Why Compare Citroen Horsebox Insurance?
Plated Weight Changes The Quote
A 3.5t Relay and a Relay uprated to 4.25t can be priced quite differently. Comparing shows you quotes for the weight on your plate, not a guess based on how the box looks.
The Builder Matters To Providers
Your Relay may carry a body from JTH, Liberty, Foxy or another UK coachbuilder. Specialist horsebox providers may rate that conversion more accurately than a plain van policy would.
Agreed Value Protects The Build
A market-value payout may not reflect what a coachbuilt Relay is worth. Clean Green Cars introduces you to UK insurance providers offering horsebox cover, so you can compare agreed value options in one short form.
Citroen Horsebox Insurance At A Glance
- The Relay Is The Citroen Horsebox - UK Citroen horseboxes are built on the Citroen Relay van chassis, not on a truck. Citroen doesn't make the horsebox body itself. A UK coachbuilder adds the stalls, ramp and groom area.
- One Platform, Three Badges - The Relay shares its van platform with the Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer. Builders such as JTH and GP Horseboxes offer the same body on all three, so quote the make and model shown on your V5C.
- Builders That Name The Relay - Liberty, Trevett & Smith, JTH (Aeos), GP Horseboxes, John Oates and Foxy all name the Relay as a base, and Regent lists Citroen among its 3.5t chassis. Name yours on the quote form, because the conversion is a big part of what you're insuring.
- 3.5t As Standard, 4.25t When Uprated - Most Relay boxes are plated at 3,500kg, so payload is tight. Uprated Relays at 3.9t, 4.25t and 4.5t are sold, and anything above 3,500kg needs C1 on your licence.
- Weight Sets The Test And The Tax - A Relay box from 3,000kg to 3,500kg takes a class 7 MOT. Over 3,500kg it takes the HGV annual test, and if it isn't used for business it can be taxed as a Private HGV.
- Compare Quotes - see UK insurance providers that price a Relay horsebox on its plated weight, builder and use. The horsebox insurance hub explains the rules shared by every make.
Is Insurance Required For A Citroen Horsebox?
Yes. You need at least third party insurance to use a Citroen Relay horsebox on a road or other public place, under the Road Traffic Act. GOV.UK says driving uninsured can mean a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points (an IN10 endorsement), and police can seize the box.
- Every Road Trip Needs Cover - whether your Relay is plated at 3.5t or uprated to 4.25t, it needs at least third party cover before it goes on a road or into a public car park.
- SORN Means No Policy Needed - a Relay box kept off the road and declared SORN doesn't need insurance by law. Laid-up cover for fire, theft and storm damage can still be worth keeping over winter.
- Body Type Must Match The Box - once a Relay van becomes a horsebox, you must update the V5C body type with DVLA. DVLA chooses the description and may inspect it, so give your insurer the same details.
- Provider Conditions Matter - some providers may ask for an immobiliser, a tracker or locked storage on a newer coachbuilt Relay. You can compare what each one asks for via the horsebox insurance hub.
Citroen Horsebox Licence Requirements
Welfare In Transport Rules For Relay Owners
Your licence covers the driver. Welfare-in-transport rules cover the journey, but only when it's linked to money or a business. Here's where a Citroen Relay horsebox owner may fall inside them before a longer trip.
Transporter Authorisation Over 65km
Paid or business horse moves over 65km (about 40 miles) need APHA transporter authorisation. Type 1 is for trips of up to 8 hours, type 2 for anything longer. It's the journey and the money that count, not whether the box is a Relay.
Journey Logs Are For Long Trips Abroad
You only need a journey log when unregistered horses travel more than 8 hours from Great Britain to another country. Section 1 goes to APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency) at least 2 working days before you leave, and the completed log goes back within one month.
What Registered Horses Skip
A registered horse belongs to an EU-recognised studbook or a national branch of an international racing or competition organisation. Registered horses skip journey logs and the journey-time, rest and feeding rules. Anyone moving them in scope still needs authorisation and an animal transport certificate.
