The Dirty World of Insurance

Insurance should be a dirty word. If your policy doesn’t cover every dirty and dusty 4X4 track in Oz, and even the odd cross-country run, then is it really worth it, and are your adventures actually covered? 

Club 4X4 are one of my major sponsors here at Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures and cover our fleet of Ford’s from the TV show. It’s not the cheapest policy around, but after finding myself $50K in a hole after an accident on a filming trip in the early days of the show, I definitely appreciate the importance of insurance that’s fit for purpose!

After writing off a Nissan Patrol on a 4X4 track that was only partially covered thanks to a not-so comprehensive insurance policy, I figured perhaps I’m not Robinson Crusoe?! Surely there were others like me?! With the help of a few mates, we launched Club 4X4 with the goal of providing insurance that 4WDers like us could see value in and understand without the jargon. Nearly a decade on, the business has grown a lot, but the goal remains the same.

GO JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE

For starters, Club 4X4 insurance covers you anywhere you can legally take a 4X4 in Australia, simple as that. Want to go cross-country across the Simpson Desert or on some random 4X4 park? Go nuts, you’re sorted. Oh, and that goes for camper trailers and caravans as well; as long as you’re allowed to take them there, Club 4X4 goes there too.

‘MODDED’ IS CLUB’S MIDDLE NAME

Club 4X4 also offers comprehensive cover for the accessories and modifications we do to our vehicles. That doesn’t stop at insuring the bits and pieces themselves though, you can also include labour costs into the deal, which can be a common area of underinsurance when looking to rebuild after a write off as I found out with my Patrol. And there are no valuers that come around to your house either. It’s just a phone call, and if necessary, the team in the Sunshine-Coast-based call centre might ask for a few receipts and photos if the vehicle is heavily modified.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, RECOVERY COVER

The other big difference between Club 4X4 and other insurers is their off-road recovery cover. Every 4X4 vehicle policy includes $1500 of reimbursement cover as standard to respond to things that aren’t your usual claim, like getting bogged or a mechanical failure. But what if you’re doing the big lap of Oz, or a remote trip? That’s when you can increase your cover to $15,000 or $30,000. Professional recovery costs can be expensive to say the least but are rarely part of the plan, and Club 4X4 are the only insurance provider in Australia with anything like this. 

CARAVANS & CAMPER-TRAILERS?

Club 4X4 has always offered insurance for camper-trailers and off-road caravans. When the company was founded nearly a decade ago, the team picked through the other company's policies, and came up with a more generous offering. Club 4X4 remains focused on their pursuit of providing the best motor insurance for off-road adventurers, but with more of those adventures involving camper trailers and caravans, they are working hard to make sure their offering for these is ahead of the pack.