European vehicle recovery due to illness.

[Mick and Ruth]

Just been on the phone to Comfort doing the renewal. I happened to mention did European recovery cover illness and if hospitalised/couldn't drive would they get van back to UK.
If you are the sole driver named on the policy then Yes. However .....if you have your partner/kids/mate named on the policy as a driver, it is their responsibility to deal with and if it means they have to fly out to that country to get to it so be it.
I have my wife named for "emergencies" but she's happy to let me drive as I do enjoy it, but as we are heading to Sothern Spain in November I know she definitely wouldn't be comfortable having to drive back if I took ill or something.
So if she doesn't feel she can do European driving I will remove her from the policy and put her back on when we get back and just pay any excess for a name change.
I know most people have someone else on the policy for emergencies but it might catch you out if overseas and need recovering.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Thanks for the reminder.
My wife is also on "for emergencies" but doesn't drive the motorhome.
My insurance is due in Jan (currently also with Comfort) and I will likely remove her name then.
I wonder if all breakdown policies have this condition?

 

[Jev88]

Weirdly my RV policy went Down if we removed Karon as a driver at all!! Surely it potentially costs the insurer more in the event the main driver is incapacitated?

 

[wiljoy]

I no longer have any other drivers on my policy because of this issue. In 2016 I was hospitalised in the South of France. My wife was on the policy so the insurance company expected her to drive home. She's happy to drive in the uk but not abroad.

 

[Emmit]

Some of the Co's on the below might be out of date
and some may be of no use whatsoever but if anyone
wants to do a 'Ringround' when the time comes,
here are some Insurance Co's.

MagBaz Travels - 33 Motorhome Insurers

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[royandsharont]

I have Comfort insurance cover and have been down the route of add and remove wife. She’s back on now and we plan for her to drive it rather than just move it at site barriers etc.

But I think the OP is not quite right in that if you have a second person insured to drive, but not with you, they would have to fly out!

Sounds ridiculous in any extreme and I doubt it to be right, more likely the advisor got it all wrong in the conversation, as I found out they had consistently over the years on another similar point re when is van in use or not for your 36 hours.

 

[Phill D]

I perfectly understand that if a driver is present then the isurance would expect them to drive. However, flying a person from the UK to wherever, just because they are on the policy seems a bit OTT.

and cant see anything written in the T&C's regarding this.

Has anyone seen this in writing? and who pays for the flight and expenses? will be checking when i next speak to them.

 

[gus-lopez]

and if it means they have to fly out to that country to get to it so be it.

That's nonsense. They don't ask one of the multiple drivers on a policy in the UK to traipse around the country so why should they abroad?

I perfectly understand that if a driver is present then the isurance would expect them to drive. However, flying a person from the UK to wherever, just because they are on the policy seems a bit OTT.

and cant see anything written in the T&C's regarding this.

Has anyone seen this in writing? and who pays for the flight and expenses? will be checking when i next speak to them.

Exactly ,as above.

 

[Mick and Ruth]

I perfectly understand that if a driver is present then the isurance would expect them to drive. However, flying a person from the UK to wherever, just because they are on the policy seems a bit OTT.

and cant see anything written in the T&C's regarding this.

Has anyone seen this in writing? and who pays for the flight and expenses? will be checking when i next speak to them.

It's probably the way I worded it (flying) but they said it would be down to whoever is named on the policy to get it back and I asked what if they were back in the UK they said they would have to get out to it?? and I'm sure the insurance company would not offer to pay.
Ill just be removing the wife for the trip.

 

[Bobandfay]

My insurance went up £38 when I took my wife of the motorhome insurance as a named driver with comfort.

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[Nirvanauk]

Let your wife share the driving with you to get the experience just in case of illness. My wife has had to drive back from the south of France twice now. Once when I damaged my back and once when I got shingles in my face and eye. She enjoyed it in the end and now drives it more often.

 

[Mick and Ruth]

Let your wife share the driving with you to get the experience just in case of illness. My wife has had to drive back from the south of France twice now. Once when I damaged my back and once when I got shingles in my face and eye. She enjoyed it in the end and now drives it more often.

We have been speaking about that since I posted earlier, and I've told her it's so much easier over there its more the uncertainty with her at the moment. I've got to get the van out for hab check and first MOT next week so now would be a good time to start as its mostly motorway driving on M6 so we won't be going over 25 mph and she has Cat C on license so it's just a confidence issue.

 

[Nirvanauk]

To be fair I am a bit lucky with ours as it is a PVC and automatic.

Good luck!

 

[Mick and Ruth]

That's nonsense. They don't ask one of the multiple drivers on a policy in the UK to traipse around the country so why should they abroad?

Exactly ,as above.

I have just recontacted Comfort and spoke to a different advisor who I requested clarify with their manager. They stated if you take ill or hospitalised or can't drive in the UK or Europe and a named policy driver is not present the named policy driver has to make their way to the vehicle at their own or policy holders' expense to recover it or you just pay privately for a company to do the recovery.

