UKC

Hi everyone,

I'm heading down to the Alps for a month in my van, and I will bes pending a bit of time in Switzerland. The issue is that I've found out my insurance don't and won't (I've asked) cover me there.

Has anyone had this issue before and how did you get round it? Or does anyone know of any companies that may cover me alongside my standard van insurance for the month I out there.

I have emailed the Swiss tourist board but no reply as of yet.

Cheers,

Roger

In reply to Roger Burrows:

I made the same discovery a number of years ago with about 10 days to go before my holiday departure. There was something of a panic. My then insurance company - can't remember who it was, as only an idiot sticks with same company in these days of loyalty penalties - replied in the same vein as yours. It was a case of no, we don't insure you outside the EU, no, you can't pay an extra premium to get insured. Believe it or not, they suggested we arrive at the Swiss border and arrange something then! Needless, to say we ignored this suggestion. Instead, I spent several hours telephoning companies till I found one that included Swiss cover. Again, can't remember who it was. It meant cancelling my then current insurance for which of course I had to pay.
I haven't taken a car to Switzerland for a few years now and we only take our van when going abroad and we insure that through the Camping & Caravanning Club. I am under the impression they are more sensible. I don't know if they cover cars as well, but it could be worth a try. You don't need to be a member.
I am sure the reason for this problem is that as Switzerland isn't an EU member they don't partake of some special insurance arrangement provided by that much-maligned generator of red tape, the Brussels commission, so dealing with claims in Switzerland will cost them a lot more and therefore result in their being less competitive in the motor insurance market place.
All this makes you wonder how many Brits blithely travel through Switzerland totally unaware that they have no insurance cover. It is also surprising to me that the Swiss border officials don't demand to see proof of cover as used to be the case all over Europe in the days of the old Green Card. Remember those?
Not sure this is going to help you very much, but hope you've got a day or two spare before you leave. Good luck!

In reply to Roger Burrows:

Not saying the following is true...just from google

"In fact, Switzerland is a signatory to the EU motor insurance directive"

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g188045-i336-k7452730-Car_Insurance...

In reply to Roger Burrows:


I'm 90% sure that when I drove through Switzerland 2 years ago I notified my insurer , Direct Line, and that they didn't raise a problem.

In reply to Roger Burrows:

I had a bit of a flap a few years ago, had to travel in a van rather than a car at short notice.

Checking up, my insurance policies covered EU and Switzerland under the EU directive.

The hassle was the van only had 3rd party cover ( or the legal minimum in each country visited ) even though I had comprehensive cover in the UK.

Another hassle was booking the ferry, vans were at commercial tariffs. I booked the Astra van as an Astra estate and rang them to say (diplomatically ) that I was boarding regardless, they were fine with that and at a fraction of the cost.

Thank you all for the help, I learnt a few things from what you all said. The big issue is that I've called my insurer and they said that they can't cover me, therefore theres not much i can do besides call around a bit more and see if i can get around it at all. I'll let you know the outcome in a month or so when I'm back..... i leave tonight!!! Leaving it until last minuet is my forte!

But seriously thank you all for some top info!

Roger

In reply to Roger Burrows:

If I might just be excused for hi-jacking your thread - does anyone have any up-to-date info on hiring a car in CH and taking it into an EU country? This was mentioned on here a while back. I currently have a car booked from Geneva Airport (CH) and will be going into France as well. Have looked at cancelling and re-booking from French side of airport but the prices are truly astronomical.

In reply to Rog Wilko:
Last summer I rented from Europcar at Geneva airport and they said it was fine to drive into France (I think I rang up and checked beforehand).

In reply to Roger Burrows:




But they are obliged to follow EU law. If they cover you in the EU, that includes Switzerland as mentioned above - otherwise they're in breach of the legislation. I'd mention this (even better if you can find the relevant agreement/act) to them.

Yet another reason the EU is a good thing.