With a van conversion it comes down to two questions: is it registered as a motor caravan with the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority), and what is the fitting-out worth that no valuation table lists?
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A van conversion is a panel van with a living function inside it. For the insurer, what counts is not how it is fitted out but how it is registered. If part I of the registration document still says panel van, a motor caravan policy is not an option and you are driving around with the wrong cover. The RDW sets requirements for the fitting-out before the change is complete.
The second difference from a large camper van is the use. A van conversion is often driven during the week as well, is parked in the street and therefore covers more miles in more different places. Declare the actual annual mileage and the actual use; Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to give correct information and Article 7:930 DCC allows the insurer to adjust the payout if that information was wrong.
The third point is the fitting-out. Kitchen, bed, water system, insulation, batteries and inverter are not part of the list price of the base vehicle. With a self-build or bespoke conversion, no valuation table knows the result; without a valuation, the value of a bare panel van is paid in the event of a total loss. See also the motorhome insurance.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basics
Vehicle
Third-party liability is compulsory. Also, third-party, fire and theft or comprehensive cover.
Collision and theft
Fire, storm and hail
Often a replacement-value-as-new arrangement
Declare separately
Contents and accessories
Everything you take with you and fit to it.
Awning and bicycle carrier
Crockery and bedding
Solar panels and TV
On the road
Assistance
Breakdown and repatriation of the motorhome and its occupants.
Breakdown assistance abroad
Replacement accommodation
Return transport of the motorhome
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Collision with another vehicle
Yes
Yes
Yes
Theft of the motorhome
No
Yes
Yes
Hail damage during storage
No
Yes
Yes
Damage you cause yourself on the campsite
No
No
Yes
Contents and accessories
No
Sometimes
Sometimes
Frost damage from not draining down
No
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Without motor caravan registration it is a panel van
The RDW sets fitting-out requirements before a panel van enters the register as a motor caravan: a fixed sleeping place, cooking facilities, seating and storage space, permanently fitted. Only then does the vehicle category change. Until that point it remains a panel van, with a different policy and different conditions. Check part I of the registration document before you apply for camper van insurance; an application under the wrong category leads to discussion about the cover when you claim.
A self-build does not exist in a valuation table
If you have fitted out the van yourself or had it fitted out, the insurer cannot take the value from a list. Have the vehicle valued and keep the invoices for materials and installation, plus photographs of the build. Without that evidence the insurer will pay the value of an empty panel van in the event of a total loss or theft, and you bear the loss of the whole fitting-out yourself.
Daily use is a different risk
A van conversion that goes on holiday three weeks a year is not the same as one that is driven every working day and stands in the street at night. That difference affects both the collision risk and the theft and break-in risk. So declare the actual annual mileage and the regular parking place. An understatement leads, when you claim, to an investigation into what really happened with the vehicle.
Break-ins come through the sliding door
What makes a van conversion attractive to burglars is the equipment: battery pack, inverter, charge controller, navigation and tools. Theft is only covered where there are demonstrable signs of forced entry. An unlocked vehicle, a window left open or keys left in or near the van lead to rejection. Report any alarm or tracking system fitted, because on this type security is often an acceptance condition and not a free choice.
The contents sum is almost always set too low
Add up what is really in it: crockery, pans, bedding, clothing, bicycles on the carrier, a TV and the awning. In a well-equipped motorhome that adds up to several thousand euros. You insure that separately; the vehicle's own-damage cover does nothing with it.
Frost damage is your own responsibility
Draining the water or keeping a minimum temperature is a condition on almost every policy. Burst pipes and a boiler ruined by frost are not sudden damage from outside but the result of an omission, and are not paid for.
What does your premium depend on?
Registration as a motor caravan. As long as the registration document says panel van, a different product applies.
Annual mileage and purpose of use. Daily use weighs more heavily than holiday use alone.
Valued amount of the fitting-out. Determines what is paid above the bare vehicle in the event of a total loss.
Regular parking or storage place. Street parking counts differently from a locked site.
Security. An alarm, immobiliser or tracking system may be an acceptance condition.
Age of the base vehicle. With an old chassis and new fitting-out, value and risk diverge.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
May I use my van conversion as an ordinary car during the week?
You may, but it has to be stated that way on the policy. A vehicle that is driven every working day and parked in the street has a different collision, break-in and theft risk from one that goes on holiday three weeks a year. Pass on the actual annual mileage and the regular parking place. This will be looked at when you claim.
Does my self-build fitting-out count in the event of a total loss?
Only with a valuation. Valuation tables do not know your fitting-out, so without a valuation report the insurer pays the value of a bare panel van. Have the vehicle valued once the build is finished and keep invoices for materials and installation, plus photographs of the build. That evidence is the basis of your claim when you report a loss.
What if the RDW still has it registered as a panel van?
Then a motor caravan policy is not the right product and the cover can be called into question when you claim. The RDW requires a fixed sleeping place, cooking facilities, seating and storage space before the category changes. Arrange the change first and check part I of the registration document, and only then apply for camper van insurance.
Is theft of the fitting-out covered?
It is from third-party, fire and theft upwards, but only where there are demonstrable signs of forced entry. If the van was not locked, a window was open or the keys were in or near the vehicle, the claim will be rejected. Report any alarm or tracking system fitted, because on this type security is an acceptance condition with many insurers and not optional.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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