Motorhome and caravan insurance - is it worth it?

A camper or caravan is a serious expense. So it's worth taking care of them, starting with insurance . And here it turns out that there are virtually no proposals for policies dedicated to caravanning owners on the Polish market. Well, most of the popular comparison websites do not even include this type of car in their calculators.

When asked about a motorhome insurance quote, many insurance agents or brokers spread their hands helplessly, admitting that they are unfortunately not specialists in the field. They offer standard products that are not fully matched.

Why insure?

One thing is the lack of a specific offer on the insurance market. Quite different is the lack of awareness and general knowledge about insurance. Many of us believe that paying premiums regularly is a waste of money, as it does not even reduce the likelihood of an accident or theft. Besides, the view "nothing ever happens to me" is equally common, and if it is, it is not worth overpaying for insurance against something that happens, for example, once every fifteen years. Assuming that I am a good driver (and who thinks differently about myself?) And I have never caused a road accident, there is a good chance that I will not cause it anymore, because the skills will remain. Therefore, third party liability insurance is enough and it is best as cheap as possible.

Well, not exactly, and we find out about it most often, however, when "something" happens, for example, someone in us drives in abroad, and suddenly you have to take the car from the highway, and spend the night yourself somewhere, and let it not be the nearest hospital. Then it turns out that insurance is a necessary thing, allowing you to save several thousand euros. We are responsible for ourselves, not for others. It is impossible to predict when a branch will fall, a storm will break the car, or a vandal will break the side mirror. The old adage is that "accidents happen on people" and all we can do, apart from being careful, is insuring our goods. Often unpleasant situations cannot be avoided, but their financial consequences can be counteracted.

What do you know about insurance?

Every driver knows that you need third party liability insurance - that is, third party liability insurance. Its scope is regulated by the act and everyone who wants to use Polish roads must have them, because it is obligatory. A car without civil liability cannot drive or even stand in the parking lot . Theoretically, if we do not have valid insurance even for a day, we can expect a financial penalty of up to PLN 7,800, depending on how our vehicle is registered. However, take it easy, the third party liability policy is renewed automatically - if we do not terminate it, the insurance company will extend it for another year for us. The exception is the policy that we acquire when buying used caravans and short-term liability . In the case of deregistering a vehicle that is still in our garage or temporary deregistration, we pay only a part of the amount (5%), but you still have to pay for this.

Third party liability insurance provides compensation for damages caused by the driver of the vehicle to third parties. These are damages related not only to damage to another vehicle, but also to the health of the injured and damage to other property. Important note here. Civil liability insurance does not cover the losses of the person who caused the accident. In this case, you must buy AC (Autocasco).

Third party liability insurance is purchased for the vehicle, not for the person. If, for example, we borrowed an insured motorhome from our mother, the policy is valid. When we sell a car - the policy changes the owner along with the vehicle. A caravan and a car are two different liability insurance.

Compensation under third party liability insurance may be awarded to the owner of a damaged vehicle, to all persons injured in an accident (passengers, pedestrians, etc.) and to all persons who suffered losses in a collision (e.g. to the owner of a cafe garden). The sums guaranteed in third party liability insurance, i.e. the maximum amount of compensation that can be paid out under the third party liability policy, are the equivalent of EUR 5.21 million in the case of personal injury and EUR 1.05 million in the case of property damage .

There are also situations in which the OC will not work . It is i.a. a situation where, causing the damage, we were under the influence of alcohol , drugs or intoxicants (according to Polish law - i.e. in the case of alcohol, the limit is 0.2 per mille !!!). In addition, we can say goodbye to the payment from the civil liability insurance in the event of escaping from the scene of the accident, lack of authorization to drive a given motor vehicle, deliberate damage and causing a collision outside the European Union, without the so-called Green Card. The fact of having third party liability does not release us from liability for the damage caused. In a situation where we do not have insurance or it did not work, e.g. because our car did not have valid technical tests, then we are responsible for the payment of compensation. In the absence of civil liability insurance, the Insurance Guarantee Fund will do it for us, which, however, will demand the reimbursement of the paid compensation and will additionally impose a penalty on us for the lack of civil liability . The aggrieved party may also claim compensation directly from us if our insurer is delaying the payment. So sometimes you should consider whether the cheapest third party liability insurance is always as good as it is a bit more expensive, but with a good insurer.

The green card is a document confirming the possession of valid third party liability insurance outside the country. We do not have to have it in the countries of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). It is required in 14 countries. These are: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Macedonia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Tunisia, Morocco. In the absence of a document on the spot, we will have to purchase additional border insurance.

Autocasco for a motorhome

Autocasco insurance, i.e. the popular AC , is a voluntary insurance of motor vehicles (e.g. campers, scooters) against random events. Owing to AC , we can receive compensation when we cause an accident , our motorhome disappears in mysterious circumstances or a branch falls on it. The scopes of insurance and the AC prices differ from each other (often even at the same Insurance Company), so before choosing it, you should read the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of exclusions from the liability of the insurance company and the obligations of the policyholder. Often, AC is sold in a package with obligatory third party liability insurance and other motor insurance, such as accident insurance or assistance.

