Ins advice for elderly visiting relatives please...

[Bellow]

Relatives of mine are arriving in Scotland tomorrow for what would be their usual twice annual driving holiday visit. Except they are having problems getting insurance.
The problem seems to be that they hold international licences rather than UK ones. That, and their ages - 79 and 88.

Can anyone confirm the correctness of the above please, and answer me the question that if I drive their car it must be insured for my own policy to provide me with basic cover?

Any ideas to work around the problem, much appreciated also.
TIA.

 

[DSM10000]

I believe that each insurance company will have their own terms and conditions. It may be worth visiting a local broker and speaking to them face to face.

As for you legally driving another vehicle using your own policy, the other vehicle must have a policy in force at that time. It may be prudent to check your own policy carefully to ensure that you are still allowed to do this, some companies have been removing this cover.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Don't know that I can be of much help with this, but is it their own car or a hire car you are talking about here?

 

[BTB 500]

if I drive their car it must be insured for my own policy to provide me with basic cover?

Depends on the details of their insurance. If it allows any driver you should be OK. My in-laws' insurance (German) is like this - Mrs BTB occasionally drives their car when they're over here.

 

[Bellow]

Don't know that I can be of much help with this, but is it their own car or a hire car you are talking about here?

They are frequent enough visitors to the UK and have their own car here (they fly from Vancouver) and insure it in the UK. It seems to be that obtaining UK insurance (without which I cannot even drive their car - and mine has only two seats) is the stumbing block here. Back home in BC, they have cars and insurance totally seperate from their UK set-up.

 

[DSM10000]

You can of course take out a temporary cover on their car for the duration of the stay although this may be expensive or ask your insurance company to cover you on both vehicles. I have done this before with Directline, they covered two cars on one policy for a modest premium.

It was for a maximum of a month and I recall that to cover my Audi A6 and Saab 9-5 was £72.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Would the insurance company they used on their last visit not cover them, if as you say it's one of their twice annual driving holiday visits? Other than that, as others have said, speak to your own insurance company or a local broker for guidance.
Have they considered trying to hire a car instead and seeing if ages rule that option out of the equation.

 

[Dieselman]

Have they considered hiring a car instead and seeing if ages rule that option out of the equation.

Will any hire company rent a car to over 70 Year olds?

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Will any hire company rent a car to over 70 Year olds?

I honestly don't know, just a thought to see where they stand by asking

 

[Bellow]

At the moment there seems to be some confusion whether it's the international licence or the ages of the people concerned that is causing the problem. Relatives arrive in UK tomorrow so perhaps they can get more info then rather than trying to arrange it all from BC.
As they were insured (both drivers) for their trip earlier this year, even if the older is now too old, the younger should be OK. Which points to the (newly obtained I think) international licence being the cause. Surely though, the whole point of an international licence is to enable driving in any country....

Hiring a car may be an option, but financially wasteful as they have their own car already and they may be here for some time, but not requiring a car every day of their stay. I'd also (as DM mentions) expect more insurance aggro from a hire company than insurance companies themselves.

It's going to be a funny kind of driving holiday.....

 

[DSM10000]

The international driving licence does not replace the one issued in your country of residence. Try telling the insurance company that they hold Canadian licences?

 

[Rayny]

Being over 80 yrs old could be a stumbling block for many insurers,
as will the International Licence (insurers may look at it as though they might not have had recent driving experience under UK regulations.

Somebody will have to spend a bit of time on the 'phone talking to specialist brokers asking firstly for a quote for the 79yr old and then asking for a quote for both of them - and if that broker cannot help, asking for the name of another broker.
Start with Footman James or Adrian Flux.

Another possibility is for you to look at temporary insurance for you to drive their car-
either adding it to your own policy for a week at a time, or using something like tempcover.com

Hope this helps

 

[hawk20]

Have they had any claims or offences in last few years?

 

[Bellow]

Have they had any claims or offences in last few years?

Not that I know of.

 

[Rayny]

Hi,

I'm rather curious as to whether you managed to resolve this, and if so how ?

Thanks in advance

Ray

 

[Doe1000]

I thought so long as the car is insured and the other car has fully comp then you have third party cover to drive any car? That has been my understanding.
All else fail, try temp cover.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Hi,

I'm rather curious as to whether you managed to resolve this, and if so how ?

Thanks in advance

Ray

Yes it would be interesting to know if you resolved the problem and how.

 

[Gollom]

Spam reported

 

[Bellow]

Hi,

I'm rather curious as to whether you managed to resolve this, and if so how ?

Thanks in advance

Ray

Yes it would be interesting to know if you resolved the problem and how.

Some resolution then. I caught up with them yesterday and their solution was along the lines of .....

Hiring a car may be an option, but financially wasteful as they have their own car already and they may be here for some time, but not requiring a car every day of their stay. I'd also (as DM mentions) expect more insurance aggro from a hire company than insurance companies themselves.

..with the exception that they sold their existing car and hired a VW Golf estate auto from Hertz. A decent enough outcome that allows them their driving holiday.

Thanks to all for the help and advice.