What Insurance Do I Need for Campervan Hire? UK Guide

Red VW camper van crossing an old stone bridge in an English village — Photo: Andrew Hall on Unsplash

What the Hire Company’s Insurance Actually Covers

When you book a campervan or motorhome through a hire company, some level of insurance is almost always included in the price. The standard product is called Collision Damage Waiver, or CDW. It sounds reassuring, but it is worth understanding exactly what it does and does not cover before you assume you are fully protected.

CDW means that if you damage the vehicle in a collision, the hire company waives its right to charge you the full repair cost. What it does not do is eliminate your liability entirely. In most cases you are still responsible for an excess, which is the first chunk of any claim. On campervans and motorhomes, that excess is typically around £500 to £2,500, and can be higher on very valuable vehicles, depending on the vehicle and the owner or hire company. That is a significant amount to have sitting on your credit card as a pre-authorised hold for the duration of your trip.

CDW often excludes damage to tyres, windscreens, the vehicle’s underside and the roof, though the exact exclusions vary by policy. It rarely covers personal belongings stored inside the campervan. Theft of the vehicle may be covered under a separate Theft Protection product, sometimes bundled in, sometimes sold as an add-on.

Read the hire agreement carefully. The exclusions section is where the important detail lives, not the headline summary on the booking page.

Excess Reduction Insurance: Is It Worth It?

Most hire companies will offer to sell you an excess reduction or excess waiver product at the point of booking or collection. This brings the excess down to zero, or close to it, in exchange for an additional daily fee, which can add a noticeable amount to the cost of a week’s hire. Check the quoted daily rate against the excess it removes.

The hire company’s own excess waiver is convenient, but it is often the most expensive way to buy this cover. An alternative is standalone hire excess insurance from a specialist insurer, bought before your trip. It is often cheaper, but check it covers campervans and motorhomes (many car-hire excess policies exclude them or cap vehicle size), and note that you usually pay the excess first and then claim it back.

Some annual travel insurance policies include hire excess cover, though many of these are designed with cars in mind and cap the cover at a level that falls short of the excess on a large motorhome. Check the maximum covered amount carefully. If your hire company’s excess is £2,500 and your travel policy only covers £1,500, you still have a gap.

Third-Party Liability: The Non-Negotiable Layer

In the UK, you must have motor insurance to drive on the road, and third-party insurance is the legal minimum. It covers damage or injury you cause to other people, vehicles, animals and property, but not repairs to the vehicle you are driving. A legitimate hire includes at least this cover, so you do not need to arrange it yourself.

What varies is the level of cover. Some hire companies provide third-party only as the base product and charge extra for fully comprehensive cover. Others include fully comprehensive as standard. Again, check the specific terms of your hire agreement rather than assuming.

If you plan to take a UK-registered van abroad, UK motor insurance provides the minimum third-party cover in the EU and a few other European countries, and you do not need a green card there. Some other countries, such as Turkey, Albania and Moldova, may need one. That is only the legal minimum, so confirm with the owner or hire company that the van is allowed abroad and that its cover is valid in every country you intend to visit (see GOV.UK’s guidance on insurance when driving abroad).

Personal Accident and Contents Cover

This is where a lot of hirers get caught out. The vehicle insurance that comes with your hire almost certainly does not cover your personal belongings inside the campervan. Laptops, cameras, clothes, outdoor kit, bikes on a rack outside: none of these are typically included.

If something is stolen from the vehicle or damaged in an accident, you will need your own contents or personal property cover. This can come from a few places:

Home insurance: Many home insurance policies include personal possessions cover away from home. Check whether yours extends to hired vehicles and what the single-item limit is.
Travel insurance: Most travel insurance policies include baggage and personal belongings cover, though limits vary. Standard backpacker-style policies often have low limits on electronics.
Specialist campervan travel insurance: Some insurers offer policies designed specifically for motorhome and campervan holidays, which include higher limits for equipment and outdoor gear.

Personal accident cover, which pays out if you or a passenger are injured in an accident, is also worth considering. Your travel insurance may already include it, so check before buying a duplicate product.

Private Hire vs Commercial Fleet: Why It Matters

The insurance picture is slightly different depending on whether you are hiring from a commercial fleet company or from a private owner through a peer-to-peer platform.

Commercial hire companies operate their vehicles under a fleet policy specifically designed for hire and reward use. The insurance is structured around the hire agreement and is generally straightforward.

Private owner hire is a different situation. Many private campervans are insured on a standard vehicle policy, which does not cover hire use. A reputable peer-to-peer platform will typically arrange insurance on behalf of the owner for the duration of your hire, but you should confirm this explicitly before booking. Check what level of cover the platform provides, what the excess is, and what exclusions apply. The detail matters just as much here as with a commercial company.

