Over 80s insurance
My wife and I have been motorhomers since 1978, our first camper being a Transit with Glendale body.
Since then, we have had motorhomes up until now, as we have downsized to an Autocruise Tempo high-top.
We are getting on in years and the two-berth smaller ’van suits us better. We go to a lot of classic/vintage rallies with a trailer and motorcycle stand and also sell used magazines for Macmillan Cancer Support; we enjoy this very much.
Recently, our ’van insurance was due for renewal and we received a letter from our insurance company (which we have been with for two or three years), informing us that it cannot renew our policy. I contacted it (Principle Insurance) and asked why. The answer was that it could not get any broker to insure us because of my age.
I am 81. I was most annoyed at this as we have never had an accident, claim or fines and refusals in all the years we have been driving. I was a professional HGV driver for 40 years with no accidents, etc.
There was nothing left to do but look on the internet for campervan insurance quotes.
One broker after another took down all my details then, after half an hour or more, said they could not insure me. I wasted a whole afternoon repeating my details.
I was that mad I decided to write to MMM to warn other over-80-year-olds about this rigmarole. So, are insurance companies now telling us that our campervan days are over and we must sell our ’vans and stay at home? I think not.
Surely there are some genuinely decent insurance companies out there. By the way I also have Land Rover and motorcycle insurance and my wife has car insurance. We are both very good drivers, fit and healthy and hope to have a good few years yet to enjoy our classic rallies and holidays.
So, over 80s beware. Ask if the company will insure over 80s before you waste another hour of your life on the end of the phone.
Name not supplied
ED Check out the annual insurance survey in our sister magazine, What Motorhome
– it lists many of the specialist motorhome insurers and has information for age limits, both upper and lower. The latest updated version is in the Summer 2022 issue
motorhome.ma/ exdigi22wmh