Keith Gooden
Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden
Good to have you here. This is all brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com. Good that you can be here. Since we last got together, well, such a lot has happened. We’ve topped 70,000 downloads on the podcast, the audio podcast, which puts us in the top 5% of podcasts. And that’s worldwide globally around the world.
And when you think so many people can’t understand a word that we’re saying, that’s impressive stuff. So thank you very much indeed for that. And we’ve had lots of responses to the videos as well.
Matt Sims
It’s been good. We have over 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, which is brilliant. That’s growing steadily. And of course, we’re a podcast, so we’re more about the audio. But it’s been very exciting. We’ve hit the top 10. We got to position number nine. Top Gear is at number seven. That’s amazing, isn’t it?
Keith Gooden
And Wheeler Dealers is at number two.
Matt Sims
Was it?
Keith Gooden
Yeah, when you think about Wheeler Dealers – I love that programme – and also Top Gear magazine, they’re global. They’re worldwide brands. They’re shown around the world. It’s not quite like Are You Being Served – but it’s pretty damn good. So you’re doing well there Matt, I can tell you.
Matt Sims
Well, we’re putting in all the effort we possibly can. So if you’ve been listening and downloading, thank you. You’re making a difference. We appreciate it.
The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2023 Highlights
Keith Gooden
Let’s stop blowing sunshine up our you know whats and let’s get on with it, shall we? Let’s get into the news. First of all, the NEC show in February. You were there. I wasn’t. I was back in the studio, sweeping up, making the tea…
Matt Sims
Hiding.
Keith Gooden
The usual stuff. Matt was out there glamorising deep in the world of motorhomes, caravans and camping. How did it go?
Matt Sims
It was great. It was the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It was another triumph, I would say. It was it was so good to meet so many of our listeners. We had quite a big team there. A dozen of us were there. The shop had several stands as well. It was just great fun. It was hard work. Everyone came back pretty exhausted. But no, it was a brilliant week.
Keith Gooden
Good. And how many people turned up in the end?
Matt Sims
A record number – 108,000, apparently,
Keith Gooden
That’s pretty good. That’s over the whole week.
Matt Sims
Minus you.
Keith Gooden
And I’m worth ten, certainly when I get in the lift! Let’s talk about a couple of things that you highlighted in some of the interviews that we’ve heard already from the NEC – the prices of vehicles.
Matt Sims
I know, they still keep climbing. It’s just incredible. It’s remarkable, some of the price hikes we’ve seen. And yes, they’re just responding to industry pressure, I suppose. But yes, we saw VW Camper product there from Ecowagon – £131,000 pound and he’d sold it. In fact, he sold another eight, I think, it just after we interviewed him.
Yes, screen prices are climbing fast. And people ask, “When is a good time to buy a motorhome?” I would say now. There are lots of stories at the moment of people being given their motorhome after ordering 18 months ago and they’ve gone up by £15,000 or £20,000 since they ordered it. If you bought one, you might want to sell it and make some money.
Keith Gooden
Is the situation the same as it was this time last year? You’ve got to put an order in, put your deposit down and then wait 18 months?
Matt Sims
No. That’s true for some. Certainly, it depends what you’re buying. But we are seeing stock coming through. Some manufacturers have said, “Well, 2023 is done. It will now be a 2024 product.” So it’s not that they’re saying yes, you can have it this year, oh, there’s a delay. It’s the case that you will get it next year and it will be a next year product.
So that was new. And that was, I guess, manufacturers being on the front foot. There are still challenges with the supply chain, certainly. But things in some areas are easing, definitely.
Keith Gooden
Let me ask the stupid question because that’s my job. Are the prices going up because dealers and manufacturers are taking more profit from us? Or is it all still to do with the war and the pandemic?
Matt Sims
They’re not. I would say no, they’re not doing that. There is a perception that that’s going on. If you’re working on percentage margin then okay, 10% or 15% of £100,000 is greater than 10% or 15% of £70,000. But costs everywhere have gone up, haven’t they?
For a manufacturer, their production costs have gone up. The electricity bill to put the lights on has gone up. Everything has gone up. So I don’t think it’s an increase due to people taking a bigger piece of the pie. I think the whole cost of producing the pie has gone up.
Keith Gooden
Okay, then. It says here, “Drone.” I thought that’s what I did anyway, droning mode!
Matt Sims
Stop droning.
Keith Gooden
What did you get up to with your team?
Matt Sims
One of our team members came along and helped us on the Seago stand. We were there selling paddle boards and kayaks. They’re brilliant. You’ll have to check them out. But Shaun is a professional drone pilot by day and he came up and gave up a week of his time to help us at the show. He’s keen paddle boarder, so he was perfect to help us with that stand.
But we got permission for him to fly his very tiny drone around the entire show, so out of hours we went in over a couple of days and he flew around the entire show. It was amazing.
Keith Gooden
If you don’t know what a drone is, it’s one of those little things – it’s like a helicopter with a camera on it. You see them. Television productions use them an awful lot now instead of helicopters and you might have seen them down if you’ve been on the beach or something like that. That’s if you don’t know what they are. They’re a very cost effective way of filming because you’ve got all this Steadicam stuff. It doesn’t wobble anymore.
Matt Sims
No, that’s right. And he flew into motorhomes and out of windows. The footage is incredible. It’s stunning. So we’re busy pulling that together at the moment, and no doubt you’ll see some of it on the internet in due course, so stay tuned. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel.
