Affordable Insurance

Complimentary cover - $5000 excess

• Plan is included in your daily rental rate and can be chosen when requesting a quote or completing the booking form.
  
• In the event of the van being damaged during your rental period, you will have to pay the first NZD5000 of any repairs and associated costs
• NZD5000 will be preauthorised (held) in your credit card account and will not be available to you for the duration of your rental.

$35 / day – $0 excess

• Plan costs NZD35 per day and can be chosen when requesting a quote or completing the booking form.
• In the event of the van being damaged during your rental period, you will not have to pay any repair or associated costs
• No funds will be preauthorised against your credit card account

Your insurance covers:

• Your motorhome
• Other vehicles and property you hit
• Your motorhome's windscreen and tyres
• The equipment supplied with your motorhome

Your insurance does not cover:

• Your personal property
• Your personal medical expenses
• The first NZD5000 of any damage (the ‘excess’) if you have chosen the complimentary cover option

• Your own accident record and driving abilities - particularly your experience in larger vehicles and confidence in driving on the left and in a foreign country.
• Your aversion to risk. Motor vehicle insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand and approximately 30% of vehicles are not insured. This often results in having to cover the cost of repairs to your own vehicle even where you may not have been at fault. As you are responsible for the safe return of your motorhome for the duration of your rental period, this also includes periods when you may not be present with the vehicle (such as when parked in holiday parks or on ferries) and can result in having to pay for repairs to damage caused by someone else. Choosing a higher level of cover will reduce or completely remove exposure to this risk.

• Your budget. While cost is a natural factor in considering whether to opt for the additional cover offered by a more comprehensive plan, it is also worth considering that the cost of paying for repairs yourself almost always far exceeds the cost of having taken out full insurance cover.
• Even minor bumps and grazes to panel work - such as those caused by reversing into obstacles that you didn't see due to the size of your motorhome or inexperience in reversing with mirrors, hitting overhead trees in motorhome parks and rest areas, and by bumping into bollards at gas stations - all routinely cost in excess of NZD5000 to repair at current rates.

• The excess is the maximum cost of repairs you will be liable for. In some countries this is referred to as the deductible.
• Associated costs you will be liable for are the costs incurred that are not directly related to the repair of your vehicle or damage you have caused to other property. This includes, but is not limited to; administrative costs, vehicle recovery and demurrage (where compensation is payable to subsequent clients whose travel is impacted by the non-availability of a vehicle you have damaged).
• Your New Zealand Frontiers insurance only covers your motorhome (including the windscreen and tyres and everything in the motorhome that belongs to New Zealand Frontiers), any third party damage caused by you and any associated costs. It is highly recommended that you purchase full travel insurance before leaving home to cover your medical expenses and personal property.
• It is important to note that you can void your insurance and receive no cover under certain circumstances of negligence (such as, but not limited to drunkenness, illegal use, leaving keys in the ignition while unattended, damaging keys through water immersion, damaging the engine by using incorrect fuel, damaging the fresh water system by filling it with diesel, etc), even if you have chosen the zero excess option - just the same as you can with any other rental company or with your insurance back home. Full ‘no surprises’ insurance conditions are clearly explained to you in your rental contract, including your obligations, what is covered, and what is not covered during vehicle familiarisation at the start of your rental.

• If you choose the NZD5000 excess option and have to make a claim, the full excess will be charged to your credit card immediately due to the unconfirmed repair costs at the time of the event. Once repair costs have been confirmed and / or the repairs completed you will be refunded any unused balance of your excess (this may take several weeks).
• If you choose the NZD5000 excess option and have to make a claim, the excess will be charged regardless of fault. However, the excess will be refunded if recovered from a third party - that is, if someone else was at fault and they pay.
• If you choose the NZD5000 excess option because you believe you have alternative insurance that will cover this cost (such as the insurance offered by some credit card companies), any such alternative insurance remains a separate arrangement between yourself and the organization providing the cover. This means that if you choose the NZD5000 excess option, you would still be charged by New Zealand Frontiers for the cost of any damage up to this amount and would need to seek any reimbursement of it offered by your own insurer directly from them upon your return home. If you believe you may have this type of insurance cover, you are strongly advised to seek a written opinion prior to travel clearly answering the question; "We are going to be renting a motorhome during a trip abroad and are considering choosing an insurance cover option for the vehicle that would leave us liable for the first NZD5000 of any damage. Will you cover us for this cost should it arise?"

• Insurance costs are a major additional expense over and above advertised rental rates in the New Zealand rental motorhome industry. Rental companies commonly seek to attract customers with appealing rental rates, then increase their revenue by using very high excesses to guide clients towards expensive excess reduction plans.
• Insurance cover also represents a considerable expense for rental companies. Insurance companies have increased the cost of cover dramatically in recent years in response to weather and earthquake events and to high inflation. Additionally many rental clients are unfamiliar with driving larger vehicles, and even common minor damage such as that caused by driving too closely to obstructions can cost thousands of dollars to repair and cause loss of income issues for the rental company.
• Self-insurance is common among motorhome rental companies in New Zealand. This results in companies often holding large bonds from clients that they may be slow to refund, and including clauses in their contracts that exclude some of the most common causes of damage - or finding reasons not to cover repairs when they arise. When considering the insurance cover offered by different rental companies, always understand clearly:
• How much is the excess? Excess charges as high as NZD7500 are common.

• How much are the excess reduction plans? Plans commonly cost as much as NZD65 per day and may include extras such as a picnic table to make them more attractive - when such items are often standard equipment with other companies.
• Is all of the vehicle covered? It is common for exclusions to include windscreens, tyres, under-body and overhead areas. Some companies won’t even cover single vehicle roll over events.
• Will I be covered on all public roads? New Zealand Frontiers' insurance covers your motorhome on every legal road in the country. Many rental companies provide clients with a list of roads on which they will receive no cover.
• Will I have to pay for the lost income suffered by the rental company while the vehicle is repaired?
• Naturally there will always be some circumstances where you can void your insurance cover. But exemptions to cover should be reasonable and clearly explained, particularly if you are paying extra for a higher level of insurance cover.