 

[Phill D]

My wife has not got C1 license and our eldest son is only the on the policy as he borrowed the van for a week and may have had to move it on site.
I delivered it and collected it.

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[Phill D]

I have just recontacted Comfort and spoke to a different advisor who I requested clarify with their manager. They stated if you take ill or hospitalised or can't drive in the UK or Europe and a named policy driver is not present the named policy driver has to make their way to the vehicle at their own or policy holders' expense to recover it or you just pay privately for a company to do the recovery.

In that case son will be removed from the policy at next renewal

 

[pampam]

If you were taken ill and not a vehicle breakdown ,then would your travel isurance not cover you instead of breakdown cover?

 

[Mick and Ruth]

If you were taken ill and not a vehicle breakdown ,then would your travel isurance not cover you instead of breakdown cover?

Good shout, so I rang LV who does my travel insurance the answer is no.... Travel insurance only covers the person and medical not any type of transport.

 

[Shrimp]

I was on as a second driver but after my last Birthday we decided to remove me from the Ins.

 

[gus-lopez]

I have just recontacted Comfort and spoke to a different advisor who I requested clarify with their manager. They stated if you take ill or hospitalised or can't drive in the UK or Europe and a named policy driver is not present the named policy driver has to make their way to the vehicle at their own or policy holders' expense to recover it or you just pay privately for a company to do the recovery.

Good job they don't do that here as it is the vehicle that is insured & they'd be wanting you to drag a passer by off the pavement to get home.

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[royandsharont]

I’ve just emailed Comfort to clarify my policy, I know they do more than one.

Im confident my wife could drive the van from anywhere, but not on her own as her navigation is not very good, so if I was hospitalised it would be stressful for her and not what we would want

Here is the relevant page from my policy with AVIVA through Comfort. No mention of other named drivers etc at all.

 

[pampam]

Hiya so are comfort your vehicle insurers or breakdown cover?

 

[pampam]

So if you and the missus pop off to europe for a month, with the missus classed as a named driver (doesnt drive much but knows how to)
But hasnt actually driven the van cos its hubbys pride and joy
Then after a rather dodgy paella hubbys hospitalised and things are looking a bit serious
The missus is expected to drive the van back to england on her own and not stay with her beloved and make sure hes treated well and looked after when flown home
And out of
Van insurance
Breakdown cover
And travel insurance
Nobody wants to help
Thats shocking

 

[royandsharont]

Hiya so are comfort your vehicle insurers or breakdown cover?

Mine is just insurance, the van is new so covered by Fiat for breakdown

 

[Mick and Ruth]

Hiya so are comfort your vehicle insurers or breakdown cover?

Both at the moment

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[Mick and Ruth]

I’ve just emailed Comfort to clarify my policy, I know they do more than one.

Im confident my wife could drive the van from anywhere, but not on her own as her navigation is not very good, so if I was hospitalised it would be stressful for her and not what we would want

Here is the relevant page from my policy with AVIVA through Comfort. No mention of other named drivers etc at all.
View attachment 680457

I am hoping the people I spoke to got it wrong but I made a point of speaking to 2 different advisors and asked the second lady to check with her supervisor and all said the same

 

[Reallyretired]

SWMBO was on my insurance, but will not drive the motorhome so I removed her from the policy for this reason. Obviously it puts the premium up but not by a lot.

 

[pampam]

So if your wife would find it hard to drive thru europe alone leaving you on your sick bed (which is very understandable)
You need to remove her as a named driver on breakdown and car insurance and both have good travel insurance to cover every eventuality
Thank the lord you didnt find this out in the back of an ambulance with a broken ankle after tryin to fix something on van roof

 

[royandsharont]

I am hoping the people I spoke to got it wrong but I made a point of speaking to 2 different advisors and asked the second lady to check with her supervisor and all said the same

Hi again Comfort has just telephoned me, Nicole, they were concerned to hear what I had said in my email and 2 managers have confirmed that your understanding is not correct and what I presumed was. They only expect a named driver present to drive the vehicle home. I told them exactly what you said you had been told twice. They asked which forum it was so perhaps they are members or may add a clarification themselves. All’s good for us all . Regards Roy

 

[Mick and Ruth]

Hi again Comfort has just telephoned me, Nicole, they were concerned to hear what I had said in my email and 2 managers have confirmed that your understanding is not correct and what I presumed was. They only expect a named driver present to drive the vehicle home. I told them exactly what you said you had been told twice. They asked which forum it was so perhaps they are members or may add a clarification themselves. All’s good for us all . Regards Roy

I have just been contacted by Comfort and they have confirmed I had been miss informed on both occasions and have apologised and e mailed the following
Good Afternoon

Thank you for your time today.

I do apologise again for the miscommunication.

I can confirm if you are in your motorhome and become ill, if you have any named drivers on the policy that are with you they would be dependant to drive, otherwise if you are by yourself then you would be covered under section VIII in the policy booklet.

Happy days and at least it’s been clarified panic over

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