As mentioned travelling by car to your holiday destination may save you some money, however not taking the time to carry out necessary research into your policy’s protection may cost you a whole lot more. Few drivers appreciate that some insurance policies automatically downgrade to third party only once you leave the UK, this poses a huge risk to holiday makers using their vehicle abroad for the cover you enjoy in the UK may evaporate the minute you board the ferry.

With this in mind it is vital to check all your paperwork before you leave the country. For some reason many think that because they are in their UK car they will enjoy the same level of cover they would do if they were in the UK, some insurers like the AA may include certain countries within the EU and so you do enjoy the same protection. It is vital to check if your insurance allows you to meander across the EU nations with the same level of cover, if not it may be time to review your policy and maybe add such a feature. For the AA, as long as you are travelling to one of their pre-approved countries with the necessary documentation for less than 90 days then you are covered.

Similarly some non-EU countries are included, such are Iceland, Norway and the hard to pronounce Liechtenstein. To enjoy the cover you are accustomed to having you are advised to take your Certificate of Motor insurance and all its relevant paperwork with you for the entire duration of your trip, as well as this the AA have provided a multi-lingual driving leaflet for their customers. This leaflet explains in numerous languages how your Certificate of Motor Insurance works in the countries they have listed as approved to drive in while maintaining your usual level of protection.

It is important to remember that not all insurers are the same and each provider will have their own exclusions so if you have been a customer of the AA and are used to enjoying regular driving trips to a particular country you know is permitted however this year you changed your insurer in what you thought was a like for like product you may find discrepancies on the locations where your UK insurance extends to.

Prior to travelling with your vehicle it is important to note the level of cover you require, you may have some form of breakdown cover rolled in with your car insurance however this may not extend to driving abroad. If you would like your insurance to include some form of breakdown cover it is essential you take it out before your journey, again the AA have a 24-hour English speaking telephone assistance line that will aid you in the event you breakdown while in Europe, of course this number is only useful if you have added AA European breakdown cover to your existing policy or have taken it out as a standalone form of cover.