Written and reviewed by the team at Car Buyers Assist
Quick answer: In Australia a horse float is generally insured under a caravan or trailer policy, not a car policy. Your comprehensive car insurance covers your liability while towing and, with some insurers, a small amount for damage caused if the float separates from the car — but it does not insure the float itself. And every policy we looked at covers the float, not the horse. Vet bills are a separate product.
The three things most horse float owners get wrong
1. Your car insurance does not cover the float
This is the expensive assumption. GIO, for example, publishes exactly what its comprehensive car policy does for a towed float: legal liability if the float damages someone else’s property, plus up to $1,000 for accidental damage to the trailer caused by it separating from the car while moving. That is the whole extent of it. GIO also states that its comprehensive car insurance will not cover the float if someone else is towing it — a separate trailer policy does, provided they have your permission and are legally allowed to tow.
So if your float is stolen from the property, damaged by hail, or written off in an incident, a car policy is not the thing that responds.
2. The float is insured. The horse is not.
GIO states plainly that trailer and horse float insurance does not include cover for injury to your animals — for example, vet bills. This is the single most important thing to understand before you buy. Horse float insurance is property insurance on a piece of equipment. Cover for the animal itself is equine or livestock insurance, an entirely separate policy from a different part of the market.
3. Living quarters change what product you are buying
GIO’s own FAQ is specific: it will insure a float with added accommodation facilities — but as a caravan, not a trailer. If your float has a bunk, kitchenette or shower, you are buying a different product with different rating and different terms. Say so when you get a quote, because a mis-described float is a claim problem later, not a quoting problem now.
Where horse float cover actually sits
Every insurer we looked at places horse floats inside a caravan or trailer product rather than a motor product:
| Insurer | Where horse float cover sits | Underwriter / issuer as published |
|---|---|---|
| GIO | A dedicated “Trailer and Horse Float Insurance” product; policy documents sit under caravan insurance | AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO |
| RAA | Trailer Insurance, described as cover for your horse float or other trailer — written under RAA’s Caravan Comprehensive Insurance product | Allianz South Australia Insurance Limited ABN 14 007 872 602 AFSL 232525; issued by RAA under binder |
| CIL Insurance | Horse Float Insurance provided under the Secure Caravan PDS | CIL Insurance, a trading division of AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 |
Source: each insurer’s own product page, accessed 28 August 2026. CIL’s page states its content is current for Caravan and Motorhome policies starting or renewing on or after 19 May 2025. Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply in every case — read the relevant PDS.
The practical consequence: when you search for a quote, you may need to look under “caravan” or “trailer” rather than “horse float”, and you should confirm with the insurer that a float is covered under that policy before you assume it is.
What the published benefits actually include
Rather than guess at a premium, it is more useful to compare what insurers commit to in writing. These are the published benefits from the three product pages above.
| Benefit | GIO (published) | RAA (published) | CIL (published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accidental damage, theft, attempted theft | Yes — plus collisions and impacts, vandalism, malicious damage, fire | Yes — Australia-wide | Yes |
| Storm, hail, flood, fire | Yes, including cyclones and bushfires | Yes — storm, fire, flood, hail | Yes — hail, storm including cyclone, flood, fire and explosion |
| New replacement after total loss | If less than 2 years old, first owner | If written off within 2 years of initial registration | Within 2 years of first registration, at no extra cost |
| Legal liability — property | Up to $20 million | Up to $20 million | Up to $20 million |
| Legal liability — bodily injury or death | Not separately stated on the product page | $5 million | Not separately stated on the product page |
| Emergency repairs | Covered | Up to $750 per accepted claim | Authorised emergency repairs if not towable after collision or impact |
| Towing and storage | Reasonable costs to nearest repairer or safe location, plus storage | Removal and storage covered | Removal and storage after collision or impact |
| Return after repair | Not separately stated | Not separately stated | Reasonable costs to collect and deliver back if the repairer is more than 100 km from home |
| Excess if not at fault | Not separately stated | $0 excess if not at fault and other party’s details supplied | Not separately stated |
| Contents inside the float | Not covered — the float itself only | Not separately stated | Not separately stated |
| Injury to your animals / vet bills | Not covered | Not separately stated | Not separately stated |
“Not separately stated” means the insurer’s public product page did not address that item — it does not mean the benefit is absent or present. The PDS is the authority in every case.
What drives the price — and why we will not publish an average
You will find plenty of sites quoting an average annual premium for horse float insurance. We are not going to add to them, because none of the insurers themselves publishes one, and a made-up average is worse than no number at all — a $6,000 single-horse float and a $60,000 gooseneck with living quarters are not the same risk and never produce the same premium.
What genuinely moves the number is visible in the policy structure:
- The sum insured, and how it is set. Agreed value fixes the payout figure at inception; market value pays what the float is worth at the time of the claim. GIO states that for a written-off float that is not eligible for new replacement, you are covered for agreed value or market value depending on your policy type. Agreed value generally costs more and removes the argument later.
