In truth, there’s no upper or lower limit to the value of caravan Happy Place can insure.
Low cost caravans
Google “cheap caravans for sale” and the usual eBay, Gumtree, Trovit etc examples come up. It’s all about buyer beware at this level and – to many degrees – you’re going to have to take the rough with the smooth and it’s likely to prove a good test of your DIY skills. At the very least, any caravan should be roadworthy, however, and it’s well worth holding back some of your budget for a professional service to ensure any such buy is safe – both on site and on the road.
If buying a used unit through a dealer, ask what checks have been made. Have the chassis, electrical and gas system being checked? Also ask to see the results of any damp checks and if the caravan comes with any warranty – either the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty if only a few years old or the dealer’s own used caravan warranty.
If buying privately, you might wish to get an independent engineer to run these checks for you. The likes of the MCEA offer a mobile service where a caravan engineer will come and run the checks for you and point out any minor or major issues before you buy. The identification of some issues might allow you to haggle on price so you can set aside some money for repairs. The engineer should be able to give a rough estimate of how much repairs will cost.
Before buying the caravan make sure it has been CRiS checked for ownership, outstanding finance and whether it’s been an insurance write off.
A caravan for £100? Why not? There’s a bit more choice if you can get up to £1,000. It won’t be perfect, for sure, so do budget for any extra work that might be involved in getting it ready for use.
The cheapest new tourer
Freedom caravans range of lightweight tourers offer low prices with its Microlite Bijoux starting at £8,795. The good thing here also is that weights are kept down, so no hefty tow car required here. If you want a more well known brand, Elddis’ entry level Xplore 304 four berth caravan can be picked up for a very modest £13,249.
Top price tourers
Officially, the most expensive new caravan on the market in the UK at the time of writing is an Airstream. The four-berth twin axle Airstream Colorado starts off at a whopping £91,995, although you can add £1,395 to that price if you want the Solar Front Window Protection option.
If you’re looking for something a little more mainstream, Lunar’s premium Alaria RI can be bought for just £33,599.
You could pay a lot more, of course, should you wish your dealer to add extra equipment at the time of purchase (satellite TV, levelling systems and the like). Certainly, items like a proper alarm and tracking system will be a prerequisite for any insurance cover.
Don’t forget though, the more expensive caravans are often the heaviest, so you’ll also have to budget for buying and running a powerful tow car.
Beware imports, though. If a caravan has been privately imported, in other words not bought through a UK dealer, you may struggle to obtain insurance cover. Happy Place are unable to insure personal imports.
What about insurance then?
Remember Happy Place can insure a caravan of any value subject to underwriting criteria.
It’s true, you might not feel it’s worth taking out insurance on a caravan of limited value. Your tow car insurance should provide third party cover for your caravan whilst being towed. But it won’t provide any cover for damage to or theft of the caravan itself.
So if your caravan and equipment is worth anything above £1,000 it’s worth considering cover.
Your insurance company may ask for additional security and improved storage conditions for higher value caravans. This may include a tracking device for the caravan, or in terms of home storage, perhaps a hitchpost or locked gates on the driveway.
Do consider the cost of any items you may be taking with you on your travels – that’s anything from pots and pans to an awning (a new awning could, in theory, be worth more than the caravan you’re attaching it to) to televisions to outdoor furniture. You’ll probably need a policy that will cover them too.
Top tips
- Caravan insurance is not a legal requirement… but it is highly advised. You’ll have cover for theft as well as accidental damage, for example.
- Always ensure your car insurance covers you for towing.
- Buying secondhand? Always get a CRIS check (www.cris.co.uk) to establish a caravan’s history.
- Buy within your budget. That means catering for repair work, servicing and upgrades etc.
Found your ideal caravan? Get the insurance cover it deserves; Click here or call the number at the top of the page.