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How to upgrade insurance and reduce excess
We provide three different campervan insurance (vehicle protection) options for your campervan road trip in New Zealand. Standard insurance with 3rd party cover is included with every Spaceships campervan hire, but it comes with bond. We'll explain those words below. For full peace of mind, you can choose the Stress-Free insurance option.
What does excess mean?
Excess is the amount of money that you're liable for when something happens to your campervan. It's the part of an insurance claim that you as the insured person need to pay. In other countries, excess is known as...
- 'Selbstbehalt' in German
- 'Eigen risico' in Dutch
- 'Excès' in French
- 'Selvrisiko' in Danish
What is bond and what is it used for?
Bond is the amount of money that we freeze (reserve) on your credit or debit card in case of an accident or damages. It isn't processed as payment so we don't take it from your card, we just freeze it. It means that the bond amount needs to be available on your card and will be frozen 1 day before pick-up for the duration of your trip.
- Bond on Stress-Free Insurance: no bond aka $0
- Bond on Partial Insurance: $2,500 bond
- Bond on Basic/Standard Insurance: $5,000 bond
The bond is used for the repair costs in case of damages or an accident. This means that in case the vehicle is damaged in any form or way or is involved in an accident, you are liable (pay) for the damages up to but not limited to the bond amount of the selected insurance level. We deduct the repair costs from the bond that is frozen on your card. The maximum you pay (are liable for) is the bond amount unless there has been a breach of contract, then you are liable for the full repair costs. Read more about the exclusions and breach of contract in our Terms & Conditions.
How to reduce bond on your insurance
It's easy to reduce your bond to $0 when travelling with Spaceships. We have an insurance option that will give you complete peace of mind.
|
Insurance Options |
Your Bond (frozen before pick-up) |
Price per day |
|
Stress-Free Insurance (most popular) |
$0 |
$30 |
|
Partial Insurance |
$2500 |
$20 |
|
Standard/Basic Insurance |
$5000 |
$0 |
Stress-Free and Partial Insurance options both have a maximum amount payable for 50 days hire to make them affordable for long hires 51 days or more. This will be displayed automatically when you calculate your campervan hire rate online... Stress-Free is capped at $1500 or 50-day hire. Partial Insurance is capped at $1000 or 50 days hires.
Stress-Free insurance offers the best cover and zero bond [recommended]
Stress-Free Insurance is the most popular option for travellers as it reduces your bond to $0. It provides your vehicle with the maximum cover available, so you can relax and enjoy your holiday stress-free. It is the insurance option we highly recommend.
When you're exploring the outer space of New Zealand and something happens with your Spaceships, all you have to do is contact the friendly Spaceships Crew or our Roadside Assistance Provider (NZRA) via our free telephone number. When you are on Stress-Free insurance, we'll asses the situation or issue, find a solution and approve a fix. Sress-Free is easy as.
Just make sure you notify us first and get approval for any repairs or fixes! Failing to notify us first and not getting approval for repairs or fixes may result in not getting a refund for it. The Spaceships Crew is here to help you out so contact us immediately.
Stress-Free insurance on long hires will save you money
The Stress-Free insurance option has a maximum amount payable for 50 days hire to make them affordable for long hires 51 days or more. This will be displayed automatically when you calculate your campervan hire rate online... Stress-Free insurance is capped at $1500 or a 50-day hire.
This means you will only pay for 50 days of insurance but you will be insured for the full trip. For instance, if you'll be roadtripping for 70 days, you'll only pay the insurance for 50 days but you'll be fully insured for 70 days. This means that on average the price of the Stress-Free insurance option for that 70-day trip drops to just $21 per day... That's a nice discount on stress-free, full-cover campervan insurance.
Other options for bond reduction
When you choose partial insurance your bond is $2500. It doesn't provide you with the extra coverage like on the Stress-Free option. The bond will be frozen on your credit card when you pick up your campervan. We don't remove this from your account but we need to verify it's available in the event of an accident.