- Age and registration date. All three insurers tie new-for-old replacement to a 2-year window from first registration. Once you are past it, you are in agreed or market value territory.
- How the float is classified. Trailer versus caravan — the accommodation question above.
- Your excess. A higher excess lowers the premium. RAA publishes a $0 excess where you are not at fault and can supply the other party’s details.
- Where it is kept. Secured and under cover at a residential address is a different risk to an open paddock or a roadside property.
- Bundling. RAA publishes a multi-policy discount of up to 10% where you hold three or more eligible policies in the same name.
- How you pay. RAA publishes monthly payment at no extra cost; some insurers load monthly instalments, so check.
A like-for-like comparison checklist
Two quotes are only comparable if these match. Work down the list in order:
- Product type — is the float being covered as a trailer or as a caravan? Same float, different product, different price.
- Value basis — agreed value or market value, and what figure is on the schedule.
- New replacement eligibility — is your float still inside the 2-year window, and does the insurer require you to be the first owner?
- Excess — the standard excess, plus any age-based or additional excesses.
- Liability limit — property and, separately, bodily injury.
- Emergency repair, towing, storage and return limits — these differ materially between insurers.
- Contents — rugs, saddlery and gear are usually not covered by the float policy. Check where they sit.
- Who may tow it — is cover intact when a friend, float-sharing partner or transporter is towing?
- Commercial use — if you ever move horses for payment, that is likely a different policy entirely.
- Payment frequency loading — monthly versus annual.
Insuring the horse is a separate decision
Because the float policy stops at the float, cover for the animal — mortality, major medical, loss of use, third-party liability arising from the horse itself — comes from equine insurance specialists. Treat it as a second, independent decision rather than assuming your float quote has taken care of it.
If you are still buying the float
Insurance is easier to arrange once the float is in your name, but the decisions that shape it are made at purchase. If you are financing the float, see our guide to horse float finance. Confirm the float’s compliance plate, its ATM and tare, and whether your tow vehicle is rated for it before you commit.
Horse float insurance FAQs
Does my car insurance cover my horse float?
Generally not, beyond liability. GIO publishes that its comprehensive car insurance provides legal liability if your float damages someone else’s property plus up to $1,000 for accidental damage caused by the float separating from the car while moving. To insure the float itself against theft, storm or collision damage you need a trailer or caravan policy.
Does horse float insurance cover my horse?
No. GIO states that trailer and horse float insurance does not include cover for injury to your animals, such as vet bills. Cover for the horse comes from equine insurance, which is a separate product.
Is a horse float insured as a trailer or a caravan?
It depends on the float. GIO’s FAQ states that a float with added accommodation facilities is insured as a caravan rather than a trailer. RAA covers trailers, including horse floats, under its Caravan Comprehensive Insurance product, and CIL provides horse float cover under its Secure Caravan PDS.
How much does horse float insurance cost in Australia?
None of the major insurers publishes an average premium, and we will not invent one. The price is driven by the sum insured and whether it is agreed or market value, the float’s age and registration date, whether it is classified as a trailer or a caravan, your excess, where it is stored, and any multi-policy discount. Get at least two quotes on an identical basis using the checklist above.
Am I covered if someone else tows my float?
Under a trailer policy, generally yes. GIO publishes that its trailer policy covers the float regardless of who is towing it, provided they have your permission and are legally allowed to tow — and specifically notes that its comprehensive car insurance will not.
Are my saddles and gear covered inside the float?
Usually not by the float policy. GIO states it covers damage to the trailer or horse float itself, not its contents. Check whether your home and contents policy extends to gear away from the home, or whether a separate item listing is needed.
Get help comparing your options
Car Buyers Assist helps Australian owners work through buying, selling, financing and protecting their vehicles and trailers. We facilitate and refer — we are not an insurer and we do not issue policies.
Related guides
- Trailer insurance in Australia — how trailer cover works across box, plant, boat and horse floats, and where a float sits within it.
- Camper trailer insurance — what changes once the trailer is set up for sleeping.
- Leisure insurance
- Boat insurance cost in Australia
- Jet ski insurance cost
- Caravan insurance cost
- Horse float finance
Sources
- GIO, Trailer and Horse Float Insurance, and Does GIO insure animal or horse floats? — gio.com.au, accessed 28 August 2026.
- RAA, Trailer Insurance — raa.com.au, accessed 28 August 2026. Insurer: Allianz South Australia Insurance Limited; issued by RAA under binder.
- CIL Insurance, Horse Float Insurance — cilinsurance.com.au, accessed 28 August 2026. Page states content is current for Caravan and Motorhome policies starting or renewing on or after 19 May 2025.
This article is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and it is not a recommendation to acquire any insurance product. Car Buyers Assist is not an insurer and does not issue insurance policies. Cover, limits, exclusions and excesses vary between insurers and change over time — always read the current Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination before making a decision.