Department for Transport C1 licence review
Keith Gooden
We’re talking about specialist motorhome insurance today, but a little bit more about that later on. First of all, Ian Johnson has got in touch on YouTube and he says, “14 months after submitting an application to renew my C1 licence at the age of 70, the DVLA have at last made a decision but regrettably have refused on medical grounds. And I am now restricted to BE categories.” He goes into a lot of detail. But basically what he’s asking is what he can do now.
Matt Sims
Well, if the DVLA have revoked his C1 entitlement, not a lot. All he can do is go back to the doctor for another medical and present his case and try and get that C1 back, which of course you automatically lose when you turn 70 and a lot of people don’t realise. If you passed your test after the first of January 1997, you can only drive up to three and a half tonnes. This was a European directive. So you then had to take a test to have a C1 entitlement.
You and I, old gits, we passed our test, got out of the mini, ripped off the L plates and drove a seven and a half tonne lorry if we wanted to. It seemed a bit ridiculous, didn’t it? But interestingly, this is going to Parliament for a review. So the Department for Transport are currently putting a case together which they plan to present to Parliament.
And now that we are out of Europe, we can have this restriction lifted. And I spoke to David Whitehead, who is the director of technical services at the National Caravan Council, to get their take on this interesting development.
David Whitehead
At the moment, there is a consultation out from the government. We will be putting our views forward on that consultation as to whether we support or do not support C1. As an industry, we probably will support the increase to C1 because that will help more people drive motor caravans.
Matt Sims
So what weight limit will you support?
David Whitehead
You can’t change the categories that are already there. So all they will do is say that if you get a B licence, we will grant a C1 licence so you then get that category.
Matt Sims
So you pass your test and you will once again be able to drive up to seven and a half tonnes. Is that what you’re saying?
David Whitehead
Yes, we’ll go back to where we were pre ’97 when we brought in the European directive on driving licences.
Matt Sims
Like us old boys can do.
David Whitehead
Absolutely, us with the grandfather rights.
Matt Sims
Because in 1997, first of January, that’s when the rule changed, wasn’t it?
David Whitehead
Yes, that’s when we brought in the European directive. And then people were only getting a B licence. If they wanted a BE licence so they could tow a combination of about three and a half, they had to take a test. That’s already changed since Brexit. They’ve already changed that. They’re now looking at the C1 entitlement.
There will be people against that, without a doubt. Some car manufacturers and probably van manufacturers will argue against it. But we do know the commercial operators running vans will probably support it, because then it’s cheaper for them to get drivers for their vehicles.
Matt Sims
Why would people be against it?
David Whitehead
Some are against it simply because they don’t think people that have done a standard test in a standard car should be able to drive a van up to seven and a half tonnes. No-one’s done any education to do it. No-one’s done any testing on it.
Matt Sims
Well, that’s fair enough.
David Whitehead
Yes, absolutely. We can understand that argument.
Matt Sims
Because you could get out of a mini with L plates on, rip the L plates off and go and get a seven half tonne lorry with a tail lift with a massive dynamic load in it and head off, couldn’t you?
David Whitehead
If they were to change the regulation as it is now they could, yes. But pre ’97 You could as well. And has there been a massive reduction in crashes since ’97 because the driving licences have changed? The data doesn’t show that.
Matt Sims
I’ve asked that question before and not managed to find an answer. There must be some data somewhere, surely.
David Whitehead
There is accident data all over. The trouble is, a lot of the accident data that there is, the groups that the DVLA and VOSA and VCA use are not conducive to our products. They don’t record motor caravan accidents. They’re recorded as commercial and van accidents. So when a motor caravan has an accident, it either goes into the M1 category, which is a passenger car, or it goes into the N1 category, which is a commercial vehicle. There isn’t a category for motor caravans within their crash data.
Matt Sims
Well, it’s an interesting one to watch. What timescale are we on, David, on this?
David Whitehead
The consultation is ongoing at the moment. My understanding is that it’s around about May or June when they’re going to come back with an answer to that consultation.
Matt Sims
And what will happen then?
David Whitehead
They’ll obviously look at all the comments, all the consultations, they will make a decision and then put a proposal forward to government. And if the government supports the proposal, then it has to go through Parliament and be voted on.
Matt Sims
So who are ‘they’?
David Whitehead
That will come from the Department for Transport originally and the DTI.
Matt Sims
So they put the proposal to government to change or not.
David Whitehead
Yes. Once they’ve done the consultation, they’ll look at it and make a decision as they did with the BE licence. That went out to consultation. They proposed that the BE was given automatically. The government supported it and then it went through Parliament.
Matt Sims
What’s your view as the NCC on what the output of this should be?
David Whitehead
It’s difficult for us in that we’d love to have more people able to drive more motor caravans, because that’s the industry. But we also then have to look at the safety side. And is it a good idea that someone can take a B licence and be able to drive up to seven and a half tonnes? In the data we’ve seen since pre ’97, post ’97, etc., there’s not a lot of difference. You’ve got to make a balanced decision, and we’re still looking at that data to come up with a decision on that position.
Matt Sims
Well, I will be following it with great interest. I hope they pass it. I want more people to be able to get into a motorhome. And actually, I think raising the gross weight means people will be travelling more safely because they’ll have greater payloads and will be less likely to be overweight.
David Whitehead
Yes, absolutely. If the vehicle is plated at 4250kg, then the brakes and everything else on that vehicle is rated to 4250kg. Yeah, if they don’t need to load it to the full, as they’re doing now, then they’ll be driving at a lower weight with a higher brake ratio and therefore an improved braking system.
