Campervan Hire Insurance in Scotland with Big Sky Campers

Campervan hire insurance in Scotland should give you peace of mind so you can enjoy your holiday without worrying about what’s covered. When you’re exploring Scotland, the last thing you want to worry about is unexpected charges at the end of your trip. When hiring a campervan in Scotland, insurance is normally arranged through the rental company, although the level of cover, excess and driver eligibility can vary. This page will take you through everything you need to know about the campervan insurance we offer.

For more general information and advice about driving in Scotland – including driving on the left and navigating Scottish Highland roads – see our guide to driving in Scotland.

campervan insurance in Scotland when driving on single track roads

Our Campervan Insurance

campervan insurance in Scotland

Insurance For One Driver Included

Every Big Sky Campers campervan hire includes fully comprehensive insurance for one eligible driver. A security deposit is required, and all drivers must meet our insurer’s eligibility criteria.

If you’d like to share the driving, you can add extra drivers for £10 per person, per day. You can add one additional driver at no extra cost when you take out our Zero Excess cover.

Your Insurance Options

With our campervan insurance, you can choose between Standard cover, Reduced Excess and Zero Excess cover. All three options include comprehensive vehicle insurance for eligible named drivers.

The main differences are who’s covered, how much you could pay towards an insurance claim, the security deposit we’ll take, and whether tyres, windscreen, windows, and mirrors are covered.

Standard Cover

campevan insurance included in campervan hire

£1000 Insurance Excess

£1000 Security Deposit

Tyres & Glass Cover Not Included

Additional Drivers £10 a day

Reduced Excess Cover

Big Sky campers reduced excess campervan insurance

£500 Insurance Excess

£500 Security Deposit

Tyre Cover Included

Additional Drivers £10 a day

Zero Excess Cover

Big Sky campers zero excess campervan insurance

£0 Insurance Excess

£200 Security Deposit

Tyre & Glass Cover Included

One Additional Driver Free

Our Campervan Insurance Options

Breakdown cover in Scotland in a campervan

Standard Cover: Included in Your Hire

Our Standard campervan insurance is included in your rental price, so you don’t pay anything extra for insurance. You may have to pay up to £1,000 insurance excess. There is an £1,000 security deposit. Damage to tyres and glass (windscreen, windows or mirrors) aren’t included in this level of cover.

Reduced Excess Cover: £15 per Day

If you’d prefer to opt to pay a lower insurance excess in the event of a claim, our Reduced Excess option brings it down to £500. Your security deposit is also reduced to £500. This option includes cover for tyre damage but doesn’t include glass cover. Additional drivers can be added to this insurance for £10 a day.

Zero Excess Cover: £35 per Day

If you’d like the complete peace of mind of not having to pay any insurance excess in the event of a claim, our Zero Excess option reduces it to £0 for covered claims. It also includes cover for an additional driver and both tyres and glass are insured. Your security deposit is reduced to £200 to cover unpaid fines or charges, it is not held against the cost of damage.

Zero excess doesn’t mean that every possible charge is covered. You’ll still need to follow the rental agreement, and exclusions or charges not covered by the insurance still apply. This includes damage due to negligence or illegal activity, such as drink driving.

Common Questions About Campervan Insurance in Scotland

The insurance excess is the amount you may have to contribute towards an insurance claim following an accident or damage during your hire.

For example, if you accidentally damage the campervan and the damage is covered by the insurance, you will contribute towards the cost of repairs whilst the insurance policy covers the rest. The amount you pay depends on which insurance option you’ve chosen.

With Standard cover, the insurance excess is £1,000. With Reduced Excess cover, it’s £500. With Zero Excess cover, you don’t pay an insurance excess on any covered claims.

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You don’t need separate excess insurance to hire one of our campervans. You can use the Standard cover included in your hire or choose our Reduced Excess or Zero Excess option.

Your travel insurance may offer rental vehicle excess protection, or you can buy a separate excess insurance policy. These policies usually reimburse eligible excess charges after you have paid them, rather than removing the need to pay us initially.