The standard/basic option only covers single-vehicle accidents. You'll have a bond of $5000 (= the maximum amount you're liable for). This amount needs to be available on your credit card. We'll only freeze it as it needs to be available in case of an accident.
Compare the campervan insurance options in detail
The cover provided by each option is set out below. The Stress-Free option includes every item in this list.
|
Cover |
Stress-Free (most popular) |
Partial Insurance |
Standard insurance |
| Single vehicle accidents |
✓ Yes |
✓ Yes* |
✓ Yes* |
|
Towing costs (in case of mechanical breakdown) |
✓ Yes |
✓ Yes |
✓ Yes |
|
Unlimited windscreen chips |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
The roof |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
One windscreen replacement |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
Underbody |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
Side mirrors |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
Glass cover |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
Exterior panels (dents & scratches) |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
2 replacement tires |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
|
Cover for gravel roads** |
✓ Yes |
✘ No |
✘ No |
✓ YES = it is covered | ✘ NO = it is not covered
* = with the standard and partial cover the bond frozen on your card will be used to pay for any damages that occur on your trip. Only the Stress-Free insurance will cover everything in the list without any bond at all.
** = Gravel road cover excludes the three restricted roads mentioned in clause 4 of the Terms & Conditions. These roads are called Skippers Canyon Road near Queenstown, Ball Hutt Road near Mt Cook and 90 Mile Beach in Northland.
Please note: if you're travelling on Standard you are liable for $5000 (or more if you breach the conditions of the rental contract) and must have this amount available on your credit card to cover potential damage to the vehicle. We don't take the amount from your credit card, we only freeze it in case something happens. However, the maximum amount of $5000 needs to be available.
Third-party cover is included
Third-Party incidents are always covered (no matter the insurance option you have). A third-party incident is accidentally damaging someone else’s vehicle or property. See Our Promises for more info about how we make sure you'll have a great road trip in New Zealand.
Glass Cover: optional extra on standard and partial
An additional non-refundable premium of $8 per hire day to a maximum of $320 i.e. 40 days rental will cover you for the loss or breakage of the front windscreen, unlimited stone chips. This cover includes the windows and sunroof also. A windscreen replacement costs $700, and each stone chip costs $150 so we recommend taking Glass Cover if opting for the Standard Bond or upgrade to the Stress-Free which includes Glass Cover.
All your campervan insurance questions answered
Insurance stuff can be difficult, especially when going to a foreign country. Therefore, we have listed the most frequent asked questions about campervan insurance and have added all the info you need to know. This will make your life so much easier. And if there's a question we didn't cover yet, just let us know via online chat (click on the speech bubble at the bottom of the screen).
Can I use an excess insurance policy from a third party?
You can stay on standard insurance and use your own excess insurance policy, but then we still need to freeze the $5,000 on your card (credit or debit). Also, we highly recommend reading the fine print of your policy as a lot of these excess insurance companies don't cover campervans. Even though our campervans are based on the Toyota Estima car model, they are classified as campervans/sleeper vans.
An excess insurance policy won't replace our Stress-Free Insurance. It will just cover (part of) the repair costs in case of damages or an accident. You will always need to pay for damages yourself and then claim it back from your insurance company. You will be travelling on standard then, which means $5,000 needs to be frozen on your card. This will be frozen for the duration of your hire, it will still be in your account, it just can't be used as it is frozen (reserved) just in case. On Stress-Free, there's no bond and almost everything is covered (no need to pay for it yourself first when damages have happened).
How much am I liable for in case of an accident or damages?
We hope nothing happens on your road trip, but if it does you will be liable for $0 if you are travelling on our Stress-Free insurance. Unless there's a breach of contract, which means that illegal things have happened. As a normal driver, you won't pay a dollar (Stress-Free only) in case of accidents or damages to your Spaceships campervan.
