New Simpson Desert Recovery Service

Hi Wildmax, I too had been with C4x4 almost since they began & had no complaints.
About 3 years ago I was buying an OKA based motorhome which they covered for me.

That sale fell over at the last minute & I didn’t buy it, so subsequently cancelled the insurance, but C4x4 did cover it without any problem.

This time around I bought another expedition vehicle, & thought C4x4 would insure me. However things have changed at C4x4 in more recent times, I think since Kalen Ziflian, former founding partner & general manager of C4x4 moved on.

He is now Head of Marketing for a broader ‘umbrella group' of insurance companies which I believe use the same underwriter (Hollard) as C4x4. This group now includes KT (formerly Ken Tame & Associates) who insure Motorhomes. C4x4 described KT to me as as a ‘sister company’ when directing me to them for coverage of our new vehicle, saying sorry, we don’t cover 4x4 motorhomes/expedition vehicles.

My belief is that they simply have an arrangement with KT about who will insure what between them, but they did not confirm this.

The problem for anyone with a 4x4 motorhome/expedition vehicle, intended for remote area travel is that KT do not include a remote area recovery option in their product, & nor do any other insurance companies, leaving owners of 4x4 expedition vehicles with no remote area recovery options other than on gazetted roads via the state based auto organisations (RAC etc).

No doubt ‘Expedition Vehicles’ are a tiny niche part of the insurance market, & whilst I have been able to insure ours with another company, it seems to me that there is a significant opportunity being missed by the current insurance industry to provide remote area recovery for such vehicles, leaving owners like me with no option other than maintaining sufficient funds as an ‘emergency kitty’ to pay for recovery from places like the Simpson, & the Canning if things go pear shaped.

As a long term & claim free (bar one windscreen replacement) customer of C4x4 I was pretty disappointed to find myself ‘dumped’ in this way - a case of need but ‘computer says no’.

Thanks for that detailed reply Cuppa; that explains why nothing has changed in relation to the cover for my humble Hilux.
Agree with you that the expedition vehicles are a growing niche, and there certainly seems to be an opportunity for an insurer to capture that segment - though I guess at great cost, seeing the recovery vehicle you'd need would by a much bigger unit than for a regular 4WD wagon or ute.
Safe travelling !!