What is Campervan Hire Excess Insurance?

Campervan rental almost always includes insurance, normally consisting of Collision Damage Waiver (which covers the campervan itself), and Liability Insurance, which covers your 3rd party liability. Both are essential given the value of the vehicle you are renting, and, in most cases, the fact you will be driving an unfamiliar, and probably much larger vehicle than you are used to. Campervan hire policies do however normally come with an excess (the portion of any claim you remain liable for) which normally starts around £500, and frequently is over £1,000.

Do therefore check your campervan hire agreement carefully, checking any areas of doubt with your campervan rental company. Don't leave this until you are about to pick up your Campervan as from the time you book the vehicle you will have become bound by the terms and conditions.

Campervan hire excess insurance is available as a daily policy or an annual policy. The annual policy available through iCarhireinsurance is an upgrade to their normal car hire excess insurance.

How much does campervan hire excess insurance cost?

Campervan Hire Excess Insurance Prices - including our exclusive discounts

Policy Type and Term	Price from
UK resident renting a campervan within the UK or Europe Per Day Cover	£8.45
UK resident renting a campervan within the UK or Europe Annual Cover	£75.98
UK resident renting a campervan outside Europe Per Day Cover	£9.15
UK resident renting a campervan outside Europe Annual Cover	£94.98
Non-UK resident renting within the UK or Europe Per Day Cover	£16.43
Non-UK resident renting outside Europe Per Day Cover	£18.15

Prices correct as at 2nd September 2024

Prices can vary for campervan hire excess insurance depending on your country of residence.

Who can campervan hire excess insurances cover?

• Drivers aged between 25 and 84 years old

• Residents from most Western European countries and countries within the EEA including the UK

• Up to 6 driverswho are named on the car hire agreement (9 on annual policies)

What campervans can be covered by a campervan hire excess insurance policy?

• Up to a maximum 7.5T in weight

• Up to a maximum 20 years old

• Campervans with a maximum value of £100,000

What cover is provided by campervan hire excess insurance?

The following areas can be included but levels of cover often varies between policies so compare providers to find the best campervan hire excess insurance for your trip.

• Damage and Theft excess

• Loss or damage to the glass elements, roof, tyres and underbody

• Loss of use

• Towing

• Misfuelling

• Lost Keys

Campervan Hire Insurance - hints and tips

We have seen many copies of Campervan excess waiver policies from right round the world, and some leave a lot of liability as the responsibility of the renter - so do be careful when looking through your paperwork - the following are some of the key features to watch out for.

• Do policies reduce or remove the excess? Policies sold through MoneyMaxim reduce the excess to £350 or even in some cases zero, whilst some hire firms only reduce it to £500.

• Exclusions - Campervan excess policies bought through MoneyMaxim cover the tyres, wheels, glass, underbody and roof. You will find almost all campervan rental firms exclude these areas. Bearing in mind the costs of replacing a windscreen if it is chipped, a tyre if it's punctured or the cost of roof damage, this is highly valuable cover. Policies also cover lost keys.

• Inside your campervan - Most policies, including those from Questor and Worldwide, exclude damage to the interior of the vehicle - so do look after your motor home!

• Parking or reversing accidents - Many policies (not those available through MoneyMaxim) exclude reversing accidents or parking incidents. That is potentially dangerous as many of us are unused to manoeuvring vehicles of this size.

• Liability for reimbursing the hire firm if the campervan is damaged and can't be hired out when you return it - You can remain liable for an ongoing bill even after you have dropped it off. If the rental firm has to take the campervan off the road for a week or so you could be stomping up the rental fee they have lost.

Liability Insurance

Unfortunately stand alone Supplementary Liability Insurance for campervans isn't, as far as we are aware, available in the UK, and is not part of the cover offered on the excess insurance policies available through MoneyMaxim. This means your liability cover is limited to that offered by your campervan rental firm.

In many cases this is not a problem, but we are regularly approached for such policies by those renting in the US (especially Alaska), where the minimum liability cover rental firms have to provide is determined by the state, and can be woefully inadequate.

If you have any queries regarding Campervan Hire Excess insurance please don't hesitate to call the MoneyMaxim team.

This information is based on journalistic investigation and research. It is not financial advice. Any information should be considered in regard to specific circumstances. Any suggestions followed up are done so at your own risk and your own research is key.

Image courtesy of: Dino Reichmuth at Unsplash

This content was last reviewed on 02/09/2024