Your Car Insurance In Spain

gaynor6
Sep 19, 2016
3 min read

There are three main cover types for car insurance

Third party only

Civil/Public Liability

Road assistance

Legal defence

Personal accident

Window glass

Third party fire and theft

Civil/Public Liability

Road assistance

Legal defence

Personal accident

Window glass

Fire

Theft

Comprehensive cover

Civil/Public Liability

Road assistance

Legal defence

Personal accident

Window glass

Fire

Theft

Own damage to the vehicle (usually with an excess)

There are variations to each of the above.

Some policies give you the option to choose how many seats are covered for personal accident and the sums insured for each.

Window glass can also be an option on some policies

Other policies give you the option to include fire without theft.

The legal defence option is often overlooked but can be helpful with regards traffic fines and such like.

No claims bonus

You will find some insurers request confirmation of no claims bonus in order to obtain a certain premium - This can be provided by submitting your UK bonus certificate or if transferring from another Spanish insurer this can usually be found by providing the last 5 numbers of your policy and current registration number.

Some insurers do not request proof of no claims bonus but will offer a full 60% discount based on driving experience - However you then have to earn the discount for proof to be provided should you change insurer.

Age of drivers

The majority of policies offered in Spain cover any licenced driver with a licence over 2 years with a minimum age stated on the policy - This can be 25, 28 or in some cases 30.

Some policies are available that will offer cover for drivers younger that 25 and some will add younger drivers to a policy under certain circumstances.

UK Plated vehicles

You also have companies that will offer cover for UK plated cars that include usually a green card for cover up to 90 days at any one time outside of Spain.

Green card cover is also available on Spanish plated vehicles.

When insuring a UK plated car always ensure that the Spanish Insurers is affiliated with the 'Motor Insurers Database' In the UK so they inform them that you are insured.

Travel assistance/Breakdown cover

This comes as standard in Spain - However check your terms as to whether it covers European breakdown.

Some policies also offer a replacement vehicle in the event of a breakdown - Terms and conditions will apply and a premium charged for this option

You should always ensure you have your paperwork in your car including a receipt confirming payment made.

Some disagree with this, however it really can depend who stops you, so it is best to be prepared.

Always ensure you have the relevant travel assistance, claims and window glass 24 hour assistance numbers to hand along with your policy number and registration number so you are prepared in case you require them.

If you take a policy with a specific Expat department they will have 24 hour assistance in English - However you will find that it is unlikely that the grua that picks you up with speak English. So it can be handy to keep the details of your garage to hand in the vehicle too.

Accident reporting/Completing the accident report form

In the event of an accident you should always complete the accident form and request the other party also does the same - This can greatly speed up the claims process.

Overview of completing the accident report form

Time, date and place of accident
Names and address and full contact details of other people involved
Any witnesses and their contact information
Make, model and registration number of all cars involved
State where the damage occurred on your vehicle
The same for all other vehicles
If you can obtain photographs of the vehicles and incident area this can be useful
Drawing a brief outline of the incident on the form too can be helpful
In the middle tick boxes for you to state what occurred - both parties should tick their corresponding column
Further comments can be added at the bottom
Only sign at the bottom of the page IF you agree with what is noted on the form - NEVER sign if you do not agree with details on the form.

As soon as possible the claims form should be submitted to your insurer. By calling the dedicated claims assistance line they will be able to help you with this process.

The assistance lines will also be able to help with a replacement car if this is offered within your policy.

Should you require a quote for car insurance here is Spain please click on the following link :

https://goo.gl/ckolKm

GPS Insurance Services

For all your insurance needs as an Expat in Spain

www.gpsinsuranceservices.com