Temporary insurance for US licence holder on holiday in UK to relative's car
Full US licence holder (relative) on holiday for 21 days. My vehicle is a Toyota Estima (import). My insurer does not accept non EU drivers.
7 Replies
Insurance for an American using a car owned by British subjects
I am trying to find insurance to cover me and the car I am driving. I am an American citizen (with Kentucky and international driver's licenses and will be using the car owned by a British couple with whom I am temporarily exchanging homes. Is there a policy that would cover me for about three weeks?
[Migrated from previous topic 11116 dated 07 Jun 2010]
For 3 weeks car insurance cover, this would fall under the short term car insurance policy (1-28 days) and the problem is that all insurers which offer temp cover do not accept licences from USA/Canada/Australia. This might be because these countries do not have similar rules as European countries which consequently make it harder to process a claim. Due to the nature this type of car insurance which makes it rather short in duration but carrying the same or more risk as an annual policy, it is restricted by many insurers to avoid complications.
Are you not able to extend your car insurance cover in the US to drive here in the UK although you will be driving someone else's car?
[Migrated from previous post 1013 dated 16 Jun 2010]
Son visiting UK from America, only got US drivers licence
Has the following driving licence
Class E: Any non-commercial vehicle with a GVWR less than 26,001 lbs, or any RV.
Also - Safe Driver with Motorcycle endorsement.
[Migrated from previous topic 12366 dated 20 Jul 2011]
Your son will be driving your own car, right? And your current insurer will not take him on board because of the US licence?
There used to be one company which will insure drivers with an american licence but they don't anymore. Is it not possible for him to extend his car insurance to cover his trip to the UK? It might be easier this way to be honest...
Anyway, I'll try to dig out some more companies and let you know afterwards if you're still struggling with this. Just reply back :)
[Migrated from previous post 1724 dated 22 Jul 2011]
I work overseas and want to insure a car temp whilst visiting friends how can I do this but don't have a fixed address but a UK licence?
[Migrated from previous post 2075 dated 23 Sep 2013]
A lot of UK insurers tend to stay away from drivers who do not hold a UK/EU licence. This is probably because the laws are not the same for countries such as Canada, Australia and the US which makes it even more difficult to follow up claims outside the jurisdiction. There have been many cases where people just left the country after an accident and the car insurance company had to take the responsibility to fulfill the claim thereby making huge losses.
With an International Driving Licence (IDL), you are able to drive in the UK for a maximum of 12 months and you can get insured on that licence even though it was obtained in a different country besides England. However you will need to have the car registered in your name to be eligible for the insurance cover. Some people have changed their registration certificate in the past to overcome this problem and allow their fellow relatives to drive their car in the UK. This is one solution although not the most ideal one.
My sister who is British but has lived in the US for 30 years is returning to live in the UK. Where can I find a company to insure her to drive my car until she has settled and bought herself a car?
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