• a park home is typically defined as being your normal and permanent place of residence;

• in that sense, it is significantly different to a static caravan which, in insurance terms, is typically seen as being a caravan used for a few weeks each year for recreational and holiday purposes;

• given the very different nature of the usage of a parkhome versus a static caravan, there are significantly different forms of insurance for each;

• it is important not to confuse the two and if you have a parkhome then you will typically need to look for parkhome insurance quotes;

• insurance providers may apply other conditions relating to the definition of a parkhome as opposed to a static caravan, for example, the sites of both parkhomes and static caravans may need to meet certain conditions before insurance will be effective;

• if you are looking for a cheap caravan insurance quote, it may pay to remember that the two forms of cover are not interchangeable and you cannot choose to use one policy type based upon whichever appears to be the lower cost;

• the owner of your site may have the right to require that you have adequate insurance (typically relating to third party liability cover) but they may not have the right to insist that you purchase it from them – you may find that your own insurance options prove to be more cost-effective;

• your quotation may be affected by a number of factors including things such as the value of your contents, the value of your property itself and the nature of your site – if your park home is located somewhere with a known vulnerability to flooding then you may find that your premium is higher as a result (you may also find that the policy is subject to special conditions and/or exclusions);

• occasionally, some types of situation fall into what may be called a grey area between the definitions of static caravan versus parkhome – if you feel that is the case with you, we would be happy to offer assistance in helping you decide whether you need to look for parkhome insurance quotes.

1. of course, what is cheap for someone else may not be cheap for you, so don’t just believe those headline ads for cheap caravan insurance – look instead at both what it’s providing and what it isn’t providing;
2. you may find that some policies that describe themselves as cheap caravan cover insurance have, in fact, kept their prices low by compromising on the protection offered – one example may be that continental cover may not be included as standard or if it is, it may be very limited;
3. some touring caravan insurance that majors on low price may only offer new-for-old caravan replacement for caravans up to three years old if they have been owned by a single owner from new – other policies may cover pre-owned caravans also;
4. some insurance providers may not offer quotations and cover to caravanners that have previously made claims;
5. you may be able to reduce the cost of your caravan insurance by fitting approved security devices, alarms and taking other such steps to reduce the opportunities for thieves and vandals – details may be contained within your policy documentation;
6. if you have a static caravan or park home, the cost of your park home insurance (or static caravan insurance) may be significantly reduced if you avoid sites that have a known history of flooding (in fact, some insurance providers may not cover your caravan at all if the site has a documented background of flood problems);
7. in the case of non-mobile caravans, if your site is permanently supervised then this may result in lower premiums;
8. if you are able to store your caravan in a secure and approved location when not in use, you may find that premiums will be reduced which will be a step forward in your search for cheap caravan insurance (in the case of mobile caravans, even if you keep them off the public road when not in use, this may result in lower costs).

It is true that few things perk us up in the depths of our winter depression more than the thought of finding a bargain.

However, setting out to find cheap caravan insurance quotes, whilst understandable, may not ultimately be to your best advantage.

If you are fond of your caravan, you will typically wish to make sure that you have the most appropriate insurance in place so as to protect your investment in it.

Certainly, that may not necessarily mean that you go out to purchase the most expensive caravan insurance you can find – but equally, deciding to consider only cheap caravan insurance quotes may lead to some issues downstream.

The problem is that what is cheap caravan insurance for someone else may not prove to be suitable or cheap caravan insurance for you. In the event of a claim, you may suddenly find that your so-called cheap caravan insurance has suddenly become extremely expensive indeed.

Ultimately, the suitability of a given caravan insurance policy will vary very much upon the nature of cover provided coupled with an assessment of the way you use your caravan.

For example, you may see lower cost caravan insurance quotes but they may be based on the assumption that your annual mileage is at a relatively low level. Once you actually provide an accurate mileage estimation, you may find that the price escalates rapidly.

