TRAVEL ARTICLES
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Tips on insuring your car for foreign travel
This summer, more and more people will be ditching the increasingly unpredictable medium of air travel, and plumping for that more familiar family institution: the car.
However, it seems that most people are far less conscientious when driving abroad than they would be at home. ASDA Car Insurance for example point out that you need to specify that you will be driving overseas to ensure that you are covered by their car insurance when driving overseas. A recent survey suggested that a large majority of drivers had absolutely no idea what their insurer covered them for when they drove abroad, and another alarmingly high percentage mistakenly believed that their AA travel insurance extended to cover car insurance too. Even more alarmingly, this same belief was mirrored buy holders of Go Travel Insurance and other policies with no conceptual association to 'cars' at all.
Check with your insurer as to whether your policy extends overseas. Even those with comprehensive cover in the UK may need to upgrade - under EU law an insurer is only required to provide something called 'Road Traffic Act', which is even less than third-party insurance and will not cover you against theft, accidental damage or injury.
Another point to investigate is for how long your policy will remain 'upgraded' for overseas use. Most insurers will offer a 'free period' for your policy abroad, but this can vary wildly from 3 days (Directline, Esure and Halifax, for example) to 365 (Saga and Ecar)!
Although not a legal requirement, breakdown cover is also advisable for the diligent traveller. Again, check with your provider in the UK. It may prove simpler and cheaper to take out a separate policy for use abroad.
Essentially, rigour pays off. Just remember to pester your insurer for all the answers regarding your policy; and let them know at least two weeks before you are intending to go on holiday: it's usually a requirement written into your policy. Without their blessing, you might just find your family holiday costs a lot more than you expected.
However, it seems that most people are far less conscientious when driving abroad than they would be at home. ASDA Car Insurance for example point out that you need to specify that you will be driving overseas to ensure that you are covered by their car insurance when driving overseas. A recent survey suggested that a large majority of drivers had absolutely no idea what their insurer covered them for when they drove abroad, and another alarmingly high percentage mistakenly believed that their AA travel insurance extended to cover car insurance too. Even more alarmingly, this same belief was mirrored buy holders of Go Travel Insurance and other policies with no conceptual association to 'cars' at all.
Check with your insurer as to whether your policy extends overseas. Even those with comprehensive cover in the UK may need to upgrade - under EU law an insurer is only required to provide something called 'Road Traffic Act', which is even less than third-party insurance and will not cover you against theft, accidental damage or injury.
Another point to investigate is for how long your policy will remain 'upgraded' for overseas use. Most insurers will offer a 'free period' for your policy abroad, but this can vary wildly from 3 days (Directline, Esure and Halifax, for example) to 365 (Saga and Ecar)!
Although not a legal requirement, breakdown cover is also advisable for the diligent traveller. Again, check with your provider in the UK. It may prove simpler and cheaper to take out a separate policy for use abroad.
Essentially, rigour pays off. Just remember to pester your insurer for all the answers regarding your policy; and let them know at least two weeks before you are intending to go on holiday: it's usually a requirement written into your policy. Without their blessing, you might just find your family holiday costs a lot more than you expected.
