THE SHORT ANSWER
A motorhome is a motor vehicle. According to Konsumenternas, if you own a motorhome you must have third-party insurance when it is registered for use. A caravan is a trailer, and the Swedish Transport Agency says a trailer does not need third-party insurance. According to Konsumenternas, the caravan is instead covered by the third-party insurance of the vehicle it is hitched to.
Third-party insurance pays for damage you cause to others, not damage to your own vehicle. Both motorhomes and caravans can therefore have partial or comprehensive cover. This guide shows where to read what applies to belongings inside, winter, locks, damp and trips abroad. The basics of the levels are in the guide to third-party, partial and comprehensive cover. [1][4][3]
Keep these points in mind
- A motorhome registered for use must have third-party insurance. The caravan is covered by the towing car's.
- Belongings inside may have limits in both the vehicle policy and your home insurance.
- The terms may require locks and exclude damage from damp, wet and cold.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
See which policy applies to which vehicle
Start with the policy documents. The motorhome must have third-party insurance as long as it is registered for use. According to Konsumenternas, partial cover for a motorhome usually includes, besides third-party insurance, all-risk, theft, fire, glass, mechanical breakdown and rescue insurance, among others. Comprehensive cover has the same content plus own-damage insurance.
The caravan has no third-party insurance of its own, but the Swedish Transport Agency says it must be registered and carry a number plate. Konsumenternas says you can take out partial or comprehensive cover for your caravan. Check whether there is a policy document for the caravan itself, and which level it shows.
[1][4][3]Read what applies to belongings inside
According to Konsumenternas, motorhome insurance covers items you have specifically taken with you on holiday and kept in the locked motorhome. Compensation usually ranges from 20 000 to 80 000 kr, and it is often limited for items attractive to thieves, such as computers and mobile phones. Konsumenternas adds that the items may also be covered by the away-from-home cover in your home insurance. What home insurance contains is explained in the guide to what home insurance covers.
Read the limits in your own agreement. In one insurer's pre-purchase information for caravans from May 2026, personal belongings kept in the caravan are covered up to 50 000 kr, but not cash. For theft of items such as jewellery, cameras, computers and phones, compensation is only paid there if the loss happened on a trip away from your home town and the caravan was not left unoccupied for more than a day. In another insurer's caravan terms from January 2026, the property cover applies to the caravan and its accessories and equipment, with at most 40 000 kr for accessories and equipment.
[1][7][8]Find out what applies when the vehicle stands still in winter
When you take the motorhome off the road, Konsumenternas says most insurers convert partial or comprehensive cover into a lay-up policy, often called garage insurance. It usually covers fire, theft, glass and legal expenses, and possibly own damage. By law, a motorhome that is off the road may only be driven the shortest suitable route to and from the nearest vehicle inspection. If you drive it anyway, the motorhome insurance does not apply.
Also read what the caravan's policy says. In the caravan terms from January 2026, the policy is an annual policy, and no premium is refunded when the caravan is taken off the road with the Swedish Transport Agency. The same terms require tanks and pipes to be drained so they do not freeze in winter, and the heating system to contain enough antifreeze.
[2][8]Read the lock requirements and what applies to theft
According to Konsumenternas, the deductible for theft of a motorhome ranges from 1 500 to 2 000 kr. If the motorhome is not locked with a steering-wheel or gear-lever lock, the deductible can rise sharply, to as much as 25 percent of the cost of the damage. There may also be a requirement for a tracker before a theft is paid. In one insurer's pre-purchase information for motorhomes from May 2026, windows and doors must be locked and the ignition off when the vehicle is left, and the key must not be kept right next to the motorhome.
The caravan's terms may require a lock on the hitch. In the pre-purchase information for caravans from May 2026, doors and windows must be locked when the caravan is left, and it must be secured with an approved hitch lock. In the terms from January 2026, the caravan must be locked with a ball-coupling lock approved by SSF, the key must not be kept or hidden near the caravan, and accessories must be permanently fitted, locked in place or locked away. If such safety rules are not followed, compensation may be reduced or not paid at all.
[1][2][6][7][8]
Damp, leaks and cold
According to Konsumenternas, leaks in the motorhome's living area caused by pipes that have frozen and burst are not covered. Many policies also do not cover damage inside the motorhome if it is eight years old or older. So read the sections on own damage and leaks in your own agreement before assuming that water damage is covered.
Damp may also be excluded. In the pre-purchase information for motorhomes from May 2026, own-damage cover does not apply to damage caused by rust, corrosion, cold, wet or damp. In the caravan terms from January 2026, leak damage is only included if the policy has own-damage cover, and only for a caravan that is at most 8 years old, with at most 50 000 kr in compensation. It applies to unforeseen leaks from permanently fitted tanks and pipes, but not to damage to the tank or pipes themselves.