Matt Sims
Well, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. I’ll be following it very closely. There’s
David Whitehead
at the National caravan Council. Thank you, David. That was great. I was really interested to get your take. I am supporting the change. Maybe you’ve got a view. Maybe you don’t have a C1 entitlement and you would like one and you’d like to be able to drive a heavier motorhome. Let us know. What do you think?
Keith Gooden
Let’s go back to Ian who got in touch via YouTube. I mentioned him just before that interview. He goes on to say in his question, “I can’t drive my motorhome now because they say that I can’t have my C1 because of medical reasons,” but he can drive a car and a caravan which is weightier than the motorhome is going to be. The law does seem to be if not confused then certainly unclear.
Matt Sims
It’s a bit daft, isn’t it? So you can drive a train weight which is greater than three and a half tonnes. He could also drive an electrically powered van at four and a quarter tonnes. Did you know that?
Keith Gooden
I didn’t know that.
Matt Sims
So DPD drivers have an electric van. As long as it’s all electric, the entitlement is automatically raised to 4250kg.
Keith Gooden
But am I wrong in thinking that there might be people on the roads who think that they’re doing the right thing, but are actually breaking the law?
Matt Sims
Easily, yes. Many motorhomes are overweight at three and a half tonnes. Some of them come out the factory with really tiny payloads. We talked about payload at length in a previous episode, didn’t we? Go and check that out. But some come at the factory with 100 plus kilos of payload. Well, that’s not you and me. Definitely not only just you!
Keith Gooden
But what should people do, then? What’s your piece of advice?
Matt Sims
Well, you need to understand what you weigh. So go and listen to the payload episode to get the full detail where we unpack that, but you really need to understand how much payload you have got. And more importantly, what do you weigh when you’ve got everything in your motorhome that you want to have on board?
Keith Gooden
And it’s something you need to pay attention to because if you suddenly get hoicked off in summer on toward weighbridge and they say you’ve broken the law, what is it – a fine?
Matt Sims
It’s a fine, yes. And the motorhome can be seized. You certainly have to empty it and come up with a plan B. If this goes to Parliament and it is passed, then the weight restriction will still apply. If your motorhome is three and a half tonnes, it can still only be three and a half tonnes. The difference is if it can be up plated, you could do that and you could drive it on a B licence. That’s the difference.
Keith Gooden
We’ll keep you posted on that one. Specialist motorhome insurance is what we’re entitling this podcast, Matt. Caravan Guard.
Matt Sims
Yes, so they are specialists. Despite the name, they are a specialist caravan and motorhome insurer. They’re long established. In fact, I’ve had policies with them of my own in the past. And we’ve been asked questions many times about why people need to consider specialist motorhome insurance. Well, it’s a really, really good question. And I caught up with a very senior team member from Caravan Guard on exactly this question.
Why should you consider specialist motorhome insurance?
Liz Harrison
A specialist motorhome insurer provider will understand how you use your motorhome and they’ll understand the intricacies of a motorhome, so that you’ve got the base vehicle and you’ve also got habitation area which includes gas and electricity and things like that.
So when you’re insuring your motorhome, you want to make sure that you’re covered for all kinds of risks such as fire, theft and accidental damage. And so we deal with lots of common claims around damage to things like worktops, shower trays and things like that.
A car or van insurance policy will not cover and understand the intricacies of a motorhome. They don’t understand that there are various different body types, so you’ve got things from an A class to a campervan and coachbuilts. You’re covered for your driving, and also when you’re on site, maybe you’re going off grid, you’ve also got cover for when you’re in storage and things like that.
Matt Sims
So there are really loads of benefits, then, to specialist insurance. So going to www.tesco.com – other supermarket insurers are available! – people can do it, but it’s not necessarily specialist insurance, is it?
Liz Harrison
No, they’re not going to cover some of those things like we do, damage to worktops from tins of beans falling out of cupboards, or oven doors and things like that. So they won’t cover those aspects of a motorhome in the habitation area.
A specialist motorhome insurance policy understands how you’re using the motorhome. So you’re not just taking it for a drive. You are actually going to be out and you’re going to be using all kinds of different equipment. So you’ll get cover for things like your awnings, you barbecues, generators, solar panels and things like that.
With a policy like ours, a specialist policy, we include up to £5,000 of personal equipment cover. So those are the things that you take on your holidays with you – you’ve got the peace of mind that they are covered. Obviously, you get lots of reversing mishaps and bumps and scrapes. And so with a policy like ours, you’re going to have access to specialist repairers who understand how a coachbuilt motorhome is built. They can carry out the specialist repairs when the time comes.
Another policy benefit of a specialist motorhome insurance policy is breakdown cover. So in the event that you do break down, you want that peace of mind that when you’re stuck at the side of the motorway or the road that you’re going to be recovered by a truck that’s going to be able to handle the weight and length of a motorhome, whether that’s an A class or a big American RV.
You want that peace of mind that you’re not going to be stuck on the road and a small truck comes along and can’t recover your vehicle. With a specialist policy like ours, you will get that breakdown recovery service.
Lenders and claims
Matt Sims
Now, one of the things you mentioned is there is about repairing in the event of an accident. It’s important to note that the underwriter is a big factor in this, aren’t they? And you guys use Royal & Sun Alliance. Do you have another panel of lenders as well that you use? Is it all RSA?
Craig Thompson
Royal & Sun Alliance, as they were formerly known, have got roots going back about 300 years. They’re known as one of the UK’s leading insurers. As Liz says, they’re well versed in motorhome and caravan insurance claims. So we actually go out and speak to the loss adjusters and the claims team at RSA and we train them about what a motorhome is and how it differs to a standard Transit van.
