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Does anyone know if you can get insurance for your trailer. I had to ring up my insurance company to tell them that I had a towbar fitted, they noted this on my details but they said I would have to take private insurance out for the trailer. I therefore presume that I am not covered for actually towing the trailer in the event of an accident or any of its contents. Any advice greatly apprecitiated.

Nikki

Hi

Ive just rung my insurance company (norwich union) to inform them that I shall be towing a t/t on my car & they said that doesnt affect my insurance, but only makes me 3rd party cover, although im normally fully comp?  Is this correct?  Seems odd to me & that they wont insure my t/t & yet they are under-writers for a t/t insurers co, who's quote I got threw today?  Any help would be fab

Tina

There is a difference in being insured whilst towing and trailer insurance.  Usually, the car insurance will cover your trailer for towing related incidents ( e.g. if it should come off and crash into another car, it will pay for the damage caused. ).  What they won't cover is the actual trailer/trailer tent itself ( i.e. if it was stolen whilst parked etc, or damadged ).

There are many places that sell trailer insurance that insures the actual trailer ( there are a few on here if you use the search function ).  Also the C&CC do insurance as well for trailers and trailer tents.  The last time I enquired it was about £40-£50 per annum.

I have all my camping equipment insured as an addition to my house insurance ( Insured upto £1500 and costs me about £3.50 per month ontop of my house insurance ).  But I don't have my trailer insured for damage or theft.

Hi Steve

Got a few quotes for the t/t & equpiment today, will obvioulsy keep looking.

My main concern is that my car insurance is fully comp, but if I tow my insurance goes down to 3rd party, is this usual?   What happens if I hit some-one, or they hit me, I quess that would only be covered 3rd party?

Having not been away in it yet & only drove it home, its amazing the amount of peeps who pull onto the motor way, via a slip road, to get in behind you, only to discover the t/t & then they  have to swerve back again, is this a regular thing, or just our luck?

Hi Tina

I would not expect the insurance cover for your car to be in any way affected by towing a trailer. The cover that normal fully comp insurance gives you is fully comp for the car but only third party for any trailer being towed. In short if you hit anything with your car you will be covered for damage to your car and damage caused by your car. If your trailer hits another car you will be covered for the damage caused to the third party (the person you hit) but not for any damage that the trailer has caused to your car.

I think that this is fairly normal. If your trailer is independantly insured (check the policy) you may or may not be covered whilst towing but will almost certainly be covered for fire, theft and damage whilst on site.

It is worth checking up as all policies are different.

I would double check with your car insurer as I dont believe that they should get away with reducing your car cover to third party just because you have a trailer attached.

Mike 

When I spoke to my insurer about this, it was basically explained to me almost exactly as ekim said.

They told me that the insurance would pay for any damage caused no matter whether it was my car which had done it or the trailer.  But they would not pay for any damage caused to the trailer.  If I smashed into someone and the trailer was damaged, they would pay for any damamge I had caused to that person/property, but I would have to pay to replace or repair my trailer.  If the trailer came unhitched and smashed into the back of my car, then my car would not be covered for that damage.

I would definitiely give them a ring and confirm it, as not all insurance policies cover the same thing, or indeed cover them the same way.

Hi all

Steve would you mind me asking who your car is insured with, as I due to renew it soon anyway, will give Norwich Union a ring again, I think the call centre is in India, as there was a delay in conversation & a couple of other things didnt seem to make sense either, like a tracker & a Thatcham cat 1 alarm makes no difference to my insurance, I dont get a reduced rated for having them????

Prehaps its me, but all this camping thing is abit mind boggling!!!

Ummm. NU call centres are a lottery for advice. We have been there and this year after 5 loyal years (home and car ins) with them told them to stuff their business where the sun dont shine - did they understand me NO - Neejab in Bombay didnt have a clue. Nor had anyone else I spoke to there (INdia) for the last 18months. Phone 1 day get told one thing - phone the next get told something else.  Personally I would chane insurers - it dont matter how polite they try to be if they cant answer your questions fully and you understand them  - then its just a waste of time.  Sorry I cant help with the trailer insurance issue. I am reading with interest as we are about to purchase a trailer (once I've twisted hubbys arem just a bit more - lol). 

For the record I moved my car and home INsurance to Churchill where I have the luxury of an English call centre to deal with my queries. Really helpful staff too. No idea what they will be like re trailers though! 

Hi

I think what has said before is how the policy is interpreted. If you have fully comp insurance then you are covered no matter what to you car, i.e if you trailer fell off your garage roof onto your car then you would be covered, likewise if you are towing and the trailer causes damage to your car you are covered. Fully comp is just that. Where the third party bit comes into play is that any damage to your trailer (or caravan ) is not covered by your motor insurance even if you are fully comp, it will however cover damage when attached to your car to a third party i.e anyone you cause damage to with either your trailer or car.

Jon

i phoned my insurance company today to inform them that i would be using a trailer and they said that was fine but for a one off payment of £20 i would be insured for any damage to my trailer and for an extra £6 on top of my breakdown cover which does not include trailer i would be covered for breakdown also my insurance company is norwich union thought that this was quite good value for peace of mind
                     

Hi I have just re-rung my insurance company again, Norwich union, & mentioned your above reply & they said nope, we dont offer that, that they cant help me!

Well if they cant help me, me thinks I'll go with a company that can??

Many thanks for the replies, great site, but rather addictive!!! Or is that just me?