Assistance for motorhomes

Assistance insurance is designed to provide the insured with technical, medical, information and legal assistance in an emergency, i.e. when you go on vacation in a motorhome and suddenly the engine stops in a deserted area and further travel is impossible. Then all you have to do is make a phone call to the insurer and he will arrange appropriate assistance. The hotline usually operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, including holidays. It is often added to OC or AC, but its scope can then be very narrow and is limited to e.g. only collisions. Assistance, even when purchased separately, also has its ranges. Let us pay attention to whether a specific insurance offer is eligible for assistance only in Poland or also abroad, and what are the limits regarding, for example, the towing length. When we go abroad, it is worth considering an option that provides assistance, for example, an interpreter or a lawyer, as well as, for example, a hotel for us and our family for the time of repairing the motorhome. By the way, it is worth noting that assistance for motorhomes is a rarity, as insurers often exclude special vehicles from their offer. Therefore, it becomes necessary to purchase a dedicated package.

NNW

Personal Accident Insurance (NNW) is insurance that relates to a person (s) and not a vehicle. It concerns the driver of the vehicle and its passengers. Depending on the wealth of the purchased package, the money from the insurance will cover, among others: medical assistance, stay and care in a hospital, rehabilitation, financial assistance in the event of temporary or permanent inability to work, vocational training for the disabled, benefits due to death as a result of an accident including the cost of transporting the body and organizing the funeral. It is worth remembering that accident insurance, which is part of the AC and TPL insurance package, usually has a very limited scope and a low guarantee sum.

Accident insurance does not only apply to an accident while driving, but also to damage caused when getting in and out of the car, loading or unloading, parking, parking or repairing the vehicle on the roadside. Insurance does not exclude the use of other policies, therefore it is independent of the receipt of compensation from other sources, e.g. additional policies or the Social Insurance Institution.

GAP insurance for motorhomes

GAP insurance means the payment of additional funds (apart from the AC insurance) in the event of total destruction or loss of the motorhome. This insurance has many variants. It can be a product that protects our liability to the bank if we finance a motorhome (the difference between the amount due and what has been paid from the AC) is paid. It can also provide us with the payment of the difference between the current market value of our vehicle at the time of the damage and the amount we paid at the time of its purchase (the so-called GAP Invoice). Here is an example: Mr. Mariusz took a loan in the amount of PLN 200,000 (the entire value of the vehicle) to buy his dream motorhome. After four years, the car was stolen. Only PLN 75,000 was paid out of the AC policy, because that was the market value of the motorhome as at the date of the damage. The difference in the amount of PLN 125,000 between the market value of the car and the amount of compensation was covered by GAP. In this way, the policy was compensated for the repayment of the remaining loan installments and an additional surplus, allowing for an own payment for the next vehicle.

Extended warranty for the motorhome

The extended warranty is useful if the customer would like to extend the manufacturer's warranty for the vehicle, offered at the time of sale. He can then purchase an extended warranty on a new or used vehicle. Depending on the age of the vehicle, the warranty applies to drawn parts or components. In this case, the car is protected for a longer period than that mentioned in the standard warranty contract. Here you should also check the scope of the contract. The extended warranty, however, always covers only the base car, not the motorhome bodywork.

Legal protection insurance

Legal protection insurance - in the case of campers, it ensures reimbursement (usually not small) of costs incurred for the services of an attorney, legal advisor and other legal assistance, in a situation where they relate to events related to a motorhome or trailer, e.g. wrongful retention of a driving license or registration certificate, defense in unintentional criminal and misdemeanor cases for the driver and passengers, or a dispute with the insurance company of the perpetrator of the collision or with a dishonest garage. Having legal protection insurance, we most often also get access to telephone legal advice. It is of particular importance abroad, as waiting for help from a consulate can be significantly prolonged.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance - when going abroad, we should remember to always have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with us, which confirms the right to use the necessary health services at the expense of the National Health Fund during a temporary stay in another EU / EFTA Member State. Here, however, we will encounter problems, because firstly, it covers only the EU and EFTA countries, and secondly, the concept of "necessary" for the National Health Fund may mean something different than for us and the doctor. It may turn out that, according to the fund, the appendectomy was not necessary, because you could reach the nearest Polish hospital after administering the drugs ...

And here, additional travel insurance turns out to be necessary, which usually includes medical cost insurance (KL) and assistance (organization of assistance and medical transport of the insured person). Therefore, in such a situation, the appendix will be operated on at the insurer's expense. They will also join our hand, sew the wound together, and even leave it for observation in the hospital. We can also take advantage of an outpatient visit. Often, under the policy, you can count on luggage insurance, as well as insurance for resignation from participation or shortening the trip organized through the fault of the organizer or your own. Of course, the scope and amount here also depend on the size of the package. It is best to choose it according to your needs each time.

With this article, we start our mini-insurance academy for caravanning enthusiasts. In subsequent publications, we will take a closer look at each of the above-mentioned types of insurance and consider what you should pay special attention to when choosing an offer for yourself.

The article was written in cooperation with specialists dealing with insurance for caravanners from the website www.ubbezpieczenia.camprest.com - what distinguishes them on the insurance market is that everyone has been driving motorhomes for many years and they are professionally involved in insurance.