Groover

Gahhh... Tomorrow I leave for a three week trip to the UK and I have just found out that I don't have enough car insurance coverage.

While I am there I will drive a relative's car. They have insurance with me on it, but they switched to the Post Office for their insurance and the Post Office will only add me for two weeks at a time. So I am stuck for one week with no insurance.

Does anyone know of a place either in the US or in the UK to buy a week's work of insurance for me to use someone else's car? Hopefully it will be cheaper than renting a car. Thanks!

Andy

TruBrit

re the post office....how many hrs/days do they need inbetween reinstating you on the insurance?

Manc

Andy, no offense, but it costs money to underwrite a policy, even for a week. Paperwork blah blah blah........
So with the risk of the likelihood of an accident small, the short duration of the policy will not be worth it for a company to insure you. And if it were, it's likely to be in the region of $100 for the week, rather than just say a tenner. As it costs just as much to underwrite a policy for a week as it does a year.

What I did was wrote a PLUP here in the USA which offers third party liability insurance upto $1000000 worldwide if I drove a car and got into a wreck.
but doesn't cover anything fully comp.

Groover

Thanks for the replies. I found that Norwich Union writes daily insurance:

https://www.norwichunionshortterminsurance.co.uk

It appears they will do it for holders of UK licenses who don't live there. My quote for five days was 37.50 GBP. Compared to a rental car which would be around 130 GBP this is more affordable.

Andy

Manc

sweet, way to prove me wrong then! *LOL*

Englishmum

Ahem.....I don't think so.

It clearly states that the person wishing to buy the policy must be in possession of a VALID, UK driving licence.

If you're not resident in the UK (and if you're living in the USA and just on your hols in Blighty then you're not a UK resident) then you're not eligible to be covered under the Norwich Union temporary policy.

I'm not saying that you can't buy it....but you might have problems getting them to pay out if you get into an accident...

Yorkieabroad

It may be worth giving them a call though. We were back in the UK for 6 months a couple of years ago, and bought a car for our time there, figuring to sell it again when we left. We struggled to get insurance because like Englishmum said, most companies wouldn't cover us as non-residents. In the end I got a helpful rep on Norwich Union Direct helpline who worked with us and eventually we got a policy written that specifically recognized us as non-residents, even though their usual smallprint states that you need to be resident.

Ps - at the end of the 6 months, we couldn't sell the car - we still have it, and use it when we go back...the out of pocket costs are cheaper than renting, but that excludes the depreciation. So if anyone is moving back and wants a well maintained, very low mileage Mazda MPV Diesel, drop me a line.....

Groover

I do have a valid UK license, so I don't see a problem there. Valid until 2045.

You have to give a reason on the NU site for wanting the insurance. One of the options is "Driving a relatives/friends car while visting the UK, with a UK driver's license".

Andy

Jerseygirl

A few years ago when I enquired about changing my license to the new photo ID type...I was told I wasn't eligible for a UK license because I wasn't a resident and that my old one was not valid. I didn't mention in my email that I didn't live in the UK...maybe they found out through my email address I don't know.

Bob

what about your credit card? they usually have some form of insurance coverage.

Manc

It sometimes carries collision damage, but not liability.

Yorkieabroad

Given that we own and drive a car in the UK when we go back, I was a bit worried about this so I emailed the DVLA as follows:
Overnight I got a reply back as follows:
So I reckon we're OK still....

Jerseygirl

I presumed my old one was not valid because I was no longer at the address on the license...you do have a UK address. I was told I couldn't apply for a new license because I was not resident in the UK.

Yorkieabroad

Haven't you got a relative whose address you could use? All my stuff goes to my Mums...

TruBrit

we have a house there with my little car in the garage patiently waiting for me and i have never had any probs with my insurance or getting my new uk licence.