British holiday-makers are 'driving in the dark' when they take their car overseas, as two-thirds have no idea what they are covered for by their insurer. New research by uSwitch.com also reveals that one in ten drivers wrongly think they are covered by their travel insurance for any motoring mishaps they have when they take their car abroad.
Under EU law providers only have to offer minimum cover, which is third party only. Basic third party insurance only covers the damage you cause to another vehicle or driver – it does not cover against theft, accidental damage to your car or injury to yourself.
In some cases, it can be upgraded to fully comprehensive insurance, but drivers will incur an additional cost if it is for longer than the free period offered by the provider. In fact, analysis by uSwitch.com has found that very few major providers will automatically offer more than three days cover for free whilst driving abroad.
Aron Thompson, head of insurance at uSwitch.com, said: "This is a major issue for holiday makers as they can end up facing an unpaid claim if they drive their car abroad without getting their insurance lined up properly beforehand. This is a classic case of 'know before you go'."
He concluded: "Motorists really have two choices – they should either check which providers will cover them fully for driving abroad before buying car insurance or, at the very least, pull out their current car insurance policy and check the small print before they go away. If in any doubt, call your insurer before you get behind the wheel."