We teach about the intricacies as Liz mentioned, like the fact they’ve got worktops and that they’ve got basically a converted habitation area and all the different risks that are associated with that. So I think it’s really important that you do have a big insurer like RSA behind it. But it’s also really important to note that the policies that Caravan Guard do have are bespoke to us. So we wrote the policy wordining.
Royal & Sun Alliance is just there to obviously help out in the claims and to handle the claims and to underwrite the risk for us. But we’ve been with them for about 20 years now, working with them. And I think as time goes by, that relationship’s just developed into a really efficient one.
And one of the things that we do monitor is client satisfaction. So every time somebody makes a claim, we send a survey to the claimant to say, “How did you rate the service?” And on average, I think our customers give it a mark of 9 out of 10, so we’re really happy with that. And the customers tend to be over the moon with the claim service. They’re up and running.
As our logo says, we ask people to trust us to ensure their freedom. And ultimately, it’s about getting them back on the road as quickly as possible. And hopefully with the experts that we’ve got in house and the RSA, we can get that claim moving as quickly as possible and the motorhome repaired or replaced and back on the road.
Matt Sims
Well, I can vouch for that. So years ago, I had a motorhome dealership and we did repairs ourselves. When we were handling a claim through RSA, the assessor was all over us as the repairer. Literally every week Shaun wanted an update on what was happening and was feeding back to, I assume, the customer to the point I said “Wow, I want to insure my motorhome with these guys.” Because if that was me, I would feel very encouraged and confident that it would get sorted and it subsequently did.
Can you carry a no claims bonus from a car insurance policy to a motorhome insurance policy?
Matt Sims
So there you are. So one of the questions we had – Alex from Taunton asked us, “Can I carry my no claims bonus over from my car to a motorhome?” Now, often that you can’t do that. Is that right?
Craig Thompson
It is possible to transfer your no claims discount from a car. Say if you were going to sell your car to buy a motorhome, that basically is an insurance policy life and you can transfer that over to the motorhome policy. However, if you’re keep your vehicle like your car, what we can do is we can take into account your driving history and your no claims record on that car.
We can give you an introductory no claims discount which is quite sizable, to be honest. The discounts that you can get from no claims are massive, so if you are transferring your no claims bonus from an old car insurance policy, we give up to 72.5% discount.
Matt Sims
Wow.
Craig Thompson
Whereas if you come into us as a new motorhome owner… it’s basically almost like mirroring the no claims discount you’ve got on a car insurance policy. So of you’re keeping that car and you’ve got an additional vehicle in the motorhome we can give you an introdutory discount of about 65%, so quite a big discount there that can get you off to a good start on a low premium.
And I think one of the things that often new motorhome owners are surprised by is how just how low cost a specialist insurance policy can be for a motorhome. Because obviously, we’re taking into account the fact that these vehicles are not on the road all the time like a commercial van or a car. They have limited use, limited mileage and generally the people driving them are very careful.
So I think we often get a lot of people saying, “Oh, wow, I didn’t expect it to be that cheap,” to be honest. And there is a vast array of discounts that we offer for careful motorhome owners from security to, as Liz mentioned, the reversing camera discount to no claims discount. So there’s loads of discounts that you can get.
Matt Sims
Do you accrue no claims, then, on a motorhome policy?
Craig Thompson
Yes, of course you do. Yes. If you come into us without the full no claims discount, you obviously will start to accrue that discount year after year if you don’t make a claim.
Matt Sims
And can that be transferred away from a motorhome back to a car?
Craig Thompson
Yes, it’s a motor vehicle policy. So yes, it’s basically a motor vehicle insurance policy bonus or life that you can take to another insurance policy. So yes, of course you can.
Are yearly habitation checks required
Matt Sims
Brilliant. Now, habitation checks are something we’ve just featured on the podcast. And we’ve had reports of people being told that their insurer requires one to be done every year. But this has not been your experience. Is it a requirement for Caravan Guard or not? Jason, do you want to share?
Jason Ware
Yes, it’s not a requirement with us. What we say is you need to get an MOT like any other vehicle, but it’s just your duty as a customer to keep it in a good state of repair. And if that means you get it serviced or have a hab check every year or every two years, that’s really your choice. We just say keep in a good state of repair, look after it.
And the hab check can pick up things like damp or perhaps that other wear and tear which isn’t covered on the policy anyway. So we’re covering accidental damage, things like that. General wear and tear isn’t covered. So it’s definitely a good idea, but not something that we insist on.
Matt Sims
Brilliant. Well, maybe that’s something that’s coming from other companies, I don’t know. But certainly there’s a reason to be insured by Caravan Guard. You don’t have to have it. Because not everybody does it every year, do they?
Liz Harrison
You would recommend a habitation check because as Jason says, you’re going find out with a check of your gas systems and your electrical systems, but also your seams and you seals, so if there’s possibility of water ingress. And wear and tear won’t be covered by any motorhome insurance policy. So if you can spot signs early of any damage or anything that might cause problems later on down the line then it is really important.
What to be aware of when buying a converted van
Matt Sims
It can get very expensive very quickly as well with water ingress, can’t it? So van life has become a huge hashtag on Instagram with people going out and buying a van and getting it converted. Can I open the lid on this can of worms from an insurance perspective? Jason, I know you’re primed to answer this. What does somebody need to be mindful of and aware of when they’re buying a van or considering stepping out in this from an insurance perspective?
