DRIVERS venturing abroad this summer have been warned that fully comprehensive policies might be anything but full and could leave them without cover.

A number of policies, such as Norwich Union Direct, RAC and Direct Line, offer only third- party cover when the insured leaves these shores, unless a premium is paid that can add hundreds of pounds to a policy. Others, like RSA, require being informed before travelling.

Research by the insurer Sheilas’ Wheels shows that 4.3m motorists plan to drive to Europe this summer. The poll also shows that 15% of them assume they are automatically covered by comprehensive policies when overseas. Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels said: “It is crucial for motorists to call their insurer and tell them that they want to extend their level of cover for driving abroad.”

Defaqto, a market analyst, reports that 61% of comprehensive insurance policies do not cover European breakdown, while 28% have it as an optional extra. Only 11% have it as standard in a policy.

Under EU law, all insurers are obliged to offer at least third-party cover to drivers abroad, which will pay only for damage to another vehicle or driver. It does not protect against theft, accidental damage or personal injury.

Comprehensive cover can be extended for an overseas trip, but drivers need to check whether insurers charge for it. Zurich offers 60 days free but, if motorists wish to extend this to the maximum allowed of 180 days, they face a charge of up to £510, according to Uswitch.

Zurich charges £20 a week extra for cover in rural areas and £30 a week in urban areas.

Barclays and others charge £21.50 for 90 days of cover while Admiral, Diamond and Direct Line offer different rates depending on the number of days required.

Diamond, for example, will charge £9.50 for a further three days and £17.50 for up to 14 days of cover. Annual cover can be bought for an extra £34.50.

Admiral charges £9 for four days, and £17 for up to 30 days. Some such as Marks & Spencer, Churchill, Endsleigh and the AA, offer free comprehensive cover for 90 days a year, while The Post Office offers 45 days.

The only insurance providers that offer free cover for up to 365 days are Ecar and Saga.

The pricing problem has been made more confusing by price-comparison sites. Some listed providers offer stripped-down versions of policies so that they appear higher up on a best-buy table, which usually ranks policies in order of cost.

Norwich Union Direct, for example, charges £26 extra if drivers want cover abroad for up to 90 days, but if they obtain a policy through a broker, foreign-trip cover is included as standard, although the policy itself will generally be more expensive. Ashton Berkhauer, an insurance expert at Uswitch.com, said: “It isn’t only sun-cream protection that holidaymakers need to worry about when driving abroad this year. Motorists must also spend some time examining the protection offered by their car-insurance provider.

“Consumers should look at the level of cover on offer and watch out for any restrictive clauses and the number of consecutive days a car can be driven abroad before the driver returns to the UK.”

Tara Pritchard, 28, and her boyfriend, Matt Williams, 26, from Buckley, near Mold, Clwyd, are planning to drive to France later this summer. They have a fully comprehensive policy with Direct Line, but did not realise that they needed to pay an extra premium to be covered for their trip.

Pritchard said: “It’s lucky that we checked. We only found out when a friend told us we might not be covered.”

When driving in Europe, there are a number of other things to be considered.

Blood-alcohol levels are more strict than in the UK — 0.5mg/ml in France, Belgium and Germany, rather than 0.8mg/ml in the UK.

Seat belts front and rear are obligatory everywhere. Speed limits are implemented rigorously and radar traps are frequent. In France, anyone caught travelling at more than 25km an hour above the speed limit can have their licence confiscated on the spot.

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