Surge In Self Drive Holidays Raises Insurance Questions

Whether it's the hope of avoiding the stress of airport queues, or an effort to take a greener approach to travel, more people in the UK are likely to opt for a driving holiday this year.

According to research from American Express, one in ten Brits are considering taking their family on a driving holiday in Europe, while 32 per cent are thinking about a caravanning holiday and 27 per cent may take a camping holiday if they can get there by car. While this form of travel may offer increased peace of mind, it raises important issues about car insurance.

Ensuring you have the correct level of car insurance in place when travelling in Europe is crucial. Many of the UK's leading insurers advertise European cover as part of their policies - but in many cases this level of cover is downgraded. The likes of Barclays, Direct Line, esure and Swiftcover will only grant drivers third party coverage when travelling overseas.

If you have comprehensive cover in the UK and want this to be maintained in Europe, you may need to shop around for a different policy. Check the small print of your existing policy to discover the level of cover you have in place and if it's not sufficient use a comparison website to find more comprehensive coverage with features such as a courtesy car while repairs take place.

Some policies will cover you for up to 90 days in Europe and include all European countries, but others may not. Look for a policy that includes European breakdown cover as an add-on or consider taking out a separate breakdown policy.

You can find cheap car insurance by shopping online but to maintain low premiums familiarise yourself with the road rules of each country to help avoid car insurance claims.

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Pass Plus And The Impact On Your Car Insurance

It's long been established that the highest car insurance premiums go to the under 25's, with new drivers sometimes being quoted in excess of £2000 for a yearly premium.

There are ways in which a new driver can reduce their premiums. Some of these relate to the car they drive: generally the smaller the car and less powerful the engine, the cheaper the premium.

Another, increasingly popular, way is to take the Pass Plus course soon after passing your driving test. This will not only help you obtain a cheap car insurance premium, but it will also help you gain confidence on the roads by training you in aspects which, for one reason or another, were not available to you during your original driving lessons.

Motorways are the main reason of doing Pass Plus. Obviously a learner driver cannot go on a motorway, so often this is the only way a young driver can gain expert tuition on these fast-paced, scary roads. Dual carriageways are also covered to help the new driver gain confidence for motorway driving.

Night driving is included, as is town driving, driving in the rain (or fog or snow), and driving on country lanes. It's worth noting that some insurers will offer cheaper car insurance if driving is restricted to daylight hours only.

There is a cost involved with Pass Plus, which varies depending on your borough and the instructor. It may be worth contacting your local council to see if they will sponsor you and pay half the cost. There is no test at the end of the course and once you've completed it, you should be a better, safer and more confident driver. When getting a car insurance quote don't forget to mention you have completed Pass Plus, and you could get a substantial discount - around 30% with some firms. You may even recover the money spent on the course with the money you save on your premium.

Compare car insurance. Get cheap car insurance online. Find a car insurance quote before you buy.

J Tillotson is a financial author based in the UK

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