[1][6][8]Abroad: the vehicle's insurance and your own
According to Konsumenternas, the insurance applies in countries that belong to the Green Card system. Third-party insurance also applies worldwide for personal injury to Swedish citizens and people resident in Sweden in accidents involving Swedish-registered vehicles. Also read how long the vehicle may be abroad. In the pre-purchase information for motorhomes and for caravans from May 2026, compensation is normally not paid if the vehicle has been abroad for more than 182 days in the past twelve months when the damage occurs.
The vehicle's insurance covers the vehicle and, with partial or comprehensive cover, certain items in it. If you yourself fall ill or are injured on the trip, read the travel cover in your home insurance or a separate travel policy instead. According to Konsumenternas, travel cover pays out for events such as acute illness and accidents, and it applies for 45 days. For a longer trip, you need to extend the travel cover before you leave or buy a separate travel policy. Read more in the guide to travel cover in home insurance.
[2][6][7][5]Read the vehicle's and the home's terms side by side
Keep the motorhome's or caravan's policy document, terms and pre-purchase information in My Forsio, together with your home insurance. You then have the level, the limits for belongings inside and the lock requirements in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from. If the terms are missing from the documents, the requirement is shown as Not verified, not as confirmed absent.
Forsio does not check whether the vehicle is on or off the road with the Swedish Transport Agency. Nor does Forsio decide which level you need, whether a lock meets the terms or whether damp damage is covered. The insurer decides that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
The caravan is insured. Two questions remain.
Lena is touring Europe with her caravan for seven weeks and reads the documents before leaving.
- Caravan policy
- Comprehensive cover
- Lock on the hitch required
- Not verifiedThe terms are not in the documents.
- Travel cover in home insurance
- 45 days per tripPotential gapThe trip is planned for 49 days.
The caravan has its own cover. The lock requirement needs to be read in the terms, and the travel cover does not last the whole trip if the days in the policy document are correct.
Common questions
Does a caravan need its own insurance?
It does not need its own third-party insurance. The Swedish Transport Agency says a trailer does not need third-party insurance, and according to Konsumenternas the caravan is covered by the third-party insurance of the vehicle it is hitched to. Konsumenternas says partial cover applies to certain damage to your own vehicle, such as theft and fire, and you can take out partial or comprehensive cover for your caravan. [4][3]
Does home insurance cover the belongings in the caravan or motorhome?
It may. According to Konsumenternas, items you bring with you may also be covered by the away-from-home cover in your home insurance, in addition to the cover in the motorhome policy. Read the limit in both agreements. In one insurer's caravan terms from January 2026, if you also use your home insurance for the same covered loss, the insurer pays an amount equal to the home insurance deductible, at most the deductible you paid for the caravan. [1][8]
Can I cancel motorhome insurance while the motorhome is off the road?
According to Konsumenternas, you can usually only cancel motorhome insurance once a year, on the main renewal date. The need for parts such as theft cover does not end when the motorhome is taken off the road, so you cannot cancel those. When the need for insurance ends, for example if you sell the motorhome, you always have the right to cancel the policy. [2]
Is damp damage in a caravan covered?
Do not assume so. In one insurer's caravan terms from January 2026, own-damage cover does not apply to damage from cold, wet or corrosion. Leaks from permanently fitted tanks and pipes may be covered under a separate section, but there only if the policy has own-damage cover and the caravan is at most 8 years old. Read what your own agreement says about damp, wet and leaks. [8]
Does the insurance apply if I rent out the motorhome?
Normally not, Konsumenternas says. You may need a separate policy for renting it out, so contact the insurer first. In one insurer's pre-purchase information for motorhomes from May 2026, compensation is normally not paid if the motorhome has been rented out or lent for payment. [2][6]
Do I have to own the motorhome or caravan to insure it?
According to Konsumenternas, the policyholder must be the person who actually owns the vehicle, and in most terms also its main user. In the caravan terms from January 2026, you can be left without compensation if you are registered as owner and have taken out the policy even though you do not own the caravan or mainly use it. [2][8]
MY FORSIO
See what the caravan or motorhome policy contains.
Bring the vehicle's policy document and your home insurance together in My Forsio. Read the level, limits and requirements with the passage each detail came from. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Konsumenternas: motorhome insurance, what it includes
- Konsumenternas: motorhome insurance rules and facts
- Konsumenternas: vehicle insurance, caravans and trailers
- Swedish Transport Agency: types of trailers
- Konsumenternas: travel cover in home insurance and separate travel insurance
- Example of an insurer's pre-purchase information for motorhome insurance, May 2026
- Example of an insurer's pre-purchase information for caravan and trailer insurance, May 2026
- Example of an insurer's caravan insurance terms, January 2026