No Claims Bonus Protection for Campervans
No Claims Bonus protection lets you make claims without losing your accumulated discount. Here is the honest take for campervan owners.
How NCB Works in Van Insurance
A No Claims Bonus (NCB) is a discount on your premium for each claim-free year. Typical structure:
- 1 year claim-free: 30% discount
- 2 years: 40%
- 3 years: 50%
- 4+ years: 60-70% Most campervan insurers allow up to 9 years of NCB. The discount is applied to the premium before any other adjustments.
What NCB Protection Does
For an extra £15-30 per year, NCB protection means you can make up to 2 claims in a policy year without losing your accumulated NCB discount. Without protection, a single at-fault claim wipes 2-3 years of NCB. Example: You have 9 years NCB (60% discount). Your premium is £500. You have an at-fault accident costing £3,000. Without protection: your NCB drops to 4 years (40%), your next premium is £750. With protection: your NCB stays at 9 years, your next premium is still £500.
Does It Apply to All Claims?
No. NCB protection covers:
- At-fault accidents
- Single-vehicle accidents (hitting a wall, rolling into a ditch)
- Vandalism claims (but some insurers exempt this) It does NOT cover:
- Non-fault claims (protected by your NCB anyway)
- Windscreen claims (most treat these separately)
- Theft claims (check your policy — some protect NCB on theft, some do not)
Most Policies Already Have It
Many specialist campervan insurers (Comfort, Safely Insure, Adrian Flux) include NCB protection as standard. Read your policy wording — if it does not mention NCB protection, it is probably not included.
Is It Worth It?
| Factor | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £15-30/year | — |
| Premium without NCB discount | £500 becomes £750-1,000 | — |
| Claim frequency | If you claim once every 5 years | If you never claim |
| Van value | Expensive van (more to lose) | Cheap van (<£5,000) |
Verdict
For £15-30 per year, NCB protection is worth it if your premium is over £400. The protection is a small cost to avoid a 40-60% premium increase after one accident. Check if your policy already includes it — if not, add it at renewal.
