UK car insurance with all year green card

[dfps]

Hello,

 

I understand that there are companies now offering all year green cards for UK registered cars.

I wish to travel frequently to France over the next year sometimes at short notice and dont wish to go through the faff of informing insurance companies and having to wait while they process the 'green card'

Does anyone know of any companies that offer this facility.

Phone numbers.e-amil or web address would be appreciated.

Thanks

DFPS

 

[Cassis]

When this came up the other day Baz recommended Saga.  If you google them I'm sure you'll find them.

[Garys]

Presumably you are UK based? In which case there are quite a few that do offer what you are requesting.

Personally I use the Nationwide Car Insurance policy. This is what it states in the policy document ..

Cover for driving in Europe

"Your policy automatically gives you the same cover throughout the EU as you have in the UK. You don't even need to let us know, as long as the visit is less than 90 days."

 

 

[Ashis]

I use What Car Insurance (it's done via Liverpool Victoria) - they give you the facility to get trips of up to 6 months duration - no notice, no hassle.

[yorky]

I am new around here so I will say hello. I have uk reg car on a AXA policy issued by www.stuartcollins.com this has a 12 month green card with no travel time limit. Hope this will help.

Yorky

[Will]

Just about all insurers will give cover for travel in other European countries without limitations - I think this is an EU requirement. However, this only refers to the minimum legal cover, so if you have full cover at home, make sure you are given the same level of cover for trips abroad. The companies mentioned here seem to give the same level of cover - at least if notified that you are going abroad - others may not, so look at the small print.

[Alex H]

Dug up this to reply to just so others are aware.

Some insurance companies in the UK only offer 90 days green card within 1 year.

I've just fallen foul of this - booked Le Shuttle for a month+ in the Limousin and found I only have 17 days left of my green card allowance. Insurance is due to be renewed on 28th July, but they are 'not allowed' to bring the date forward. Something to do with fraud.

So, either I move the dates or move the company - I'm examining the latter [:)]

 

[Jacqui Too]

We insure our cars with NFU and the car insurance certificate has the 'green card ' printed on the back and it states "Your NFU Mutual car insurance provides you with the same level of cover at home AND abroad, for unlimited temporary visits, to all of the countries indicated below. Simply take this document with you in place of a 'Green Card' (International Certificate of Motor Insurance)

I phoned my local agents this morning and was told that as long as I live and spend more time in the UK than out of it I will be covered , they have no time limit or restriction on frequency of visits.

We also insure our Ford transit with them and that is only given a temporary 'Green Card' for 30 days when we used it last month for our last visit.

Chipie

[Pierre ZFP]

Funny that, I was with the NFU insurance for a while and I thought they were brilliant - very straightforward and clear and more importantly, very helpful when I actually needed them.  The odd thing was (don't know about now) is that I had to join the NFU, it only cost a few pounds, so for a while I was a fully paid up farmer [:D]

[Jacqui Too]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Funny that, I was with the NFU insurance for a while and I thought they were brilliant - very straightforward and clear and more importantly, very helpful when I actually needed them.  The odd thing was (don't know about now) is that I had to join the NFU, it only cost a few pounds, so for a while I was a fully paid up farmer [:D][/quote]

NFU are not just for farmers, we insure everything with them car, van, caravan, two trailer, tractors, household and business (Building Contractors public liability). We were members (called Countryside membership) at the start but but found that all that entitled us to was the magazine! so we stoped that 2 years ago.

One of the best things about them is they are in my local town and nothing is to much trouble for them to sort out, eg. putting new cars on cover at a moments notice, adding new drivers with just a phone call.

Chipie 

PS. and no I am not a rep for them ,but it is a mutual[Www]

[Brilec]

Churchill (you know, give the dog a phone) also extend your UK cover to Europe automatically. I didn't see any small print about max duration. It certainly saved me a few pounds.

[LEO]

[quote user="Garys"]

Presumably you are UK based? In which case there are quite a few that do offer what you are requesting.

Personally I use the Nationwide Car Insurance policy. This is what it states in the policy document ..

Cover for driving in Europe

"Your policy automatically gives you the same cover throughout the EU as you have in the UK. You don't even need to let us know, as long as the visit is less than 90 days."

 

 

[/quote]

How would an insurance company know how long you were abroad? or how often you were abroad?

Leo

[jc]

Insurance companies are not stupid;they would ask to see your tickets/credit card receipts etc;-remember that it would be you who wanted them to pay out.

[AnOther]

I'm currently with Dial Direct (Zurich Insurance) and am covered for any number of trips subject to a maximum of 90 day per trip, I don't have to tell them when I'm going.

As soon as I "touch" UK I have another 90 days.

[MrCanary]

Like Ernie, I am with Zurich and I come and go as I please with each individual trip being for up to 3 months. They even provide me with inclusive European breakdown cover.

This excellent company also protects my no-claim bonus for life!

[allanb]

This is worth clarifying, I think.

(1)  If you have a valid UK motor insurance policy, you are automatically covered for the legal minimum third-party liability insurance in any of a long list of countries that are parties to the relevant convention.  (This has very little to do with the EU, by the way: the convention predates the EU, and the current list of countries includes some that are not in the EU, such as Switzerland, and some that are not even in Europe, such as Morocco and Ukraine.)

(2)  The cover exists whether or not you actually possess a green card.  The value of the green card is that you can produce evidence of insurance on demand, in an internationally recognisable form.

(3)  Your UK insurer is required to provide you with a green card on request and I think he is not supposed to charge for it.  I have heard that sometimes a broker may charge you for issuing one.

(4)  Any cover you have that is not legally required (e.g. theft, damage, etc) is not automatically provided outside the UK.  For this you would need to read your policy and if necessary talk to your insurer.

The operative word in all this is "valid".  If your UK policy is not valid for some reason (e.g. because you have failed to inform your insurer of a change of use) you obviously can't depend on cover abroad, whether you have a green card or not.

Incidentally, most people here will have noticed that insurers in France, and many other countries, routinely issue an insurance certificate in the "green card" format, so you don't need another piece of paper to take your car abroad.  As far as I know the UK still insists on its own format for a "domestic" insurance certificate.  Who knows why?