On Standard or Partial campervan insurance, the bond will be used to cover the repair costs in case of damages. The bond is $5,000 on Standard and $2,500 on Partial. We will always deduct the real repair costs from the bond amount, up until the maximum amount mentioned before (unless you have breached the rental contract, see the exclusions for more info).
Is your Stress-Free Insurance the same as travel insurance?
Please be aware, the Stress-Free Insurance option isn't a travel insurance policy. We suggest you get this added to cover any changes to your travel plans, personal property and/or injury.
Why is the Stress-Free option recommended?
Stress-Free offers you complete peace of mind for only $30 per day extra. You don’t want to risk anything spoiling your trip of a lifetime. It's the little things that can cost a lot.
- Windscreen replacement will cost $700
- Stone chips cost $150 each
- A tyre can cost up to $140 fitted
- Side-mirror: $150
- Towing: between $250 and $1500 depending on where in New Zealand you are stranded
Are single-vehicle rollovers covered?
A single-vehicle rollover is deemed careless and driver fault regardless of which insurance option you have. It is at our discretion as to whether the remaining hire days will be carried over to a replacement vehicle. A new Insurance option will apply if a new rental agreement is created. See our Terms & Conditions (section 14) for more info about this.
Why is driving in New Zealand different than overseas?
- Car insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand so even if an accident is not your fault you could still lose your bond if we are unsuccessful in recovering the costs from the other party involved. This claim process can take months to resolve.
- Roads in New Zealand are hilly, narrow and windy at times. There can also be loose gravel on the side of the roads, which can be flicked up and damage your vehicle or your windscreen. Although this is not your fault, unfortunately, you will be liable.
- During the summer month’s lots of Kiwis tow a boat or trailer behind their car, which slows traffic and encourages people to try and pass where they shouldn’t. They are also more likely to flick stones up into your vehicle and windscreen!
Are any roads excluded from the campervan insurance options?
There are three roads in New Zealand where you are not allowed to drive and where the campervan insurance options don't apply. Driving there is a breach of the rental agreement, you won't be covered there. These roads are called Skippers Canyon Road near Queenstown, Ball Hutt Road near Mt Cook and 90 Mile Beach in Northland.
Is theft of personal items covered?
Unfortunately, personal items are not covered by our insurance. We strongly suggest taking out travel insurance.
If I'm in an accident, what will Stress-Free insurance cover?
Stress-Free insurance is campervan insurance, it will cover the damages to the campervan and to third-party's vehicle or property. Stress-Free insurance covers things like:
- Single vehicle accidents
- Towing costs (in case of mechanical breakdown)
- Unlimited windscreen chips
- The roof
- One windscreen replacement
- Underbody
- Side mirrors
- Glass cover
- Exterior panels
- 2 replacement tyres
- Cover for gravel roads (excluding three restricted roads: Skippers Canyon Road near Queenstown, Ball Hutt Road near Mt Cook and 90 Mile Beach in Northland)
It doesn't cover personal items or medical stuff. Campervan insurance isn't travel insurance. We highly recommend getting travel insurance before you leave your home country so you are covered for unforeseen things that can happening when travelling overseas, for example medical emergencies, flight delays, theft of personal items.
We hope this answers your questions about what our Stress-Free Insurance will cover when you are in an accident. Should there be more questions about this topic, just contact our friendly crew.
Is there an add-on like snow insurance?
Spaceships offer the 3 insurance options mentioned above. There are no add-ons for specific situations like driving in bad weather or snowy conditions so there is no snow insurance add-on. Stress-Free covers almost everything while on Basic or Partial Insurance damages are paid via the excess/bond. It doesn't matter how the damage has happened, under normal circumstances that is.
See for more details and/or exceptions our Terms & Conditions.
Is there a way to protect the vehicle against dents and scratches?
By selecting the Stress-Free Insurance option, you will have the most extensive cover available. This also includes damage to the exterior panels, which means you are protected against dents & scratches, even if someone accidentally scratches your Spaceship while being parked in the parking lot of a supermarket.