Evening all,

I'm taking my car to France for 2 weeks soon and whilst I, as policy holder, am insured fully comp, it doesn't mention anything about other named drivers on the policy.

Quote from policy docs:

"Cover also includes 60 days comprehensive cover within the EU."

Has anyone any knowledge/experience if named drivers are generally included in EU cover, or indeed, if they are not?

Cheers

Yes, they should be, but I'd suggest you contact your insco to double-check with them in case they have something stashed away in the small print. ;-)

i've scoured the small print and can't find anything! good idea to contact them thought thanks.

Depending upon your insurer, they may have issued you with a European Certificate however, as you mention that EU cover is limited to 60 days, I suspect that you would need to notify them of your dates of travel. If you do not have a European Cert then they will need to issue an endorsement ( or Green Card ). If they do, I bet they'll charge you an admin fee !!!

Strictly speaking a GC is not required however if you do not notify the insurer ( personal lines is different to commercial ) then cover could be limited to the Road Traffic Act of that particular country you are in.

In addition, I would recommend a breakdown cover such as AA 5 Star as most insurers would not cover repatriation etc when abroad.

As for persons named on your policy, the issue of a GC or relevent endorsement would afford the same cover as the policy provides in the UK to all nominated persons. It is simply an extension to your UK policy.

In essence though, contact your insurer to be on the safe side.

cheers Trojan...I've got the breakdown sorted - found a great value online service through insureandgo.

another query:

my policy insures me to drive any other car on a 3rd party basis. There is no stipulation that this has to be in UK. Do you think I am correct in assuming I have minimum cover driving another car in France?

cheers

The "Driving other Cars" ( DoC ) extension applicable to certain insurance policies will allow the policyholder to drive a vehicle not owned/hired to them for Third Party Risks only (TPO). It is really designed for "emergency" use only to legally drive another vehicle.

I'm not sure legally where you would stand especially driving a foreign registered vehicle in a foreign country under a UK policy extension. I certainly would not recommend this. Perhaps an Underwriter or legal expert can comment - I'm a broker in the commercial world where DoC does not apply to fleets so am a bit rusty on personal lines underwriting.

There are a few threads on this subject where others have commented so worth looking at them.

Again, if in doubt, ask your insurer - You may not get an immediate answer though as it is a specific technical underwriting issue which may need to be referred.

It is a good question though which I will put to some of my colleagues in the underwriting world - I bet they won't even have an answer - and we're talking ACII qualified brains !!!

The "Driving other Cars" ( DoC ) extension applicable to certain insurance policies will allow the policyholder to drive a vehicle not owned/hired to them for Third Party Risks only (TPO). It is really designed for "emergency" use only to legally drive another vehicle.

I'm not sure legally where you would stand especially driving a foreign registered vehicle in a foreign country under a UK policy extension. I certainly would not recommend this. Perhaps an Underwriter or legal expert can comment - I'm a broker in the commercial world where DoC does not apply to fleets so am a bit rusty on personal lines underwriting.

 

There are a few threads on this subject where others have commented so worth looking at them.

 

Again, if in doubt, ask your insurer - You may not get an immediate answer though as it is a specific technical underwriting issue which may need to be referred.

 

It is a good question though which I will put to some of my colleagues in the underwriting world - I bet they won't even have an answer - and we're talking ACII qualified brains !!!

thanks for info. underwriter doesn't seem to know much i'm afraid - i always get a call back tomorrow, we'll have an answer!!

DOC does not apply for driving in the EU, you will need to check the territorial limits of your policy. Some companies charge for EU cover and that will only cover the inured vehicle as this has to go on the GC.

Again some companys offer 90 day trip cover to the EU but again this only applies to the insured vehicle as the cert will have the bail bonds,EU insurance agreement etc printed on the reverse

To answer your queries:

Yes, named drivers are covered with the same cover as yourself. As trojan pointed out, some insurers cover you to drive in the EU as standard, others will charge you for a green card. In either case all drivers named on the policy will have the same cover, in your case fully comprehensive.

The DOC cover will only apply within the UK, it will definitely be explained in your policy documents somewhere, usually within the territorial limits section.

DA