Cover Levels For A Relay Horsebox
Choose third party only on a newly converted Relay and a fire or theft could leave you with nothing back for the van or the coachbuilt body. Here's what each level usually includes.
| Feature | Comprehensive | Third Party, Fire & Theft | Third Party Only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability to third parties (legal minimum) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fire and theft of the Citroen Relay horsebox | Yes | Yes | No |
| Accidental damage to the Relay cab and coachbuilt body | Yes | No | No |
| Tack and personal effects in transit | Often included up to a limit | Provider-dependent | No |
| Agreed value on a coachbuilt Relay conversion | Often available | Provider-dependent | No |
| Custodial liability (care, custody and control of other horses) | Often add-on | Add-on | No |
| Public liability for livery or eventing use | Often included or add-on | Provider-dependent | No |
| European Union driving cover | Yes (period-limited) | Yes (period-limited) | Yes (period-limited) |
| Breakdown recovery suited to a loaded horsebox | Often add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Horse onward care or livery during breakdown | Often add-on | Provider-dependent | No |
| Personal accident benefit for driver and passenger | Typically yes | Provider-dependent | No |
Policy features, benefits, terms and conditions vary between insurance providers, so always check the policy wording.
Cover Tip: On a Relay box, the Citroen cab is a common van part, but the coachbuilt body, partitions, ramp and fitted groom area are what cost most to put right. Comprehensive is usually the only level that pays towards accidental damage to them. Compare it alongside agreed value, tack in transit and custodial liability (also called care, custody and control, the cover for someone else's horse on board).
What May Not Be Covered
One wrong weight on the quote form, or carrying a friend's horse for fuel money, can leave a Citroen horsebox claim unpaid. Here's what a standard Relay horsebox policy usually leaves out.
Standard Exclusions
- V5C Details That Don't Match - If the V5C still describes your Relay as a van after the conversion, or its details don't match what you told your insurer, a claim may be delayed or refused. Update DVLA once the conversion is done and give your insurer the same details.
- Undeclared Builder Or Changes - A fitted living area, an extra stall, a new ramp, a leisure battery upgrade or a self-build Relay conversion that you haven't declared may invalidate cover. Name the coachbuilder, such as Liberty, John Oates or GP Horseboxes, and list every change since the build.
- Driving Outside Your Licence - Driving a Relay uprated to 4.25t on a category B licence alone, without C1 or pre-1997 rights, is outside your entitlement and may invalidate the policy. The plated weight decides which licence you need, not how the box looks from the outside.
- Undeclared Hire And Reward - Carrying other people's horses for payment, fuel money or a share of prize money, while the policy is on social, domestic and pleasure use, is usually excluded. DVSA counts prize money and indirect payment as commercial, so tell your insurer if either applies.
Important Limitations
- Uprating Without Telling Anyone - Uprating a Relay from 3.5t to 4.25t changes the licence you need, the annual test and the V5C weight. If your insurer still has it at 3.5t, cover may be invalidated. Update the V5C and tell your insurer before using the box at its new weight.
- Storage Or Security Conditions - Some providers ask for an immobiliser, a tracker or locked storage on a newer Relay box. If the policy names a condition and it isn't met, a theft or vandalism claim may be refused, even when everything else on the policy is in order.
Extras Worth Considering
Skip horsebox breakdown cover and a Relay that stops on a dual carriageway could leave you waiting at the roadside with horses on board. These extras may be worth adding to a Citroen horsebox policy.
Taking your Relay box to a show in Europe? The cover that applies abroad may only be the legal minimum, so check the level and the number of days allowed. Taking horses to the EU also needs an export health certificate, which is separate from your insurance.
A standard car recovery service may not be set up to move a loaded horsebox. Breakdown cover built for horseboxes, with onward transport or temporary livery for the horses, can stop a roadside fault on the Relay turning into a welfare problem.
A Relay coachbuilt by a specialist can be worth very different money from a plain Relay van of the same age. Agreed value fixes the payout figure with the provider when the policy starts, rather than leaving it to a market valuation at claim time.
Saddles, bridles, rugs and show kit in the locker, plus liability for horses you don't own, may only have low limits on a base policy. A tack and custodial extension can raise them to amounts that suit what you really carry in a two-horse Relay box.
What Affects The Cost?
The value of the conversion, the plated weight, how you use the box and where it's parked overnight tend to move a Citroen Relay horsebox quote the most. Here's what goes into the price.
