Author: Emma Mayo

Have you taken the car across to France recently – perhaps you took the short journey from Dover to Calais to pick up some wine for Christmas? Did you think to check to see if you were insured before you left? One third of UK motorists do, the other two thirds don’t. And with an estimated 8 million UK holidaymakers, a figure that is growing rapidly, taking their car over the channel every year, that’s a staggering statistic.

It’s not that you won’t be insured at all if you go to Europe, but you can’t automatically expect the same level of cover that you receive in the UK. Your insurer is legally obliged to insure you either at the minimum requirement in the particular EU country, or at third party level – whichever offers the most cover. If you are fully comprehensive in the UK, you may well be third party only in the country you’re visiting. This means you’re not covered for fire or theft, and if your car is damaged in an accident and you’re the one at fault, you will have to pay for the repairs.

As Ian Crowder from AA Insurance has said: “Roughly a quarter of a million comprehensive policies do not automatically or freely extend comprehensive cover to foreign climes.” So in many cases you can have your cover extended to Europe for free, but you have to ring up and ask for it – it doesn’t happen automatically.

A number of insurers will extend your cover to the EU, but there will be an extra charge. This is something that you could choose as an optional extra when you first buy the policy, especially if you intend to drive abroad quite regularly.

If you’re insured with the AA, Axa, Budget, Churchill or Marks & Spencer then you’re in luck - they range from 60 days to 90 days included for no extra charge. Direct Line and Esure offer just 3 days included, and then charge thereafter. Tesco and More Than need a phone call to set up the extended cover, and charges vary.

You also need to think about where you will be travelling in Europe. Only EU countries are generally covered however Switzerland, Croatia, Gibraltar, Norway, Monaco, Iceland, San Marino and Liechtenstein are all allowed in on the deal. Countries further east like Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria may not be covered, so it’s essential to make a phone call before driving through.

You also need to consider getting breakdown cover, because you could find yourself in a sticky situation if you break down in a remote area, especially if you don’t know the language. Some car insurers like Direct Line can add it on to the insurance – they charge £50 for a 2-week holiday for a family of four in France. The AA’s charges start at £10.90 for a day, and with RAC prices start at £13.50 for two days on the other side of the channel.

Finally, a few words of advice on other precautions you need to take when driving abroad:

§ Have the paper and the card part of your driving licence, your insurance certificate, the vehicle registration document and your passport with you at all times when driving.
§ If your car doesn’t have a number plate with ‘GB’ on it, buy a GB sticker for the back of your car.
§ Check out the rules of the country on headlights. You will need to adjust your headlights so they don’t dazzle road users. Also, you have to drive with dipped headlights at all times in Scandinavia, Italy and Spain.
§ Some European countries demand you to carry some or all of the following: a spare set of light bulbs, high visibility jackets, a reflective warning triangle, a first aid kit.

So now you are prepared for driving on the continent, have a great holiday!

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