Holiday single Trip Insurance and cycling.

[Brambles]

Hi.

 

I am trying to arranmge my Holiday insurance for this summer and was just going to renew with Direct Travel Insurance , underwritten by AXA, and noticed cycling was excluded from personal Liability.

Now it's not classed as an extreme sport, but is specifally excluded from the personal Liability section.

On checking with AXA they say they do not and cannot cover it.

So seaching loads of other Travel insurance companies I am finding the only ones to cover appear to be the very expensive companies. Indeed the Camping and Caravanning Club offering appears to exclude it. You are not covered for a mechanically propelled vehicle and from speaking to insurance companies includes cycles.

 

Are many of you aware of this as there must be lots of us who take bikes on holiday for casual use. I checked my Household Insurance and yet again I find cycling is excluded whereas I always thought was included. (it was with last company)

So question is, does anyone know of any budget or low cost insurance company which will cover personal liability for normal cycling?

Jon.

 

 

[howie]

Hi Jon. Is it really necessary to be covered by insurance simply to enjoy cycling. No one wants to tempt fate, but no doubt, like many others, i,ve used a cycle for years and the thought of being insured has never crossed my mind.

[Brambles]

Hi Howie,

Ahh yes, but maybe now I know about it, I am tempting fate by not having insurance!!

 

Jon

[howie]

How very true Jon. Great believer in positive thinking, but now you've raised the subject may I humbly suggest you give up cycling with immediate effect insured or not. Hope this helps.

[Brian Kirby]

We have annual travel insurance via Comfort with Norwich Union and, in the Personal Accident section of the policy document, cycling is specifically stated to be included, along with a number of other activities.

Hope this helps.

[Brambles]

Hi Clive.

Everyone covers personal accident, what we we are looking for is Personal liability (third party claims). Norwich union direct appear to cover, but whether all their policies through others like Asda, Comfort, etc I do not know and often it appears these intermediaries can offer cheaper quotes because they actually cut out parts of the policy.

 

Jon.

 

[Brambles]

Just spoken to Norwich Union - their max trip on annual policy is 31 days - we need 38 days an single trip is about £93. Big jump form £30 elswehere to have Cycle Liability so going to look at seperate cycle insurance now which I think came out less than £60 for the three of us for a year and may be worth havng anyway as I now discover Home policy no longer covers. Should have kept home policy where it was for the sake of saving a few quid at the time. Or I could cance Home insurance, pay pro-rata etc and go back to Frizels.

Jon.

[michele]

I take personal liability for my daughter yearly and it cheaper than that Brambles if you work out that yours is only for a max of 31 ..

[Brian Kirby]

Jon

I checked our insurances based upon what you had said, and noted the same exclusions regarding third party risks for motorised or mechanically propelled vehicles.  However, our policy also states that cycling is covered as a sporting activity.  Thus, if a cycle is deemed to be mechanically propelled, the effect of the exclusion seemed perverse.  I therefore wrote to the insurer (Comfort) querying the point, and today received their reply.

Their reply states that both theft of/damage to the cycles, and also damage to other persons and/or their property arising out of the use of the cycles, are covered.  Specifically, they state that, within the terms of their policy, "a pedal cycle is not considered to be a mechanically propelled vehicle".

However, seeing a further pitfall (well, you do, don't you!), I went to to ask about electrically powered or assisted cycles.  The answer, in respect of these, is that the policy is interpreted in line with DVLA requirements for registration.  That is to say, if the vehicle is sufficiently powerful to require registration, and hence liable to VED, it is deemed a mechanically propelled vehicle and the exclusions apply.  Otherwise, it remains a pedal cycle, and the exclusions do not apply.

However, it must be said that this is applicable only to Comfort's insurances, and should not be relied upon for other insurers.  I hope this helps.

[Brambles]

Hi Brian.

 

Thanks for you help. Comfort is one I found which was OK, but quite expensive compared with some others for the days period of time I need.

 

What I have found is some cover and some don't and also completely different interpretation by different intermediatories and companies I have spoken to. For example some AXA policies through some brokers are OK and through others are not, for what seems like the same policy.

 

Talking to the 'better' companies, they seem to agree no way on earth should a bike for casual use not be covered. It seems to be with the more budget policies where it has been cut out.

I found in the end a policy with Premier Insuramce through an intermediary which gives me what I need - bikes, child 11 years old (some are only over 12 or 14) , amount of cover etc, and for over 31 days, all for £26, and teh same policy through other sources can be ovbet twice as much. Just shows one needs to shop around and read the policy in detail.

Hope above makes sense - have rushed my reply as off to eat dinner and then dash out.

Jon.