| Key Factor | Impact on your price |
|---|---|
| Declared vehicle value | The value you declare for the whole box, van plus conversion, tends to move the price more than the engine does. A newly coachbuilt Relay usually costs more to insure than an older conversion of the same layout. |
| Coachbuilder and conversion | Builders such as JTH, Trevett & Smith, Liberty and Foxy fit their bodies to the Relay. The builder, the age of the build and any self-build work may all affect how a provider rates the box. |
| Plated weight (MAM) | A Relay plated at 3,500kg sits in the car licence bracket. One uprated to 3.9t, 4.25t or 4.5t needs C1 drivers and the HGV annual test, and some providers may price it differently from the standard build. |
| Use type | Leisure-only use (social, domestic and pleasure) usually prices lowest. Business equestrian use, such as livery or teaching, sits in the middle, and carrying other people's horses for money tends to price highest on a Relay box. |
| Driver age and licence history | Older drivers with a long clean licence and horsebox experience usually price lower. Younger drivers, or anyone without C1 for an uprated Relay, may price higher or find fewer providers willing to quote. |
| Claims and conviction history | A clean claims record on any motor policy usually helps. Recent motoring convictions, even ones from car cover, can push a Citroen horsebox quote up as well. |
| Overnight storage | A locked yard or gated compound with CCTV tends to price lowest. A private driveway or barn usually sits in the middle, and parking on the street often prices highest for a Relay horsebox. |
| Annual mileage | Many leisure Relay boxes do most of their miles in the show and hunting season. An honest mileage figure, rather than a car-style guess, tends to price the box more accurately. |
| Home postcode | Rural postcodes with lower theft rates usually price below busier urban ones. The same local theft and weather risks that shape car cover apply to a Relay horsebox parked at home. |
| Security devices fitted | A Thatcham-approved alarm, immobiliser, tracker or wheel clamp may help the price on a Relay horsebox. Some providers may ask for approved security on newer or higher-value conversions. |
The quotes you get will depend on your own details.
Price Insight: Builders put the same body on a Relay, a Boxer or a Ducato, so the badge on the bonnet tends to matter less than the build underneath it. The coachbuilder, the age of the conversion, whether it's been uprated and the value you declare usually shape the price far more. Have the builder's name, the plated weight and the conversion date ready before you start.
Ways To Help Reduce Your Premium
Renew without comparing and a Relay horsebox policy can creep up year after year. Here are practical ways that may bring the price down.
Match The V5c To The Box
Check that the V5C body type and weight match your Relay as it is today. If DVLA hasn't been told about the conversion, update it, and give your insurer the same details so the quote is based on the real vehicle.
Keep It In A Locked Yard
Declare a locked yard, gated farm or CCTV compound if you genuinely use one. Secure overnight storage tends to be one of the biggest factors on a Relay horsebox quote, especially on a newer coachbuilt box.
Fit Approved Security
Fit a Thatcham-approved alarm, immobiliser or tracker if the Relay doesn't have one. It may help the price, and some providers ask for approved security on newer or agreed-value coachbuilt boxes.
Quote The Plated Weight
Read the weight off the chassis plate and the V5C, not the advert. A Relay uprated to 4.25t should be quoted at 4.25t, and getting that right can avoid a price, and a policy, based on the wrong vehicle.
Declare Honest Low Mileage
Estimate your real yearly miles from last season's shows, lessons and hunting days. If the Relay mostly sits at the yard between events, a limited mileage option, where a provider offers one, may lower the quote.
Pay Annually If You Can Afford It
Pay for the year in one go if you can. Monthly instalments usually add interest (the APR, or yearly cost of borrowing), which can add a noticeable amount to a Relay horsebox policy over twelve months.
Saving Tip: Getting the plated weight, the builder and the V5C details to match, declaring secure overnight storage and giving an honest mileage tends to move a Citroen horsebox quote the most. Many Relay boxes do most of their miles in the show season, so a car-style mileage guess can overstate it for years without anyone noticing.
How To Compare Quotes
Comparing Citroen Relay horsebox quotes from UK insurance providers takes a few minutes with your V5C to hand. Get started above.
Share Your Details
Enter the Citroen Relay's year, the coachbuilder, the plated weight, the value of the whole box and your postcode. The form takes a few minutes.
Confirm The Weight And Build
Check the V5C details match the box, then declare any uprating, fitted living area, leisure battery, solar panel or interior refit done since the Relay was converted.
Compare Cover Levels
Look at third party, fire and theft and comprehensive side by side, then read the tack in transit, custodial liability and agreed value terms on each quote for your Relay.
Weigh Add-Ons
Decide on European cover, horsebox breakdown with onward care, agreed value and custodial liability, depending on the value of the box and whose horses travel in it.
Set Inception Date
Pick the date you want the policy to start. The provider issues your certificate and adds the Relay to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) once payment is complete.
What Our Expert Says
Here's what most Relay owners don't expect. Underneath, a Citroen horsebox is usually the same van platform a builder also offers as a Fiat Ducato or Peugeot Boxer. So providers tend to care less about the badge and more about the build, the weight and how you use it.