Therefore, that insurance may be cheap for someone that is doing low mileage per annum, but for you, it may prove to be more expensive than an alternative policy less restrictive in terms of mileage allocations.

The conclusion may therefore be that it is perhaps better to search for caravan insurance that provides the type of cover that you require ‘as standard’ rather than to go out and look exclusively for the cheapest headline figures that you can find.

The price is, of course, important but it does need to be kept in proportion when you are seeking a caravan insurance solution.

So, however deep those late winter blues are, try not to see cheap caravan insurance quotes as being part of the solution!

What is cheap?

The problem is, it is notoriously difficult to precisely define what ‘cheap’ actually means. Therefore, it may not be too surprising if we subsequently struggle to find it.

Perhaps you think this is slightly overstated and that cheap insurance is very easily defined by simply saying – the lowest cost possible.

Unfortunately, it may be rather more complicated than that.

For example, if you intend taking a touring caravan on a continental trip, then the fact that an individual very cheap caravan insurance policy does not cover use outside of the UK will prove to be a showstopper for you.

The fact that the policy is cheap will be of little consolation.

In that context, you may consider low-cost caravan insurance to be the policy that offers you the full cover you require and at a price that you consider to be reasonable.

The conclusion may have to be simply that what is cheap for one person may not prove to be cheap for you or vice versa.

Reducing your cost

Nothing of this is meant to suggest that trying to keep your insurance costs down is anything other than a laudable objective.

Some caravan insurance costs policies may offer you scope for doing so through discounts, typically for things such as:

• taking additional security precautions with your caravan, including things such as securely storing it over the winter when not in use, fitting additional security locks and alarms and for static caravans and park homes, using sites that have a security presence;
• indicating your maturity by joining a recognised motoring or owners’ association (thereby getting caravan club insurance discounts);
• for motor homes and touring caravans, keeping young and inexperienced drivers off your policy.

So, adopting a few good practices may be helpful in achieving your goal of cheap caravan insurance – without putting at risk the quality of your cover.

The fact is though, that such a search may not yield quite the results that you may hope for.

The first point relates to expectations. It’s a sometimes harsh reality of life that what some people regard as cheap may not be cheap (or suitable) for others. Thinking exclusively about cheapness may also lead to disappointment because costs may be directly related to the quality of the insurance cover provided.

Take, for example, the subject or those long-awaited breaks on the continent once the weather improves.

You may think that you have succeeded in finding unbeatably good and cheap caravan insurance but that euphoria may quickly fade if you subsequently discover that cover outside the UK is either excluded or is very limited.

If you suddenly find yourself needing to pay substantial extra sums for continental cover, your original calculations relating to the low-cost of your insurance may prove to have been woefully inadequate.

The subject of contents cover perhaps provides another classic example.

Policies typically provide two formats of contents protection. The first of these is called new for old cover. As the name suggests, this will replace any contents of yours that are destroyed or stolen, by an equivalent new product (and up to set limits).

The alternative is called market valuation and basically means that the policy will pay out a value for the item based on an estimate of its current value in the market – in other words, its second-hand used value.

From these examples, it’s possible to see that becoming entirely and exclusively focused on the cost of the policy could place you in a position that may cause you troubles in the event of a claim.

While the search for lower cost insurance is perfectly understandable, there must be a balance between the price you are paying and the potential protection you are obtaining.

So, while those advertisements screaming the availability of cheap caravan insurance may be appealing, it might be advisable to read the fine detail of the policy before you become too excited!

Finally, if you are unsure as to the suitability of a particular policy, then we can help. Whether you have a simple question or you want us to compare caravan insurance cover on your behalf, then our friendly team can help, either on the telephone or via email, so don’t be shy!

However, this may be something of a distraction from what may be really important – you getting the cover your circumstances require.

