Unless they check their insurance cover before driving abroad, British motorists are at risk of turning their dream holiday into an expensive state of affairs.
There are 17.2 million drivers who when travelling overseas, are totally unaware of the level of car insurance cover they have. uSwitch.com, the independent comparison and switching service, says that drivers should not assume that their fully comprehensive car insurance will automatically cover them when they are driving outside of Britain.
Under EU law, car insurer providers are under obligation to offer third-party only cover to motorists when they drive abroad. This level of cover only pays out for damage sustained to another vehicle or driver. It does not protect against theft, accidental damage or personal injury .
Ashton Berkhauer, insurance expert at uSwitch.com comments: “It isn’t only sun cream protection that holidaymakers need to worry about when driving abroad this year – motorists must also spend some time examining the protection offered by their car insurance provider. Consumers should look at the level of cover on offer and watch out for any restrictive clauses as to the number of consecutive days a car can be driven abroad before the driver must return to the UK.”