Driving on the continent this bank holiday?

With the bank holiday approaching, for some of us, a quick trip to France in the car is now as normal as driving to the Lake District.

Alongside a maintenance check and ensuring the satellite navigation equipment is working, policyholders need to check that appropriate insurance is provided.

The minimum insurance needed to drive in the European Union is provided by all car insurance policies. However just because a policy provides comprehensive cover in the UK, it does not mean the same cover is given when using your car abroad.

Defaqto has analysed its Aequos database to see what cover is given for foreign use by the comprehensive car insurance market. It noted that 21% of car insurance policies available do not provide comprehensive foreign use cover as standard and an extra cost would be payable to obtain this. However the majority of insurers do give cover as standard with 33% allowing a maximum of 60 days or less free cover abroad in the policy year. The remaining 46% of the comprehensive car insurance market will provide up to 90 days or more free cover.

Mike Powell, Consultant for General Insurance at Defaqto says: "A lot of policyholders assume that if they have a comprehensive car insurance policy, they will be provided with the same cover when driving abroad, but this is not the case. You need to check with your insurer to confirm cover is provided before you travel. Even if cover is given, policyholders should always inform their insurer of a trip abroad as this often forms part of the policy terms and conditions".

Consumers can use the Defaqto Compare tool to see what cover is provided by the car insurance market for foreign use, as well as other policy features, by visiting defaqto.com.