Jason Ware
Yes, so obviously if you’re buying a coachbuilt, an A class or even an American A class, that’s been done for you. If someone’s going to convert something into a coachbuilt who’s not a main manufacturer, then really you should be looking in a lot of detail as to why they will be doing that. Campervans – there are so many converters out there. Literally thousands and thousands. And since COVID, more and more have cropped up.
So if you’re buying a van that’s already been converted, what we ask is, has it been registered with the DVLA as either a van with windows or a campervan? Now, the DVLA changed their stance a few years ago, and instead of calling them campervans they called them vans with windows. So it’s still a full conversion, but that’s just their terminology. So a customer shouldn’t be worried or concerned if the V5 says van with windows. That’s absolutely fine.
When we’re looking to insure the unit, all we ask is, is it a full conversion? Has it been professionally done? And do you have all the gas certificates and electrical certificates to show that it’s been a full conversion. We’re insurance experts. We’re obviously not conversion experts.
We have a long list of converters on our system. But probably on a weekly basis, a new one will come up. And we will check it if we’ve never heard of it before. We’ll see it if it’s got a website. Does it do professional conversions? Are they bespoke? Do they use what we class as standard industry parts? So does it look like the inside of a touring caravan or a motorhome? Or have they used parts from someone’s kitchen, for example? If it’s standard industry parts, again, we’re happy with that.
And that’s what our customers should be looking for, a professional conversion. I’d say do your research. If you’re looking at getting a conversion done or you’re buying one that’s already been converted, research the company if you know who the converter is. Maybe get some testimonials from people who have had a conversion done by that company. Look at reviews.
Like if you’re buying a car or a house or whatever you’re buying, have a good dig around and really just check out the vehicle because you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your campervan or your motorhome. It is your second home, isn’t it? So you want it to be right.
Matt Sims
Where do people get the certification from that you seek? Is that part of the habitation check from an MCEA or NCC approved assessor? Is that what you refer to?
Jason Ware
If you’re buying secondhand or one has just been converted? They should give you all the paperwork. The ins and outs of what all that is – again, we’re not the experts in the conversion. We’re the experts in insurance and we’re saying check you’ve got all that for your own safety, really.
Insurance for living in a van or travelling long-term
Matt Sims
But really for the owner that’s good peace of mind anyway, isn’t it, to get it independently assessed? Now, you say you’re going to spend a lot of time in your van. Hopefully we do. But what about if you want to live in it? What impact does that have on insurance if you want to go off on holiday for six months or an extended trip?
Jason Ware
So a lot of that comes down to actual terminology. A customer could ring and say, “I’m going to live in my motorhome or caravan.” Well, are you? Is that what you’re actually going to do? Or are you just going to be spending a lot of time in it? And that’s what we need to understand as the insurer.
So as long as you actually have a house somewhere that you live in, but you’ve got the luxury of being able to go away for six, seven or eight months in your campervan, then that’s fine with us. All we ask is that you still have a permanent home in the UK. As I say, a lot of our customers are retired. They can go away, they can tour to the UK or even abroad. And yes, good luck to them. If they can spend that amount of time in the caravan. We just say you can do up to nine months staying for leisure purposes in your unit. And that’s absolutely fine with us.
Matt Sims
Right, so nine months is key. Now, we get a limit of 90 days in Europe. Do you limit how long people can go to Europe from an insurance view as well?
Jason Ware
No. Again, that used to be, before Brexit, up to the full nine months. Since Brexit, as the insurance people we say, we’ll give you that European cover. It’s an optional extra, but you can have that. And it’s down to you to comply with the laws of the EU for how long you can actually stay in the place. And the breakdown cover that we have extends to you as well should anything happen.
Matt Sims
And what if I want to go outside of Europe? So I’m going out of the Schengen zone to comply with the 90 days. Do I need to tell you then?
Jason Ware
There are a number of other countries that wouldn’t be covered, so we would need to know. And there is a possibility that you wouldn’t be actually be covered if you wanted to go further afield. We have had a touring caravan customer who actually went to Finland over winter, and that was fine. We covered them. I think we did a little article on them as well. So people do go to a few interesting places. As long as the insurer will cover those countries, then we’re happy to provide the cover.
Matt Sims
That’s really helpful. And the breakdown cover is included as well within the policy, you say.
Jason Ware
It is, yes. It’s included as standard. Because again, there’s that peace of mind that should anything happen, as Liz mentioned, we know you’ve got a large vehicle and the recovery truck that’s going to come is going to be able to pick you up and take you to your destination or bring you home.
What happens if you can’t use your motorhome and need to be accommodated?
Matt Sims
So what happens if I can’t use my motorhome for whatever reason and I need to be accommodated? Do you pay for a hotel for me and my family while I’m away?
Liz Harrison
So in the unfortunate event that you, say, had your motorhome stolen while you’re on holiday or you’re involved in a serious accident and your motorhome had to be recovered, and you do have the option as part of our policy to add on emergency accommodation costs. So that would pay for you to be put up in a hotel so you can continue on your holiday or maybe even hire a motorhome so that you can again continue that experience of being on a motorhome holiday. That is an add-on to our motorhome policy that is a great benefit.
Matt Sims
Which, of course, you don’t have access to if it’s a normal motor policy, do you? These are all specialists benefits.
Personal possessions claim limits
Matt Sims
And Craig, you were telling me earlier about the £5,000 claim limit for your accessories and possessions in the van, which is also unique to this policy, isn’t it?
Craig Thompson
Yes, it’s so important. I think that’s probably one of the major differences between a specialist policy and a standard car insurance policy. On a car insurance policy, you might only get up to £500 worth of cover for personal possessions that you keep in your car, but we know that most motorhome owners have loads of things like awnings, gas bottles, generators, pots and pans, bedding, barbecues, garden furniture… it goes on and on, doesn’t it?
