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What about if you and your partner are in hospital, after an accident, or unable to drive - possibly for a long time.  A replacement hire car, capable of towing the caravan home, additional ferry costs, and so on, even if you could do it yourself, would be substantial.

We're looking at possible worst case scenarios here, which unfortunately do actually happen - and trying to find insurance which will cover them.   Surely this is what insurance is about.  After all you could take the same line if your car broke down -  leave it where it is, to be repaired and pay the cost(s) - and don't bother with breakdown insurance at all.  Red Pennant is a very comprehensive policy, not just breakdown insurance, but offers a package of personal cover too, and is designed for caravanners, covering all sorts of scenarios.  Red Pennant would bring your caravan home if it's left stranded somewhere because the car (or the drivers) are incapacitated.  The question being asked by myself, and others, is 'do any others'?

No, I agree, you obviously can't cover every eventually - but one of the most likely 'actualities' for a caravanner, is the car being in an accident or breaking down whilst away from the campsite - and it's this that most caravanners would want to cover (and is perhaps what they expect to get).  They want to make sure that they, the car AND the caravan are all dealt with - and if that means repatriation, then they want insurance cover which would provide that.

Surely that's not unreasonable - but it isn't easy to obtain and it does seem, at the moment, that only Red Pennant will actually deliver this sort of service.

Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 24/3/2011

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No, I agree, you obviously can't cover every eventually - but one of the most likely 'actualities' for a caravanner, is the car being in an accident or breaking down whilst away from the campsite - and it's this that most caravanners would want to cover (and is perhaps what they expect to get).  They want to make sure that they, the car AND the caravan are all dealt with - and if that means repatriation, then they want insurance cover which would provide that.

Surely that's not unreasonable - but it isn't easy to obtain and it does seem, at the moment, that only Red Pennant will actually deliver this sort of service.

That is just not correct, RAC Arrival covers every thing that Red Pennant does.

 

Steve W

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Sorry, Steve W, I should have said 'everything else I've checked'.  I'm not a member of the Caravanning and Camping Club, so didn't look at RAC Arrival.

Having had a look, their terms are very clear - unlike some of the other breakdown organisation which state that they cover car and caravan, but trying to find out what that cover involves is like breaking into state secrets with some organisations!   However, a quick look shows only the UK option, not European cover, which is what I'm trying to organise.

Do you have details of the cost of C&CC cover for Europe?  Costs/cover/etc?

This topic fizzled out after only 59 replies - with even trusty ValA searching for the definitive answer. The general view was that only by paying for CC Red Pennant (or CCC equivalent) could you be absolutely sure of getting your caravan brought home if your car was one day smashed while you were away from the camp site.

Well Europ Assistance say that if you pay their insurance for car recovery they would bring your car back from Europe, and if you pay for caravan recovery as well then  they would bring your caravan back too - provide of course it's worth more more than the cost of the transport back. And that DOES include them collecting it from a site if your car accident was elsewhere.

Is this the final solution ??  Check it for us please Val. Please.

Thanks for that.  At least I can read ALL the terms and conditions of their Breakdown and Personal Cover on the website (34 pages of them) which is great to start with.  Normally these things are hidden in the small print, which you can only read after you've bought what you thought was a fully comprehensive policy.  (Except for Red Pennant, where you can also read the full terms) The quote for multi-trip breakdown and personal cover for us more than £100 cheaper than Red Pennant!

However, I haven't yet found the terms and conditions relating to the caravan cover, which is an optional extra on their policy  but if someone can spot it in the terms and conditions, then .......................................?

Now, I have to ring their screening department to let them know about my prescription medicine.................. so the saga continues!

Quote from the faq on europ assistance;-

A: Any vehicle covered must be less than 16 years old. The following vehicles are eligible:

• Cars
• Motorised Caravans
• Light Vans
• Estate Cars
• 4x4 Sports utility vehicles
• Caravans and trailers or proprietary make (extra premium payable)

Vehicles must not exceed a gross vehicle weight of 3,500kg, a length of 7m a height of 3m and a width of 2.25m (including any load carried) and must not carry more than 8 persons.

If that applies to caravans then it excludes a lot of us with average sized vans, mine's about 7.12