On Campervan Hire, vans are listed by private owners and local hire businesses and booked through our partner Outdoorsy. Insurance and payment protection come with every booking. The protection level, excess and security deposit can differ between listings, so check them on the listing and ask the owner if anything is unclear.

Do You Need Separate Breakdown Cover?

Vehicle insurance and breakdown cover are not the same thing. Breakdown assistance is a separate product, and whether it is included in your hire will depend on the specific company or owner you book with.

Some hire companies include UK breakdown cover, and a few extend it to Europe. Private hire is more variable: some owners include breakdown, others do not. If you book through our partner Outdoorsy, 24/7 roadside assistance is optional rather than included, so check whether it has been added to your booking.

If breakdown cover is not included, you can arrange it yourself through the AA, RAC, or Green Flag. A single-trip policy for a motorhome is relatively affordable and provides real peace of mind, especially on a longer trip through remote areas. Scotland’s North Coast 500, for example, passes through some beautifully isolated stretches where a breakdown without recovery cover would be a serious problem.

Check whether the policy covers the full weight of the vehicle you are hiring. Standard car breakdown policies often cap out at 3.5 tonnes and may also set length, width and height limits, which larger motorhomes can exceed.

Travel Insurance and How It Fits In

Travel insurance is not a replacement for any of the above, but it plays an important supporting role. A good travel insurance policy will cover:

Trip cancellation or curtailment, including if you have to cut your campervan holiday short due to illness or a family emergency
Medical expenses, which matters if you are travelling abroad
Baggage and personal belongings
Hire excess, if the policy includes this and the limit is high enough

For campervan holidays within the UK, travel insurance is less commonly purchased, but it can still be useful for covering cancellation costs and personal accident. For European or international campervan hire, it is well worth having.

If you are planning a longer trip, perhaps a month-long campervan tour of New Zealand or Australia, check that your travel insurance policy covers the full duration and that the activity types you plan (hiking, cycling, water sports) are not excluded.

A Simple Insurance Checklist Before You Hire

Before you pick up the keys, run through this list to make sure you have no gaps in your cover:

Confirm the hire company’s CDW details: what is the excess, and what damage types are excluded?
Arrange standalone hire excess insurance if the excess is significant and the hire company’s waiver is expensive
Check what level of cover is included beyond the legal third-party minimum, and that it is valid in all countries you plan to visit
Confirm whether breakdown or roadside cover is on your booking (with Outdoorsy it is optional), and arrange it if not
Review your home insurance or travel insurance for personal belongings cover, and check the limits are adequate
If hiring through a private owner, confirm the platform’s insurance terms in writing

Taking an hour to work through this before your trip is far better than discovering a gap in your cover when you actually need to make a claim. A little preparation here goes a long way.

If you are still deciding on the right vehicle for your trip, search available campervans and motorhomes across the UK and beyond to find the right fit for your plans. It is also worth reading up on what is typically included in campervan hire so you know what to expect beyond just the insurance side of things.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is insurance included when I hire a campervan?

Yes, some level of insurance is always included in a legitimate campervan hire. At a minimum, you will have third-party liability cover as required by UK law. Most hire companies also include damage cover such as Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), though this comes with an excess you may still be liable for. When you book through our partner Outdoorsy, insurance and payment protection come with every booking; 24/7 roadside assistance is optional. Always read the specific terms of your hire to understand exactly what is and is not covered.

What is the excess on campervan hire insurance?

The excess varies by hire company and vehicle, but it is typically around £500 to £2,500 for campervans and motorhomes. Larger, more valuable vehicles tend to have higher excesses. You can reduce or eliminate this with an excess waiver from the hire company or, often more cheaply, a standalone hire excess policy from a specialist insurer, as long as it covers campervans and motorhomes.

Does my travel insurance cover campervan hire?

It depends on the policy. Some travel insurance policies include hire excess cover and personal belongings protection, which are both relevant to campervan hire. However, many car-focused policies have lower excess limits than what a motorhome hire company charges. Read the policy wording carefully, paying particular attention to the maximum hire excess covered and any vehicle weight or length restrictions.

Do I need special insurance for hiring a campervan abroad?

If you want to drive a UK-hired van in the EU, first check the owner allows it and that the cover is valid there. UK motor insurance includes the minimum third-party cover in the EU, and you do not need a green card there; some non-EU countries may require one. If you hire a van in another country, the local hire’s own insurance applies, so check its terms. Always confirm with your hire company that the policy is valid in every country on your itinerary, and consider a travel insurance policy that covers medical expenses and trip cancellation for added protection. You can find more detail on everything you need to know before hiring a campervan to help plan ahead.

More guides for your trip

Own a campervan or motorhome? Motorhome insurance · Motorhome hire costs · List your campervan or motorhome.