As the holiday season reaches its peak, millions of holiday makers will be taking to the roads this weekend, but if you’re going abroad, it’s essential to check out whether you sufficient cover.
Tescocompare.com, the car and home insurance comparison site, shows that while price remains the most important factor for over two thirds (70 per cent) of people shopping around for car insurance, simply choosing the cheapest cover may be a false economy when it comes to driving abroad.
Tescocompare.com warns that while most policies offer some sort of cover for driving abroad, some insurance providers cover drivers for up to three days, with third party only, at which point it becomes your responsibility to take out further insurance.
Other insurers, however, will automatically include fully comprehensive cover for up to 90 days.
But understanding the differences in cover provided could save you money over the long term. Opting to pay as little as £45 more per year, means that those who drive regularly in the EU can benefit from up to 90 days free cover with insurers such as Diamond, Lloyds TSB and Kwikfit Insurance.
However, you need to examine your policy terms as some policies will default to third party cover only, rather than comprehensive.
Paul Baxter of Tescocompare.com, says: “Less expensive insurers may quote a low premium for the year. But when extra foreign cover is charged at a high rate, initial savings can be cancelled out by the cost of add-on items.
“While you may think third party cover is enough, if you are involved in a shunt in a rural Spanish village, you’ll soon realise that having comprehensive cover is a necessity. So be sure to investigate all the policy details before you commit to a premium.”
Tescocompare.com allows consumers you to compare 25 different policies on the basis of both features and premiums and in June this year was rated the best car insurance aggregator by Defaqto.
Tescocompare.com differentiates itself from other aggregators by the fact that the premium quoted will be the price that you pay, assuming that you don’t change the level of cover you need when you click through to the insurer. Also, the price quoted on Tescocompare.com will be the same or cheaper than if you bought direct from the insurer.
Defaqto insurance principal, Mike Powell, says: “To compare cover features in depth, the Defaqto Compare Tool is second to none as it carries details of 213 comprehensive car insurance policies. So car owners can compare premiums via Tescocompare.com and then do an in-depth comparison of a number of policies using the Defaqto Compare Tool:
http://www.defaqto.com/consumer/insurance/motor/compare-car.aspx
