Travelling Abroad – Is My Car Covered?
If you’re planning a trip abroad, it’s crucial to make sure that your car is covered by insurance. Don’t just assume that your existing car insurance will include overseas travel, and make sure that you inspect your policy to see whether it has any specific exceptions that might require paying a higher premium. To this end, it’s worth exploring the travel options available from specialist insurers like Direct Asia Thailand when looking for insurance.
Most insurance policies will include some form of minimum cover for European travel, although this will generally only cover road traffic accident insurance and third party policies, rather than comprehensive deals. British drivers used to have to produce a Green Card when travelling to show that they had insurance in place; with the EU, this is no longer so essential, although it can be useful to bring if you do have a dispute.
When travelling, it’s worth revising your car insurance to a comprehensive level, which can include separate breakdown cover and more specific policies for accidents and theft. Just having third party insurance can often not be enough if you want to cover against theft and damage, meaning that you can end up spending much more than you were expecting to if you have to make a claim. Determining how much you’re expected to pay out as part of a third party claim can also drag out a legal dispute.
For long term holidays and stays abroad that require more than basic car insurance, check local laws and insurance regulations to see whether you can expand your existing policies, or if you need to take out a new policy with a provider in the country you’re staying in; this might be required if your insurance doesn’t match up to local laws, and can be cheaper in the long run than trying to claim against your old insurance policy.
There are also a number of preventive measures you can follow to try to lower your insurance premiums when travelling abroad; these can include getting an MOT just before you travel, as well as agreeing upon an average mileage with your insurer if you’re travelling with a specific journey in mind. Completing an advanced driving course, and bringing your Certificate of Motor Insurance with you can also help to reduce problems with local police and other drivers.
As with any type of car insurance, it makes sense to check the fine print on a policy as much as possible to ensure that you’re not assuming a certain level of cover. It’s also worth exploring whether or not your excess will change as the result of driving abroad, and whether you’ll be able to easily revert to a standard insurance package if you’re only driving abroad for a short length of time.
Author Bio
Danielle Reardon blogs about travelling and ways to save money when on the road. For reliable car insurance, she recommends using Direct Asia Thailand. She’s recently returned from a trip to Asia, and would like to return again in the future
Category: Car Insurance