Not all policies cover campervans or motorhomes. If you’re planning to rely on separate insurance, please check that it covers your chosen vehicle, drivers and destination, and read the exclusions, claim limits and claims procedure carefully before travelling.

Before you hire one of our campervans, you’ll also need to provide a security deposit. This is different from the deposit you pay when making your booking to reserve your van.

The security deposit is there to cover any charges that arise under the terms of your rental agreement. These could include an insurance excess, loss or damage charges, or other charges such as fines or missing fuel.

We usually arrange the security deposit by pre-authentication of your bank card, but you can pay it by bank transfer before you take the van if you prefer. 

If you use a card for your security deposit, no money is taken or set aside. We’ll only charge your card if an amount is due under your rental agreement.

The amount of security deposit you pay depends on which insurance option you have chosen:

  • Standard: £1,000
  • Reduced: £500
  • Zero: £200

With Standard and Reduced Excess cover, we may charge you for loss of or damage to the campervan while it’s in your care, or for damage to someone else’s property if you’re responsible for the loss or damage.

If the cost of replacing the loss or repair is less than the security deposit, we will return the difference to you.

If you incurred any other charges related to your hire of the van, such as parking fines, bus lane fines or toll charges, then the security deposit covers these too. If you return the van with less fuel than required, we will deduct the cost of the fuel from your security deposit.

With the Zero excess option, the £200 security deposit is not there to cover the cost of damage. The security deposit is in place in case you incur a fine during your hire, such as a parking or bus lane fine, or not returning the van with enough fuel.

Please be aware that opting for Zero Excess cover does not mean that loss or damage caused by negligence, criminal behaviour or any other breach of our terms and conditions is covered.

If you have any questions about how the different levels of cover work, please get in touch. We’ll also explain how the deposit works when you book, so you know what to expect before collecting your campervan.

Unless you have paid the security deposit by bank transfer, we don’t actually take any money from your card unless there is a charge to pay under the terms of your rental agreement. We are usually notified of any charges within a month. We cannot retain your card information for longer than 3 months.

If you paid your security deposit by bank transfer, we will refund it after deducting any charges due.

If you have an accident that is the fault of someone else, then – as long as you follow the correct procedure – you should not lose your security deposit. However, it is important that you get the other driver’s details at the time of the accident and can demonstrate that they are responsible for the accident.

The person responsible has to accept liability for the accident, and then our insurers will claim from them. If we cannot do this, we may deduct from your security deposit.

Yes. It applies to all insured damage, including interior damage, but does not cover damage to your personal belongings. It does not provide cover when damage is due to a customer’s negligence, criminal activity or misuse of the van.

Will I be Covered? Check Your Eligibility

All Drivers To Be Insured

Campervan insurance in Scotland

To be eligible for our campervan insurance, you must:

-Be aged between 21 and 79 if hiring a T6.1 or T7 campervan, or between 24 and 70 if – hiring one of our Deluxe Off Grid campers (VW Crafter or WildAx)

-Have had a full licence for at least 24 months

– Have no more than 2 minor driving convictions

– Have made no more than 2 insurance claims in the last 5 years

You’ll also need to provide identification and original driving licence documents when you come to collect your van.

International Visitors

insurance for international drivers in Scotland

You are eligible for our comprehensive insurance if you hold a full driving licence issued in the UK, EU, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, as long as you meet the other eligibility criteria.

If your driving licence was issued from outside these areas, you may still be covered, but we will need to check your eligibility with our insurers on a case-by-case basis. They will want you to have had previous experience of driving in the UK or considerable experience of driving outside your home country.

You may also have to pay a higher security deposit. Please check your eligibility for insurance with us before booking.

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Common Questions About Insuring International Drivers in Scotland

You are eligible for our comprehensive insurance if you hold a full driving licence issued in the EU, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, as long as you meet the other eligibility criteria.