In fact, some questions need to be asked of any advertisement for cheap caravan insurance, including perhaps:

• given that what’s cheap for someone may not be cheap for someone else in a different caravan situation – who does the ‘cheap’ refer to;
• just what exactly is being provided for the money;
• how can something be considered as cheap unless you have been able to compare it in detail to an exactly identical product (and few insurance policies will ever be identical in terms of the cover they provide)?

There is no intention here to dispute sales language but rather to try and focus attention back to what may be really critical – making sure that there’s a good match between your situation and the protection the insurance is providing.

This is one of those things that may be better illustrated with examples:

• if you sometimes take your tourer abroad then cheap touring caravan insurance that doesn’t include European cover may not be of much use to you and paying extra for it may destroy any cost savings you thought you’d achieved;
• if the cheap policy doesn’t provide new-for-old cover on contents, then you may find yourself spending a lot of extra money if you ever have to replace them in the event of them being damaged or stolen;
• does the cheap policy cover as standard, the average annual mileage you may be doing?

Nothing of this is meant to imply that a bold advertisement for cheaper caravan cover should simply be ignored. What is important though is that its sales proposition is examined in detail and reviewed critically in line with your needs.

If you don’t, you may end up with cheap caravan insurance – or so it will seem until you need to make a claim!

Is it referring to:

• the lowest cost caravan insurance policy you can possibly find;
• the one that gives you the most suitable cover providing that you find it to be cheap at the price;
• the policy that gives you the most for a specified amount of money you have in mind;
• caravan cover that’s lower cost than your current policy;
• etc?

The trouble is, these are all different things and may give you a different result if you’re searching for cheap caravan insurance. To put it another way, what’s cheap for someone else may not be cheap for you and vice-versa.

Essentially, the start point for any search for caravan insurance should typically be the nature of your caravan, how you’re using it and the level of the cover you require.

Matching that against the facilities offered by a caravan insurance policy will then give you a feeling of what your real options are.

How do these things affect the price?

Let’s take a theoretical situation where you’re planning to take your touring caravan out of the country regularly.

Not all insurers will see the risks of that in the same way and one may offer a more attractive rate than another.

To take another example – let’s assume you have a static caravan that’s equipped to a very high level of comfort and which contains many of your contents. In the event of a problem, some policies may replace those items on a market value basis but that may mean that you effectively can’t replace your belongings.

The fact that the policy may have been cheaper may not seem quite so important to you at that stage.

You need to take into account also the extent to which a policy may offer you price reductions in the form of discounts for certain behaviours or actions. That may make a policy that doesn’t immediately seem to be cheap caravan insurance, appear far more attractive in the totality.

Typically all insurers like to encourage risk-reduction measures and some will go as far as to offer incentives. This typically includes taking steps such as:

• fitting enhanced security features (some forms may, in fact, be mandatory on some policies such as hitchlocks and wheel clamps with tourers etc);
• avoiding younger drivers;
• only using registered and secure camping sites etc.

To summarise, you may find that you end up with more suitable and perhaps even cost-effective caravan insurance cover if you start off by looking for a match against your requirements rather than exclusively on price.

It may be a better approach than simply looking for what appears to be cheap caravan insurance.

Either way, the price and what the caravan insurance cover entails will typically be the major influencing factors on which caravan insurance policy you buy.

Is the price right?

If you have a static caravan, insurers may decide a price for your policy based on the address and claims history of the site where the caravan is based. So if your caravan is parked on a site that has a history of flooding and has had problems with crime, the premiums you get quoted may not be as low as for a caravan on a less troubled site.

By the same token the postcode of where you keep a touring caravan or motorhome may also have an effect on the price of the caravan insurance quote.

Whilst you may not be able to move the caravan this season if location is a problem, cheaper caravan insurance may still be within your reach if you have access to the following discounts:

• lower prices for members of caravanning clubs. Such clubs typically have the bargaining power and clout to negotiate significant discounts on the headline prices that insurers offer;
• security. For touring caravans, hitchlocks are typically an insurer’s minimum requirement for doing your bit to keep the caravan safe and secure. However, for both touring and static caravans, stepping up your security campaign may have the dual benefit of reducing the risk of theft and bringing down your insurance costs.

