. We had a couple of instances this time where that could have been the case if we hadn't rung the insurer for clarification
What this has shown us is that don't just go for the insurer that a friend says is good or has a good reputation - it is essential to check the small print & make sure it meets your needs especially as many keep changing their terms to stay competitive price wise. We will be checking all policies much more thoroughly in future even though it is tedious & time consuming it has to be done for our peace of mind.
Hope all this typing & sharing our experience helps a Funster or two.
Bob.
