Insurance for Driving Thai Girlfirends Car

[Steve80]

I know I need an International Driving Permit, but can I get insurance to drive my girlfriends car?

 

My girlfriend has a small car and she is insured. I would like to do some driving for her, so she does not have to drive everywhere.

 

I read somewhere that the insurance is on the vehicle and not the person, but I am unsure if that is true. If it is would I be covered just driving it?

[Ralf001]

Read the policy and see if the insurance is for named driver only.

[Tropicalevo]

6 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Read the policy and see if the insurance is for named driver only.

Good advice.

Most insurance policies for cars here are for the car and not the driver.

[Peterw42]

OP, its the car that's insured anywhere in the world, That's why its called car insurance and not driver insurance, Thailand is no different.

The default for any car insurance is usually any authorized driver, with possible exemptions for under a certain age, learners etc.

As others have said, check the policy, but unless its a specific policy that only covers the owner of the car, it should operate as any other car insurance.

[richard_smith237]

The need for an IDP is heavily debated, usually quoting various conventions and thai laws etc..

All a moot point if you have an IDP anyway....  

 

The bigger point is your Visa...  if you are on a Tourist Visa or visa exempt you are fine with your home licence and IDP. 

 

IF you are on a resident visa (i.e. Non-Immigrant type O etc)... then you should have a Thai Licence. 

 

Regarding insurance: Most policies cover the vehicle for any driver, but some may have named driver policies to cut the premium - best to check the specific policy. 

 

 

[ballpoint]

While most car insurance here is for the car only, regardless of who's driving it (and in some cases who even owns it, as the insurance may be transferred to the new owner when the car's sold), some companies offer a discount if only driven by drivers named in the policy.  For example, my car, insured with "R", has only my wife's and my names listed.  They wouldn't pay out if anyone else was driving.  While I doubt if your girlfriend has such a policy, it's worth checking, and you may be allowed to add your name to the list as well.  ("R" allow up to four designated drivers, with the policy discount being based on the age of the youngest, so if you're older than your girlfriend there wouldn't be any additional payment).  

 

(It's well worth considering a named driver policy.  I was quoted between 67,000 - 87,000 a year for my car with other companies, but, with named driver and dash-cam discounts, "R" insured it for 27,000).

 

Edit: Wasn't sure about naming the company, so changed it to "R". 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

25 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

(It's well worth considering a named driver policy.  I was quoted between 67,000 - 87,000 a year for my car with other companies, but, with named driver and dash-cam discounts, "R" insured it for 27,000).

Thats a huge discount...  what car is it that makes such a difference ?

 

For our Car - Mazda - the cost is about 22,000 per year. 

Having named drivers only makes 2-3000 baht difference so not really worth it.

The Dashcam lowers the premium by 5%.

 

 

 

 

[KhunLA]

Assume nothing, check the policy.   It will be for 'named' drivers or all 'legal' drivers.

[blackshadow]

why not contact the INSURANCE COMPANY and ask there???

simple to do.....!!

[ballpoint]

18 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thats a huge discount...  what car is it that makes such a difference ?

 

For our Car - Mazda - the cost is about 22,000 per year. 

Having named drivers only makes 2-3000 baht difference so not really worth it.

The Dashcam lowers the premium by 5%.

 

 

 

 

It's a Merc.  I got three years of first class insurance free when I bought the car.  When I went to reinsure it with the same company after that they quoted 87,000.  Trying another insurer's local office gave 67,000, so I went online to the kangaroo place and was very pleasantly surprised.  The car's now five years old, and this is from the latest policy, my second year with them:

 

"Normal" premium would be 66,440.15

Driver discount 11,724.73

No claim discount (they checked with my previous insurer and gave this right away, the first year I was with them) 31,722.07

"Other" discounts (Dash-cam) 7978.67

Total premium (excluding compulsory) 25,507.09

 

[soi3eddie]

Really best to check with the insurer. When we got our Hilux Vigo with first class insurance in 2005, the insurer told us that for me to be covered I had to get a Thai driver licence. Driving with foreign licence and IDP was not satisfactory for them so that prompted me to get the Thai licence.

 

[Ralf001]

22 minutes ago, blackshadow said:

why not contact the INSURANCE COMPANY and ask there???

simple to do.....!!

Not simple at all, unless one speaks Thai.

[Classic Ray]

2 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, its the car that's insured anywhere in the world, That's why its called car insurance and not driver insurance, Thailand is no different.

The default for any car insurance is usually any authorized driver, with possible exemptions for under a certain age, learners etc.

As others have said, check the policy, but unless its a specific policy that only covers the owner of the car, it should operate as any other car insurance.

Not in the U.K., unless it is company car, usually the policyholder and named drivers only are insured.

[Andyfez]

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, its the car that's insured anywhere in the world, That's why its called car insurance and not driver insurance, Thailand is no different.

The default for any car insurance is usually any authorized driver, with possible exemptions for under a certain age, learners etc.

As others have said, check the policy, but unless its a specific policy that only covers the owner of the car, it should operate as any other car insurance.

Not true.

[Pdavies99]

4 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, its the car that's insured anywhere in the world, That's why its called car insurance and not driver insurance, Thailand is no different.

The default for any car insurance is usually any authorized driver, with possible exemptions for under a certain age, learners etc.

As others have said, check the policy, but unless its a specific policy that only covers the owner of the car, it should operate as any other car insurance.

Sorry to say, but rather wrong, for instance, in the EU and particularly the UK the insurance is specific to named drivers and named cars.....of course there are exceptions.

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Most insurance policies for cars here are for the car and not the driver.

This.

 

As long as driver has valid lucense it is covered.

[Ralf001]

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

This.

 

As long as driver has valid lucense it is covered.

Except if it a named policy.

