Car and trailer drivers carry an increased risk. However, very few people realise just how great this risk is and how specific the regulations are. Even experienced insurance brokers are sometimes at a loss when it comes to the question of which policy covers what.
In the event of an accident, not only the towing vehicle can be affected, but also the boat and trailer. In addition, damage can sometimes occur if the trailer is not even attached to the car or has just been coupled. The options for insuring against this are as varied as the scenarios themselves.
Because recreational boat trailers are generally not subject to compulsory insurance in Germany, many owners take the issue lightly and rely on the fact that the cover provided by the motor vehicle insurance of the towing vehicle applies. This is understandable and true to a certain extent, but not always correct. This is because the car's liability insurance only covers you if the trailer is actually hitched up. If, on the other hand, it has been parked and starts rolling on its own, with or without a boat, any damage caused is not covered by motor vehicle liability.
This article is part of a trailer special:
The separate trailer liability
In this case, it is advisable to take out separate trailer liability insurance. This is offered by many insurers. It is often already included in boat liability insurance, which every owner should have anyway, even if it is not mandatory. It is worth asking the boat insurer specifically about this.
With motor vehicle liability and trailer liability, you are generally well insured against third-party claims.
Caution with comprehensive insurance
The situation is somewhat different with comprehensive cover. There is a risk of unpleasant consequences here if you are not very careful when concluding the contract. Firstly, the boat and trailer should be covered by comprehensive insurance in accordance with their value. The insurer will then also cover self-inflicted damage caused to the boat or trailer on the road or when uncoupled - for example, if the trailer becomes independent on a ramp and the boat scrapes against something.
However, this does not necessarily apply to fully comprehensive motor insurance. In the vast majority of contracts, the General Terms and Conditions for Motor Insurance (AKB) still state: "The insurance covers accidents to the vehicle. An accident is defined as an event that suddenly and directly affects the vehicle from the outside with mechanical force. Accidental damage does not include ... Damage between the towing and towed vehicle without external influence."
To put it simply: as long as there is a party at fault, i.e. it is an accident, the fully comprehensive insurance covers it. Example: A sign is blown over on a motorway construction site, the trailer driver suddenly has to take evasive action, the trailer swings up so much that it crashes into the car. The damage to the trailer and boat is covered by the boat's comprehensive insurance, while the damage to the car is covered by comprehensive motor vehicle insurance if this includes rollover cover.
However, if the trailer does not lurch due to an external influence, but rather due to incorrect loading and the same thing happens, damage to the towing vehicle is often not covered by comprehensive motor insurance. There is also no cover if the boat slips from the trailer into the car during emergency braking.
Is damage during manoeuvring insured?
Much more likely than such damage, however, are dents or dings caused by manoeuvring with the trailer or coupling and uncoupling your own vehicle. For example, if the steering is turned so sharply when reversing that the trailer moves to the side behind the car and the drawbar presses a dent into the rear bumper.
Another frequently occurring case: The trailer is parked on a slight slope, the trailer is uncoupled and then rolls against the car unnoticed. Or the driver misjudges when coupling and rams the trailer drawbar into the rear of the car. Even apparently minor damage can be expensive, as there are numerous sensors integrated into the bumpers of modern cars that can break.
All these types of damage are often not covered by normal comprehensive motor insurance; only some insurance companies include them. Even boat or trailer hull insurance does not cover such cases. However, there are now a few insurers who have softened this rule and also insure so-called rolling damage.
In the corresponding contracts it then says something like this or similar: "In the case of combinations, the following applies: The insurance of the towing vehicle also covers mutual damage between the towing and towed vehicle without external influence (e.g. manoeuvring damage, damage when hitching/unhitching, rolling damage). Prerequisite: You are the owner of the towed vehicle."
If you cannot find this or a similar passage in the general terms and conditions of your insurer, you should ask specifically whether mutual, self-inflicted damage is also insured. It may be that an extra module needs to be taken out for this.
The BBB module
There is so-called BBB cover (which stands for brake, operational and breakage damage), which can be agreed separately as part of fully comprehensive insurance. It is already common practice in the commercial sector, but is still far from usual for private policies.
One advantage of the BBB module is that all damage is covered, such as that described above if the boat slips into the towing vehicle during emergency braking or if the load slips in the ship and the owner suffers damage as a result.
This also applies to the following case: the boat does not float sufficiently on a flat slipway. To prevent the towing vehicle from slipping as it continues to reverse, the owner uncouples the trailer and secures it with a rope running between the drawbar and the trailer coupling of the car - a tried and tested technique. But what happens if something goes wrong, for example if the car slips into the water behind the trailer?
Whether the boat is deemed to be coupled in this case, i.e. whether fully comprehensive insurance would cover damage to the car, would, as always with insurance claims, be subject to a case-by-case assessment - with an uncertain outcome. But not with the BBB supplementary module: In this case, the respective comprehensive insurance covers damage to the trailer or boat.
Another aspect in favour of this is the avoidance of consequential costs in car insurance. Major damage to the towing vehicle that exceeds the excess can result in an upgrade in the no-claims class. The inclusion of brake, operational and breakage damage also helps to prevent this.
It can therefore be well worth looking specifically for this add-on when searching for an insurer, especially as it is available for as little as 30 euros per year. It may be necessary to change your current provider of motor, boat and trailer insurance, as some insurance companies only offer the BBB add-on module as part of the overall package of all policies. This in turn can lead to higher premiums for comprehensive motor insurance. In the end, every owner must decide for themselves whether the good feeling of being comprehensively covered when travelling with a trailer is worth a premium increase.
Maximum protection for you
- Motor vehicle liability
- Comprehensive motor vehicle insurance with inclusion of skidding and manoeuvring damage and/or additional BBB module
- Boat liability *
- Boat hull *
- Trailer liability *
- Trailer hull *
* Also offered in combination by many specialised insurance brokers
