insurance covering business use in france/spain?

[brman]

My daughter is about to drive to spain and just been told she needs business insurance as she is going to be doing field work (she is a geology student) while she is there. Her existing insurer (Admiral) will not cover her.

Anyone have any experience of this and know who would be a good insurer to go to?

[E36GUY]

Surely just insure her for business use on her policy. If the policy covers otehr countries in Europe then the cover should extend.

My policy covers me for SDP, Commuting and Business with up to 90 days at a time in Europe. It doesn't then exclude any aspects of my cover if I go abroad.

Admiral by the way.

[brman]

that is what I thought but.....
admiral europe cover is 90 days but 30 days at a time. She is going for 5 weeks.........

[brman]

the trouble is, she has called them and told them what she is doing and they have said they will not cover her.

[bad company]

I'd go back to Admiral and double check what they said. What is their definition of 'business ' use? She's doing educational research with no financial reward so I would say not business.

Ask her to ask where in the policy it says that this is not covered.

[TooMany2cvs]

I guess she doesn't have (and they won't give) business use in the UK?

If they do, then the cover should be the same abroad... But since it's Admiral <spit>, the Ryanair of insurers, all bets are off.

This Le Mans thread might have some useful pointers - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[brman]

bad company said:

I'd go back to Admiral and double check what they said. What is their definition of 'business ' use? She's doing educational research with no financial reward so I would say not business.

Ask her to ask where in the policy it says that this is not covered.

I have just done this on her behalf and I am pleased to say it worked! I now have on record that they have said domestic and pleasure is ok and than (contrary to one of their online docs) she is covered in europe for 90 consecutive days, not 30. (as E36GUY suggested).

Thanks guys, panic is now over. Hopefully this will also be a lesson to her not to leave sorting this sort of stuff until the day before she leaves........

[tr7v8]

I had this problem for business use. I have Class 1 in UK & I but it is only SDP in Europe. The only two companies who offer this as default used to be AA & Swiftcover. Now with Admiral & they will extend mine to do Class 1 in Europe but on a trip by trip basis.

[bad company]

brman said:

I have just done this on her behalf and I am pleased to say it worked! I now have on record that they have said domestic and pleasure is ok and than (contrary to one of their online docs) she is covered in europe for 90 consecutive days, not 30. (as E36GUY suggested).

Thanks guys, panic is now over. Hopefully this will also be a lesson to her not to leave sorting this sort of stuff until the day before she leaves........

Nice one, result.

[E36GUY]

Good news!!

[Hugo a Gogo]

how the hell can this be legit while the UK is still in the EU? How can they pick and choose which places to cover in which ways? Is Ireland covered?

[TooMany2cvs]

Hugo a Gogo said:

how the hell can this be legit while the UK is still in the EU? How can they pick and choose which places to cover in which ways? Is Ireland covered?

They have to give third party cover in a whole swathe of countries (near-on 50). Nothing to do with EU, everything to do with international insurance agreements.

They don't have to do anything more than that, unless they choose to.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Hugo a Gogo said:

how the hell can this be legit while the UK is still in the EU? How can they pick and choose which places to cover in which ways? Is Ireland covered?

Why can't they. I'm sure, if you lived in the countryside, they could sell a policy excluding London and other major cities, if they chose to. Buy it if you never drive to a big city, or don't buy it if you do.

It's legal that if you're 17+ and you've passed your test, you can drive Lamborghini. But no insurance company is obligated to give that cover.

[Hugo a Gogo]

because they are as yet no laws saying you must treat Lamborghinis the same as 15 yr old Peugeots

there are however laws governing the way you are allowed to differentiate between different EU lands

EU laws do mean that 3rd party cover is valid all over, it just doesn't cover the 'optional' insurances