Renting a Car Outside the US
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Renting a Car Outside the US
Dec 2011
We are going to see family in England. A family member has
arranged a car for our use, but we need to insure my husband
to drive it. Has anyone done this? All information we can
find so far pertains to insuring a rental, and this car is
not a rental.
Traveler
British insurers will only provide insurance to the person who owns the car.
So the owner needs to contact their insurer and add you on to their existing
policy. The owner will need to tell their insurer various details about you,
e.g. full name, date of birth, type of license and time you have had the
license, whether you have had any accidents or claims on other policies or
cars in the last five years. There will be a charge for doing this.
British driver
We did this about 5 years ago when we exchanged houses and
cars with a family in London. You have to get an
international drivers license, and then provide a
photocopy of that to the insurance company of the England
family. We had to pay a fee (I don't remember how much it
was) to be added to their insurance for the duration of
our time using the vehicle.
traveler
I think the owner of the car will have to add you to their
policy for the amount of time you are there and you can pay
them the difference. That's how it works when we go to Ireland.
I've done this with my brother's car in England. He
contacted his insurer and had my name put on the policy as
an additional driver for a month. It was a few years ago and
cost about $60.
Laura
Hi. I'm originally from England and used to do this all
the time when my parents visited us from Spain. The owner
of the car you are borrowing will need to contact their
insurance company and advise them that someone else will
be driving their car for a short period of time. The
insurance company will then send out a new insurance
document with the additional driver's name on and will be
valid for the duration of how long they will be using the
car. The insurance company will charge for this and the
fee depends on which insurance company. The only thing I
am unsure of is how it works if the additional driver does
not have a UK license
Ellen
April 2011
We're going to be spending six months in England next year,
and we'll need a car. Does anyone have any ideas about the
best way to get a car for that length of time? Renting a
car for six months seems insanely expensive, but most leases
are for two years. It seems like their must be some other
option, but I don't know what it is! Jennifer
French car companies run buy-back programs. Basically you
buy a car from them, and they agree to buy it back. Of
course, it does cost money, but it is cheaper than long-term
rentals. It also includes good insurance, and allows for
multiple drivers. (Why do car companies do this? Because
it bypasses the VAT tax if the car is bought by a foreign
resident.) Here are some web sites to check out.
http://www.autoeurope.com/
http://www.europauto.ca/default.aspx
You could also consider simply buying a used car, and then
selling it when you leave. This is certainly the cheapest
option, but requires more effort.
Karen
Here's a potentially crazy idea; maybe someone will want to
trade with you. There is a website called
SabbaticalHomes.com that helps to arrange housing swaps
(among other arrangements) for people on sabbatical, and
sometimes cars are included in the deal. Maybe there is
someone involved in a home swap (or just visiting) from
England during that period who would be willing to exchange
cars for the duration. You could try contacting the people
at Sabbatical Homes and ask them what they think; I met them
at a conference recently and they seemed very nice and
approachable. traveler
March 2010
We are heading to the Mexican Riviera in Nov. We're staying
south of Cancun near Tulum. We do want to do a few day
trips. Renting a car with two car seats seems the logical
thing to do, but from what we have read Mexicans tend to be
spirited drivers. Has anyone rented a car in that area or
have any advice about which to choose (car or public
transportation)? Thanks. Brenda
We have rented a car many times for traveling throughout the
Yucatan Peninsula with our son. Do not count on getting a
car seat from the car rental agency. We brought our own
which checks as luggage easily on airlines. Ask for a bag to
put it in when you check in. The one time we did not bring
ours, we lucked out and got one from the agency. They were
obviously amused that we used it for our then three year old
son. Other than that driving throughout the Yucatan is a
breeze. The roads are in good shape, especially the toll
(cuota) roads, and Mexicans are no more crazy than their
American counterparts. Having a car gives you a lot of
flexibility. You will have a wonderful time.
We like to stay in Akumal near Tulum. Renting a car makes
things much easier. I have two tips for renting a card in
this part of the world. First, pay for the collision
insurance and ignore anything about US coverage applying, as
the local authorities will in any case. The local collision
insurance is very very expensive, but the rental agency will
take care of things no questions asked. Second tip is to go
the speed limit. A speeding ticket is more inconvenient than
anything. Your drivers license is taken away and you have to
go to the local police station and pay a fine before you get
it back. We rented a car near the Cancun airport and drove
in this area several times with no problems. Rick
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