So those things can soon add up to masses of money. And that’s why we include the £5,000 with the cover for those things. And I just don’t think a standard car policy would would even expect anyone to have those sorts of things in there. So it’s so important to get a specialist policy.
DVLA campervan recognition
Matt Sims
Jason, we were talking earlier about DVLA recognition of a campervan, so going from a van to a van with windows or an M1 motorhome. It’s important to clarify that, isn’t it, from an insurance point of view? Tell me more.
Jason Ware
It goes back to a specialist policy, really. So walking around here at the NEC, there are some lovely motorhomes and campervans. Well over £100,000, some of them. And if you’re not getting a specialist policy, you could be ensuring that for the wrong amount. They might not know what the vehicle actually is.
So in the event of a claim, what we need to make sure is that we know you just paid £70,000 or £80,000 for that unit. And that’s what we’re going to pay you back – the market value of that unit. At the moment, the market values are really high. Vehicles are holding their value. So you want to make sure that you’re not going to be out of pocket if unfortunately you get stolen or it’s written off. You want that money back to replace it.
So it’s important that, as I say, a specialist policy understands what they’re insuring. We know it’s a van with windows. We know it’s a campervan or a motorhome, and that’s what we’re treating it as. We’re not treating it as a van that’s worth £20,000, £30,000 or less.
Matt Sims
And that’s the risk for the owner, isn’t it? So it’s about them evidencing the value of the asset, isn’t it?
Jason Ware
It is, yes. And if you buy from a reputable dealership or a private sale, you’re going get a receipt. Like a lot of people do, they take loads of photos of the units because they’re showing where they have been on holiday. And that’s ideal. If you’re coming to us, especially if the unit is not there, so if it’s been stolen, or maybe there’s unfortunately been a fire which is rare but does happen, then we need some evidence of what it was, and the same with the equipment cover.
If you’ve got £5,000 worth of equipment, then just keep receipts. Take photos, even. Keep an inventory. We do have customers who send in pages and pages of all the equipment they’ve got. And that’s great for us because it shows they take an interest in what they’re doing. They know what they’ve got. And if anything happens, it’s so much easier to get the claims offered.
Matt Sims
That’s really good advice, to keep receipts for the accessories you buy. Coming to a show like this, you could spend thousands really easily on stuff you can carry home, couldn’t you? It’s all going in the van. It needs to be insured. So thank you, that’s great advice.
Insurance for towing with a motorhome
Matt Sims
Now, there’s a question, I want to spring on you. It’s no surprise, but I want to tow a car with my motorhome. Someone asked me this this morning and I said I would ask you. So what is the impact on the policy from towing a car on an A frame or a trailer?
Jason Ware
So it’s a tricky one. And I come back to the comment that we’re the insurance experts. We aren’t the experts in terms of your licence or your legal towing requirements. It’s the same with caravan. You keep within the weights that are allowed. So all we say is we will cover the trailer on our policy automatically.
But if you are wanting to tow a motorbike or a car behind it, make sure you’re complying with UK regulations or European if you’re going abroad. So long as you’re complying with the law and something happens, you’re going to be covered. You can have the liability aspect oftowing a trailer and recovering the trailer if anything happens to that. Stick to the law, basically, is the advice that we give.
Matt Sims
And obviously, the vehicle on the trailer has to be insured separately, doesn’t it?
Jason Ware
Yes, that’s right. It does.
Stuck in th emud cover
Matt Sims
Yes. So Craig, even the best of us get it wrong and we get stuck in mud. It happens to me all the time. But there’s a brilliant benefit within the break down policy, isn’t there? What do you call it?
Craig Thompson
We just call it stuck in mud cover! Simple. I am the marketing guy, but that’s all I could come up with.
Matt Sims
Tell me more.
Craig Thompson
So basically, it’s just an extension of the motorhome cover. If you were on a campsite and it had soft ground or a music festival, even, if you did get stuck in the mud, we would pay for someone to go and recover you from that as well. So it’s part of the breakdown cover. Another benefit of breakdown, as well, is the misfueling. Unfortunately, it does happen still. People are putting petrol into diesel tanks. So again, if that was to occur, as part of the breakdown policy we’d go out there and we’d sort out their fuel tank and make sure they’re good to go again. So another great benefit of the breakdown cover.
Matt Sims
And is that included in the standard policy?
Craig Thompson
Yes. So you get breakdown as standard within our motorhome insurance policy. If you want to extend breakdown to Europe, it’s something that’s an extra. We know that probably not everybody goes abroad so we make that an optional extra. But yes, the standard breakdown is included.
Matt Sims
That’s great, because I know for a fact that breakdown services charge for a misfuel call out before they’ve even done anything. And also, we’ve had customers get charged who’ve hired a motorhome from us and got stuck in the mud. And they’ve been charged as well for getting called out by the breakdown. That can be hundreds of pounds per time, so well worth having.
Caravan Guard’s accolades and awards
Matt Sims
Now, choosing an insurance company is really difficult because it’s intangible. So you need it, but it needn’t be difficult if you do your research. And researching it properly is the best advice I can give you. Liz, tell us a little bit about some of the accolades and awards that Caravan Guard has won, and why I think a consumer could be confident making a decision to choose Caravan Guard.
Liz Harrison
There are so many to mention, Matt. We’ll be here all day!
Matt Sims
We can speed you up, it’s fine.