The trap is weight. A Relay box sold as 3.5t may have been uprated, and Liberty Horseboxes lists a Relay at 4.25t with a 1,600kg payload. That extra payload is handy, but it means C1 on your licence, the HGV annual test and a new weight on the V5C. If your insurer still has it down as 3.5t, the details don't match the box you're driving.
So before you quote, read the plate and the V5C, not the advert. Tell your insurer the plated weight, the coachbuilder and whether anyone else's horses ever travel, and make sure your licence covers the weight you've declared.
Insurance Expert & Co-founder of Clean Green Cars
Citroen Horsebox Questions
Can I Drive A Citroen Relay Horsebox On A Car Licence?
Yes, if it's plated at 3,500kg. A car licence covers a petrol or diesel horsebox up to that weight. If the Relay has been uprated to 3.9t, 4.25t or 4.5t, you need C1, which drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 usually already have. Check the plate, not the advert, before you drive it.
Is A Relay Horsebox The Same As A Ducato Or Boxer?
Underneath, mostly yes. The Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer share one van platform, and builders such as JTH and GP Horseboxes offer the same body on all three. Your insurer still needs the actual make, model and plated weight from your V5C, so quote it as a Citroen Relay rather than by the builder's model name alone.
Does Uprating A Relay To 4.25t Affect My Insurance?
Yes. A 4.25t Relay needs C1 drivers, moves to the HGV annual test and needs the new weight on the V5C. Tell your insurer before you use it at the new weight, because the quote should reflect the box as plated. Owners usually uprate for payload, since a 3.5t Relay box has little to spare once two horses and kit are on board.
Which Coachbuilders Convert The Citroen Relay?
Several UK builders name it. Liberty, Trevett & Smith, JTH, GP Horseboxes, John Oates and Foxy all name the Relay as a base for their horseboxes, and Regent lists Citroen among the makes it builds on. Put the builder and model on the quote form, because the conversion is a large part of what you're insuring and it may affect how a provider values the box.
What's Custodial Liability On A Relay Horsebox Policy?
It's cover for horses you carry but don't own. Custodial liability, also called care, custody and control, covers your legal liability if someone else's horse is hurt while it's in your Relay. It matters if you ever take a friend's horse to a show, or a client's horse as part of a business. It's usually an add-on rather than standard.
What MOT Does A Citroen Relay Horsebox Need?
It depends on the weight. A horsebox from 3,000kg to 3,500kg takes a class 7 MOT, which covers the standard 3.5t Relay build. Over 3,500kg, for example a Relay uprated to 4.25t, it takes the HGV annual test instead, every year from 12 months after first registration. Some breakdown policies also set weight limits, so check those match the plated weight too.
Do I Need Transporter Authorisation For My Citroen Horsebox?
Only if the journey is linked to an economic activity and goes over 65km (about 40 miles). Taking your own horse out purely for leisure is outside them. Professional riders, livery yards and anyone paid to move horses are inside them, so they need type 1 or type 2 authorisation and a certificate of competence, on top of the right insurance use class.
What Happens After I Submit My Details?
Quotes usually appear within minutes. Clean Green Cars introduces you to UK insurance providers and regulated brokers that offer horsebox cover. You enter your Relay's details, plated weight, use and storage once, then compare the cover, price and add-ons on each quote before you decide which, if any, to take.
Search & Compare Quotes From UK Citroen Horsebox Insurance Providers
Useful Resources
- GOV.UK - Driving Licence Categories - the official list of what category B and C1 let you drive, which explains why a 3.5t Relay and an uprated 4.25t Relay need different licences.
- GOV.UK - Change Vehicle Details On A V5C - when you must tell DVLA about a new body type or weight, for example after a Relay van is converted into a horsebox or uprated.
- GOV.UK / DVSA - Transporting Horses In Horseboxes And Trailers - DVSA's guidance for horsebox owners on licences, tachographs, operator licences and what counts as commercial use.
- GOV.UK - MOT For An HGV, Bus Or Trailer - the annual test that applies to horseboxes over 3,500kg, including a Relay uprated to 3.9t, 4.25t or 4.5t.
- GOV.UK / APHA - Transporting Animals In Great Britain - when you need type 1 or type 2 transporter authorisation, a certificate of competence or vehicle approval for moving horses.
- GOV.UK - Horse Passports - why a valid passport has to stay with your horse, including every time it travels in the horsebox.