What about the cover?

Cheap caravan insurance may sometimes still be comprehensive caravan cover, as long as the risks that you would typically expect to be mentioned are included in the insured perils specified. Caravan insurers may typically cover the costs of damage from all or some of the following:

• storm;
• fire;
• earthquake;
• flood;
• theft;
• malicious damage; and
• accidental damage.

The small print

An important part of buying cheap caravan insurance involves reading the small print, as it would be unfortunate if you were prevented from being able to make a claim due to a failure to adhere to the terms and conditions. Accordingly, it makes sense to ensure that you have complied with any maintenance and security obligations the insurer has set.

What you pay for cheap caravan insurance depends on a number of factors.

Obviously if you have a touring caravan, typically the risks you face are significantly different to those for a static caravan and they are different again to the risks for a motorhome or even a park home. So using a specialist in caravan insurance that understands completely the ins and outs of the business may make very good sense.

Comparing the policies they offer may help you achieve savings without compromising on the right level of cover for your particular circumstances.

What’s right for you

The starting off point to find cheap caravan insurance may be to spend a couple of minutes working out just what your usage requirements are. You may then be able to decide what you need and what you don’t need as a minimum level of cover. There may be other elements of cover that would be nice to have if the price was right.

Typically, different policies provide different levels of caravan cover. For example, some may include unlimited continental travel cover as part of the standard price. This may be an advantage for you if you take your caravan abroad a lot but may be something you do not need if you intend to stick to the UK for your holiday breaks.

Similarly if you know that you are the only person to tow or drive your caravan then paying for a multi driver policy may not be a sensible use of your money.

What discounts are available?

Some insurance providers may offer reduced premiums if you show that you are a responsible and security minded caravan owner. Keeping a look out for these may be worthwhile.

So, for example, discounts may be available if you:

• are a member of a recognised caravan club;
• fit security alarms;
• use only registered and flood safe sites;
• use wheel clamps and hitchlocks (though with some policies these types of security measures may be mandatory);
• use a secure off-season storage site;
• accept an excess on your policy etc.

Cheap or cheapest

A final point that may be worth remembering is that it may be possible to find cheap caravan insurance for your caravan if you sacrifice levels of cover. While this may be tempting from a premium point of view, you may find it expensive in the longer term if you end up having to pay out yourself following a problem.

Step 1 – collect all of your information
Whether you are looking for a quote for touring caravan cover, static holiday home insurance or camper van insurance, providers will need the same information from you to assess your circumstances. Aside from your personal details, insurers need to know the age, make and model of your caravan, together with information about where it is kept (including the postcode). The more information you can give the better.

Step 2 – compare prices
If you are looking for cheap caravan insurance then low prices are among your top priorities. Make a note of all the quotes that you get, and rank them in price order.

Step 3 – compare service and cover
While getting a good price is important, getting a fair price for good cover is the real issue at stake. So whilst it may be tempting to automatically go for the policy that costs the least without further investigation, look past the price to the extent of the cover. Does it extend to all of the risks that you would expect to see? Are there dedicated claims handlers on the team that you have access to? These elements of customer service could be worth paying for if you are unfortunate enough to have to make a claim.

Step 4 – seek discounts
Are you a member of a caravanning club? Do you have extra security measures fitted to your caravan? Is your caravan kept in a park that is well known to be safe and secure? If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, your responsible caravan ownership will pay off, as many providers may offer significant discounts for these things.

Step 5 – enjoy the peace of mind good cover brings
Once you chosen a suitable provider and put the policy on risk, you can relax and enjoy your holidays in the knowledge that your cheap caravan insurance (which in the end may not be the cheapest cover available but gives you the protection you need) it is always there to call on, should you need it.