Car Insurance Abroad – Check Your Cover

If you plan to drive in Europe and have Fully Comprehensive insurance, find out exactly what level of cover your policy provides while you’re on the Continent. Car insurance UK-style can be very different from car insurance abroad.

It is not safe to assume that you automatically have the same protection as you do on the roads in this country. In many cases only Road Traffic Accident (RTA) insurance applies, which, depending on the country, might be at best similar to Third Party cover.

This means that you might not be adequately covered if your car were to be stolen, or for your solicitor’s costs should an accident result in a legal dispute.

So, whether you are taking a family holiday or traveling overseas on business, to avoid any such problems you should check with your insurer and extend your insurance cover for the duration of your visit. Some companies will provide you with insurance cover incorporating European breakdown protection, so come what may, you’re fully prepared for any motoring mishap.

Another aspect of your car insurance that you cannot take for granted is if you have DOC cover - that is insurance for driving other people’s cars. This will not apply when you are abroad, so do not drive any cars other than the one for which you know you are insured.

Last but not least, don’t forget to make the arrangements for your European insurance cover in plenty of time.

That way you can ensure that your documentation will get to you before you travel. And just to be absolutely sure, because it simply isn’t worth taking any chances with your motor insurance, you might even want to allow time for your documentation to be amended if there are any inaccuracies. Better to be safe than sorry.