Liz Harrison
Taking out an insurance policy is a bit like a leap of faith. You’ve got nothing tangible there to show. So we would always say research the underwriter. They’ve been in business a long time and they’re well versed in handling specialist claims. Also, look on things like Trustpilot for customer reviews. So we’re very proud to have five star rating on Trustpilot, and we’ve also won numerous industry awards and customer service awards particularly.
So again, our mantra is that we’re delivering brilliant customer service and we’re very proud of that. We also, as Craig mentioned earlier, measure claims satisfaction. So customers who’ve made a claim with us will be surveyed and asked about their experience, the speed of their claim, how it was handled and so on. So at the moment, we’ve got a nine out of 10 score for claim satisfaction. So do your research. Is it a specialist policy, and what do their customers say about them?
Matt Sims
It’s not all about the cost of the premium, is it?
Liz Harrison
No, not always. No.
Matt Sims
Where can people find out more about Caravan Guard?
Liz Harrison
Well, we have the website, which is www.caravanguard.co.uk. We’re also on most of the social media channels, so part of my role is providing content so we can share some of the new model reviews and things like that as well as tips and guides for towing, motorhome guides for accessories and things like that. We’re on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Matt Sims
You’re a busy lady.
Liz Harrison
You can call our contact centre. The number’s on our website. And you can also get a quote online as well or call our friendly team in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Matt Sims
Fantastic. Well, the hints and tips and so on on your website are brilliant, I have to say. I’ve sought advice there myself. So thank you very much. It’s worthwhile doing that, so please keep that up as well. Thank you. Great. Liz, Jason, Craig thank you ever so much again. It’s been great to talk to you. Have a great rest of the show.
There you are. Those were our friends from Caravan Guard. What a lovely bunch they were. Really nice. I have to say, they were quite worried about doing that.
Keith Gooden
But you put them at their ease.
Matt Sims
I hope so.
Keith Gooden
The professional that you are.
Matt Sims
Thank you guys. We do really appreciate having you on the podcast, and you were great. I know that they had a beer the night before in preparation.
Keith Gooden
They didn’t sound drunk!
Matt Sims
They weren’t drunk! No, it was great. Really useful. And hopefully, to the hundreds of you that have asked the question about motorhome and caravan specialist insurance, hopefully we’ve clarified a few things and dispelled a few myths as well. So, Caravan Guard have said that they will help us out with future questions on the podcast, which is brilliant. So we are no doubt going to refer back to them with future questions.
Keith Gooden
Okay, thanks very much for that, Matt and your hard work at the NEC show.
Audience Q&A
Alan: “Are there bespoke insurance options for me?”
Keith Gooden
Let’s dive, shall we, into the swimming pool of audience questions and answers. We’ve had so many of you getting in touch. It’s fantastic to hear from you. Like we always say, when you ask us a question or record something, and we’ll give you the details on how you can do that in a moment, try and put in where you’re from, because it makes a lot more sense to us. And perhaps we can actually make some recommendations which are close to home for you as well. First of all, Alan got in touch.
Alan
Hey, Matt. We’re looking for an insurance company that does full or half yearly occupancy. Let me explain. We’re retiring in September. We’re purchasing a motorhome. But we’re looking to spend six months in a house in Spain that we have with the motorhome parked up at the house in Spain, and then the next six months will be spent in the motorhome in non-Schengen countries, including the UK at various addresses and sites.
So I guess we’re looking for something like six months permanent in the motorhome. I see other motorhome users that are in theirs permanently. Are there half and half type insurance policies? Also, will the insurance allow you to be out of the UK for possibly nine to 12 months per year? Then I guess the next question is, does anybody do personal travel insurance for you to be out of the country for more than three months?
Keith Gooden
Alan who sounds like he’s on the run from the police!
Matt Sims
He does! I’m going to hide in his garage.
Keith Gooden
Nobody can track him down.
Matt Sims
I’ll be in the gas locker.
Keith Gooden
He’s talking about being en casa en España.
Matt Sims
Oh, dear. Don’t start.
Keith Gooden
What recommendations have you got?
Matt Sims
I would start with Caravan Guard. I definitely recommend giving them a call and just conveying your plan, Alan, because you’ve obviously got a very clear idea of what you’re planning to do. I was under the impression that if you’re going to go full time in a motorhome, there are insurers that won’t insure you at all. And I was corrected on this by Caravan Guard. They will. They just want to know what your plans are.
So as for travel insurance, I mean, that’s a different thing altogether. I would just start Googling and contacting a few of the big name providers and see what they’ll cover you for. And go and check out our European download as well on taking a trip in a motorhome to Europe. You can get that for free at www.thatleisureshop.com/europe. It’s a really handy checklist of what you need to pack for that trip. But I would ring caravan guard in the first instance and have a chat with them about your plan.
Scott – “Is damp a valid concern when buying a motorhome?”
Keith Gooden
Scott’s in Newton Abbott. He says he’s getting nerves now. They bought the first motorhome and picked it up last Saturday, a 2016 Elddis Majestic 180. It looked in amazing condition and was exactly everything that they wanted. However, when they got it home, he noticed two damp areas and when he tested it with a wood moisture metre the readings were over 30%. He called the dealer, explained it was an issue and was told the technicians would be available the next Monday to talk to him.
By the next day, he and his wife were really worried. And Scott, having just spent £40,000 on this new motorhome, went over it with a fine tooth comb to find another seven areas of damp readings. He made his own damp report based on those to compare with the dealer’s version, which had stated a flat 12% reading everywhere, even outside, he says. He then sent the dealer an email and called them exercising his right to reject the purchase under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Monday came and went, no response. The next day, which is a Tuesday, he didn’t wait and called to speak to the sales director and arrange a group damp test to be completed for everyone to see the readings.
