Trailer insurance through Avéro Achmea
A trailer is insured for as long as it is behind the car, but precisely not at the moment when most damage occurs: uncoupled, in storage or stolen.
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- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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- Help with claims
In brief
A rule of its own applies to third-party liability. The WAM treats a trailer coupled to the motor vehicle — or one that has come loose from it but has not yet come safely to a standstill away from the traffic, as part of that motor vehicle. Damage you cause to someone else with the trailer therefore falls under the third-party liability cover of the car insurance of the towing car, on the basis of the insurance requirement under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). A separate third-party liability policy for the trailer is therefore usually unnecessary.
What the motor policy does not cover is damage to the trailer itself. If the body tips over, if the lid blows open on the motorway, or if the trailer is stolen from the driveway, you bear that yourself unless you have own-damage cover. Theft is the largest type of claim with trailers: they stand in plain sight, they can be hitched up quickly and they are hard to trace. Insurers therefore set requirements for the drawbar lock or coupling lock and sometimes for the storage location. Those requirements appear on the clauses page and are a condition for payment, not advice.
The trailer and what is in it are two different things. The cargo: garden waste, a trailer full of removal boxes, bicycles on the trailer: falls outside trailer insurance. Your own damaged belongings may sometimes be covered under your home contents insurance; damage to someone else's property is a liability matter and belongs with the personal liability insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare trailer insurance.
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We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
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We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four points on which a trailer claim comes unstuck.
Theft: the lock determines the payout
Almost every policy requires an approved drawbar or ball coupling lock, and with a more expensive trailer sometimes a tracking device or locked storage. If you cannot show after a theft that the lock was fitted, that is a reason to refuse payment. Keep the purchase invoice for the lock and photograph the chassis number.
The load is not covered
What you carry falls outside the cover, even if the loss is caused by an insured peril. If the load blows off the trailer and causes damage to someone else, that is liability: and it runs through the third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle. A load that is not properly secured may also count against you as contributory fault.
Hire and business use
If you lend the trailer out for payment, or use it for your own business, a private policy usually fromthis. Declare the use when you apply: Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to do so, and under Article 7:930 DCC an undeclared use can cost you the payout.
Wear, rust and inherent defect
Floor panels rusted through, a worn bearing or a braking system that fails through deferred maintenance are inherent defect and fall outside the cover. Consequential damage to someone else caused by such a defect is a liability matter, but you pay for the repair of the trailer itself. There is no periodic roadworthiness test for trailers; maintenance is your own responsibility.
What does your premium depend on?
- List price of the trailer: the basis for the own-damage premium
- Type: open body, closed or flatbed: a closed trailer is more prone to theft
- Cover chosen: third-party, fire and theft or comprehensive cover
- Security and where the vehicle is kept: a locked garage or shed counts in your favour
- Maximum permitted mass: above 750 kg different requirements apply and a registration number is needed
- Excess per event: lowers or raises the premium directly
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Which policy pays with a trailer
| Situation | Third-party liability through the car | Own-damage cover |
|---|---|---|
| You hit a parked car with the coupled trailer while reversing | Yes | No |
| The trailer is stolen from the driveway, drawbar lock and all | No | Yes |
| The lid blows open on the motorway and the body is deformed | No | Yes |
| Garden waste blows off the trailer and damages the car behind you | Yes | No |
| The removal boxes in the open trailer are soaked through in a rain shower | No | No |
| A floor panel rusted through gives way while the trailer is being loaded | No | No |
The trailer and what is in it are always assessed separately when there is a claim.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is my trailer automatically insured through the car?
Only for third-party liability. As long as the trailer is coupled, or has just come loose and not yet come to a standstill, damage to third parties falls under the third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle. Damage to the trailer itself, theft and vandalism do not. For those you take out separate own-damage cover.
What if the trailer is standing uncoupled on the driveway?
It has then come to a standstill away from the traffic and the WAM cover of the car no longer applies. If it rolls away and damages your neighbour's car, that is a liability question under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and your personal liability insurance (AVP) comes into play. Damage to the trailer itself runs through the own-damage cover, provided you have it.
Do I need a registration number for my trailer?
Trailers with a maximum permitted mass above 750 kilos must be registered. That does not apply to lighter trailers. For insurance purposes, what matters most is that the chassis number and the mass appear correctly on the policy schedule. If they differ from reality, that leads to argument about cover when you claim.
Can I tow a trailer with any driving licence?
That depends on the weight of the combination. For a heavier combination you need a category BE licence, or a category B licence with code 96. Driving without the correct entitlement is an exclusion in almost every policy: the own-damage claim is not paid and the third-party liability insurer can recover the amount paid out from you.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.