If your driving licence was issued from outside these areas, you may still be covered, but we will need to check your eligibility with our insurers on a case-by-case basis. You will need previous experience of driving in the UK or considerable experience of driving outside your home country.

You may also have to pay a higher security deposit. Please check your eligibility for insurance with us before booking.

An International Driving Permit does not guarantee you can be insured. We will need to check your eligibility with our insurance company, so please get in touch with us before booking.

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Visitors from the EU, EEA and Switzerland are not normally required to obtain an International Driving Permit to drive in the UK. You can check the requirements that apply to you on the UK Govt  official foreign driving licence checker.

You will need to provide the following:

  • A full driving licence, held for at least 24 months; bring the photocard.
  • Another photo ID, such as a passport or national identity card.
  • Two proofs of address, such as utility bills or bank statements, matching the address on the driving licence.
  • A DVLA licence check code for UK licences only.

We cannot accept photocopies, so please check that you bring the right documents, or we will not be able to let you hire one of our vans.

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Please bring the following for each driver:

  • Your original photocard driving licence.
  • A DVLA driving licence check code.
  • Another form of photo ID, such as a passport.
  • Two proofs of address, such as utility bills or bank statements. Each must be no more than 90 days old and show the same address as your driving licence.

You must bring originals of your driving and identity documents – we cannot accept photocopies. You may provide electronic proof of address but we must retain a printed copy. This is for UK residents only. Everyone who plans to drive must be there when you collect the campervan.

If your licence is issued by one country but you have been resident in another country where your country of residence requires you to exchange your licence, you must have done this. If you have not done so, our insurers will deem you to be driving without a valid licence and will refuse to cover you.

If You Have an Accident or Break Down on Your Holiday

Campervan Hire insurance if you breakdown in Scotland

When you collect the van we will do a thorough handover so you understand how everything works. We also advise customers to leave themselves time to familiarise themselves with the controls and spend some time on the quiet roads around our HQ before setting off on a longer journey. 

Occasionally accidents will happen to even the most careful of drivers so please make sure you know what to do if something goes wrong, as it can affect whether or not the insurance policy covers you.

If you have an accident

If you’re involved in an accident or the campervan is damaged, contact Big Sky Campers as soon as it is safe, take photographs and collect the details of anyone involved. 

You can call us on +447823 786445 24 hours a day. We’ll explain what to do next and offer whatever help we can.

If you break down

Our campervans also come with breakdown assistance. You will not be charged for vehicle recovery due to mechanical failure unless it was due to customer negligence or criminal activity. The insurance covers recovery of a vehicle after an accident and would form part of the claim.

​If you have an accident that is the fault of someone else, then – as long as you follow the correct procedure – you should not lose your security deposit. However, it is important that you get the other driver’s details at the time of the accident and can demonstrate that they are responsible for the accident.

Questions We’re Often Asked

Yes, the comprehensive insurance included with your Big Sky Campers hire covers touring Scotland, including the North Coast 500, subject to our insurance conditions and rental agreement. Choose roads suitable for your campervan and take your time on unfamiliar stretches.

Breakdown assistance is provided separately from motor insurance. All our campervans include full AA breakdown cover, including for trips to the Highlands. If you encounter a problem whilst driving in the Highlands, call us so we can arrange help.

Yes, you can take our campervans on Scottish ferries to explore the islands. Book ahead using the correct vehicle dimensions, and allow enough time to return the campervan by your agreed drop-off time.

Many roads in the Highlands are single-track roads and your insurance will cover these.  However, you must drive carefully and use roads suitable for your campervan. Take things slowly, use passing places and give yourself room to manoeuvre.

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Yes, our Deluxe Off Grid Campers include comprehensive insurance. Staying somewhere without an electric hook-up does not itself change your cover. However, always park somewhere safe and permitted. Off-grid does not mean off-road! If you damage the van by driving on an unsuitable surface, this is unlikely to be covered by insurance.

Yes, but please let us know your plans in advance. Let us know whether you’re visiting Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or both, so we can confirm the arrangements and cover before you travel.

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