 

I have 4 vehicles, all have 1st class and all insured only for me to drive.

This saves me approx 100k per year.

[nrasmussen]

48 minutes ago, Pdavies99 said:

Sorry to say, but rather wrong, for instance, in the EU and particularly the UK the insurance is specific to named drivers and named cars.....of course there are exceptions.

Perhaps true for some EU countries, but Denmark is an EU member and insurance there is for the car.

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Assume nothing, check the policy.   It will be for 'named' drivers or all 'legal' drivers.

Including check direct with insurance company re:

 

- Driving with InterDriving permit rather than Thai license.

- Driving whilst here on the Visa that your holding.

 

And ask for an e.mail showing the answers to your questions. 

 

[StevieAus]

4 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Not simple at all, unless one speaks Thai.

I have found in recent years that most of the big companies, banks etc including my insurer have people who speak pretty good English.

I have found you have to listen carefully and speak slowly.

I do admit that as my Thai is very very basic it is handy to have the wife who speaks the National Thai, Lana and good English to assist.

[metisdead]

A post with excessive use of ALL CAPS has been removed as there is no need to shout. 

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, StevieAus said:

I have found in recent years that most of the big companies, banks etc including my insurer have people who speak pretty good English.

I have found you have to listen carefully and speak slowly.

I do admit that as my Thai is very very basic it is handy to have the wife who speaks the National Thai, Lana and good English to assist.

I have found in recent years more and more companies I call on the phone, they can certainly speak English..... but are really lacking in understanding English and anything outside of the parrot English they have learnt <deleted> them.

Thats when I switch to speaking Thai.... they then understand what Iam asking.

 

Same happens in my work, my dept has 30 employees, all speak fluent English.... maybe 5 of them understand English which then means the daily morning meeting whilst conducted in English resorts to Thai to get the answers needed.

[Steve80]

On 10/20/2022 at 11:29 AM, richard_smith237 said:

The need for an IDP is heavily debated, usually quoting various conventions and thai laws etc..

All a moot point if you have an IDP anyway....  

 

The bigger point is your Visa...  if you are on a Tourist Visa or visa exempt you are fine with your home licence and IDP. 

 

IF you are on a resident visa (i.e. Non-Immigrant type O etc)... then you should have a Thai Licence. 

 

Regarding insurance: Most policies cover the vehicle for any driver, but some may have named driver policies to cut the premium - best to check the specific policy. 

 

 

I am from the UK, where the insurance is on the driver and the car, and realise it is different everywhere in the world. With this being the first time I have checked this, I was unsure what the situation for Thailand is.

 

I was also unsure if being on a foreign driving license and IDP (Non Thai) would also have any exclusions or special requirements on standard car insurance that could prevent me from driving.

[sometimewoodworker]

On 10/20/2022 at 11:20 AM, Peterw42 said:

OP, its the car that's insured anywhere in the world, That's why its called car insurance and not driver insurance, Thailand is no different.

You really have no in-depth knowledge of insurance worldwide.

 

Having driven for years in 3 different countries with insurance I know you are giving miss information.

 

For 1 example in the U.K. a driver may be insured to drive many cars but only for specific uses. So when driving he is insured for that vehicle, if someone else drives it they are not insured.
 

So the driver is insured to drive. The vehicle is not insured.

 

The U.K. may be unusual and the rules surrounding vehicle insurance are certainly complex and there are many types of insurance.

[HauptmannUK]

The insurance cover is whatever is stated in the documentation. Its pointless speculating. If you have an accident they will quote the policy wording.

In the UK for example, its perfectly possible to insure a car for 'any driver' - but its expensive.  UK insurance companies have very sophisticated software to quantify risk - so they take account of how the car is used, where its parked, annual mileage, driver history etc etc - so theoretically the premium paid is very precisely matched to the risk.  The Thai insurers take a much cruder approach - often just the car make/model and age. So I guess some customers are overpaying by a lot and some underpaying by a lot.

Note that Thai insurance payout limits can be quite low compared to Western policies. If you were at fault in a serious accident the policy might not cover the entire claim amount.  Given the relatively low coverage limits I don't think that Thai motor policies are particularly good value.

[StevieAus]

20 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

I have found in recent years more and more companies I call on the phone, they can certainly speak English..... but are really lacking in understanding English and anything outside of the parrot English they have learnt <deleted> them.

Thats when I switch to speaking Thai.... they then understand what Iam asking.

 

Same happens in my work, my dept has 30 employees, all speak fluent English.... maybe 5 of them understand English which then means the daily morning meeting whilst conducted in English resorts to Thai to get the answers needed.

You are fortunate that you are able to speak Thai, one thing that has been reaffirmed do to me since living in Thailand and experiencing my daughter learn English, is that I am pleased English is my first language.

[puchooay]

23 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Except if it a named policy.

 

I have 4 vehicles, all have 1st class and all insured only for me to drive.

This saves me approx 100k per year.

Really? What cars are they?

 

I bought a brand new Mazda BT50. No named drivers. Anyone could drive it. First year paid for by the dealer. Second year was under 15k.

 

In order for you to be saving 100k per year, your initial premiums must be sky high.

[Ralf001]

21 minutes ago, puchooay said:

Really? What cars are they?

 

 

They are like most cars,  have 4 wheels and such.

 

[scorecard]

23 hours ago, nrasmussen said:

Perhaps true for some EU countries, but Denmark is an EU member and insurance there is for the car.

***** This case is in Thailand ***** .

[scorecard]

Just now, scorecard said:

***** This case is in Thailand ***** .

To the OP.  Much information and I'm guessing (my guess only) this levaes you without a specific/factual answer.

 

Call the insurance company or go to their office (major office), ask them for specific clear answers  and ask for an e.mail confirming whatever answers they give you.