After all of this, they refunded the total amount of the motorhome. He says he is sharing this for two reasons. Firstly, to warn others that even NCC does produce sometimes questionable certificates. So be careful. It could have been an honest mistake, Scott. He didn’t question it initially. Secondly, to try and hear from others if they can ever avoid the costly issues of damping a motorhome at all. Reading reviews online, it’s scaring them off with the minefield that could leave you £5,000 to £8,000 out of pocket to resolve. Is it a valid concern? Or are they just over worrying?
Matt Sims
I’m sorry to hear that story, especially of an NCC approved workshop. You could contact the NCC and report that to them. And I’m sure they would want to know a bit more about it and try and find out what went wrong. It seems a bit suspicious to me that there was what would be a very reasonable damp report and then it turned out that there are seven or eight areas of issues in the motorhome.
It’s definitely worth checking out our habitation check episode on YouTube and on the podcast where we interview the number one in the UK award winning AWS workshop, Bristol Caravans. They talk about the different metres they use to check for damp. A wood one that you would buy in a DIY shop is not necessarily the best type of metre to use. It is a good indicator.
The only recommendation I can give you is if you’ve got any concerns and you are over worrying – you may not be over worrying – is to actually get an independent inspection done of the vehicle by someone you appoint. That would then give you the peace of mind that the dealer has got it right.
People make mistakes as you say, Keith. I’m not sure this one was purely a mistake. It seems a little bit more involved than that. But I would definitely consider, if you’re worried, spending that £80 and getting that independent damp check done. And any reputable dealer will happily allow that to happen, I’m sure.
Keith Gooden
And they’re a reputable dealer here, because obviously, they refunded the whole amount.
Matt Sims
Yes, they did. And that was good to hear. But still, nonetheless, Scott lost his probably dream motorhome that they were very, very excited to buy and had to give it back. Getting the money back is one thing but all those dreams and plans were dashed, weren’t they?
Keith Gooden
Did Scott do the right thing?
Matt Sims
I think if he had a concern, yes, I think he did. It sounds like he’s handled it very well. What’s the right thing? I mean, it’s easy for these things to escalate very quickly. It doesn’t sound like it has. There’s no detail there.
But I think if you’re concerned, I would suggest getting an independent inspection done immediately as quickly as you can, and then presenting the facts back to the dealer. Often if you go back to a dealer and say, “Look, I’ve found this issue. It’s been missed-,” I handed over a motorhome this morning. And we’d missed a little issue that we were meant to fix. I don’t know how it got missed. It got missed. We were able to rectify very easily. It was a simple thing. But it was a human error. We are humans. And we were able to put it right very quickly.
But simple things can go wrong. And who knows? It may have been a freelance engineer during the damp check that day. Who knows?
Keith Gooden
Could have been. Could have been faulty, the damp metres, or the tools they were using. There’s no point us making judgments about it. You’ve heard the story, and you’ve heard Matt’s advice. Berkay lives in Dorset. A very short question, this one, compared to the others. Hi there Matt. When is the motorhome show?
Matt Sims
The next one, as we record this, is next week in Harrogate. We’ll be there. It’s the Motorhome and Caravan Show organised by Warners publishing. And they are spattered all throughout – is that a word?
Keith Gooden
Spattered is a word, but we don’t usually use it in this context.
Matt Sims
They are dotted throughout the year. You can go to their website and check them out. Just Google Warners motorhome shows. And then the next big one, the really big one indoors, is of course in October at the NEC.
Keith Gooden
There you go. And by the way, Matt’s on his world tour of those shows throughout the year.
Matt Sims
It feels a bit like it! There’s a whole team of us going up. We’ve got Andy, Mandy, Darren and Jude.
Keith Gooden
Andy, Mandy, Darren and Jude?
Matt Sims
It sounds like the cost of a children’s TV show. It’s like Rod, Jane, Freddy and Bungle. But we’re all there and we’re a bunch of good friends. So come along, come out and check out some beautiful furniture from Crespo and Bo-Camp. It’s amazing. We will have the paddle boards and kayaks there as well. And I’m speaking at some of the events on preparing for a European motorhome adventure and Wi-Fi on the move as well as, I think, motorhome finance. So there’s a whole bunch of topics I’m speaking at different shows. Go and check the Warners shows website for details.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic.
Keep in touch with Matt and Keith
Keith Gooden
Okay, I think we’re just about done and dusted for today. I did promise to let you know how you could get in touch. How do people do that?
Matt Sims
They can do that at www.motorhomematt.co.uk. And if you’ve got a question, just add /askmatt to the end and you can record it. We would love it if you did that because we love hearing your voice. And as Keith says, remember to say where you’re from. Incidentally, just to add, if you want to find out where the Warners shows are, you can go to www.showgoer.co.uk.
Keith Gooden
Is that www.showgoer.co.uk?
Matt Sims
Indeed! www.showgoer.co.uk.
Keith Gooden
Here are some parsnips I grew. Have you seen that advert on the television?
Matt Sims
No!
Keith Gooden
And by the way, you mentioned YouTube. What we’ve been doing recently is these interviews, we’ve been cutting them up and around for the audio podcast so as not to waste your time but if you want to deep dive into the subject, the whole interviews are available on YouTube.
Matt Sims
They are, yes. And there’s a whole collection of them going out post the NEC show in February, so yes, go and check it out. Motorhome Matt!
