WHO CAN INSURE MY SON TO DRIVE MY CAR WHEN HE VISITS BRITAIN?

Q I need comprehensive insurance cover for my car for 31 days to allow my son, who currently lives in Australia, to drive it during his visit to the UK this summer. My insurance company, Lloyds Bank, will not add him to my cover because he is not permanently resident here, so I wondered whether you are aware of any reputable insurance companies which will cover him for this short period?

– DW

A

Temporary cover for expats returning to the UK and borrowing a friend or relative’s car shouldn’t be too hard to arrange, but unfortunately some companies simply don’t offer this service because they deem the risk of an accident caused by a driver from abroad being unfamiliar with the British road system to be too high.

But it can be done. Certain dedicated temporary insurance providers such as Tempcover will insure non-UK drivers on their specific temporary policies, which will be separate to your own policy with Lloyds.

Some providers limit cover to a maximum of 28 days, which might mean you will have to shave a few days off the start or end of your son’s trip during which he isn’t able to drive your car. However, there are providers out there that offer as much as three months’ worth of temporary cover – although they might prove a touch more expensive.

One thing to check before you buy, though, is the rules for each provider, because they vary. Some insurers, for example, will only cover expats who still have UK licences, or who have switched them out for EU ones. If your son’s been living in Australia for a while and has switched his out, therefore, the pool of providers from which you can choose will be narrowed.

I would also suggest that if your son will be living abroad for the foreseeable, and plans to return to the UK repeatedly, that you shop around and seek out an insurer that will cover drivers with non-UK licences as a temporary addition. Most of the time, it’s cheaper to add a driver to an existing policy than it is to take out a separate temporary policy, so if you don’t mind doing the legwork, you might reap the rewards later on.