Shipping Overseas - Car Insurance

lindbhr · 03-21-2020, 04:50 AM

I am shipping a car from Germany to the U.S. The shipping company offers insurance at additional cost, but I don’t want to pay for it if my policy here covers the car. After 3 emails, I can’t get a straight answer from the insurance company as to the terms of their coverage for shipping. All I am asking for is a yes or no from them. I think the answer must be no, but wanted to get others perspectives....Thanks

ltusler · 03-21-2020, 06:37 AM

Have you tried reading your policy?

Maybe a specialty insurer would be cheaper than the shipping company?

LWJ · 03-21-2020, 06:50 AM

Can't answer this but some perspective. (FYI, business insurance is my livelihood)

A personal auto policy was never designed to cover this exposure.

A cargo policy is the way to do this.

We commonly write stand alone cargo as the shippers policies are notoriously poor/ difficult to collect on

Make sense?

lindbhr · 03-21-2020, 07:14 AM

This is a new policy with Leland West. I may have the policy for other cars, so I’ll look. The shipping company charges 1.25% of the value of the car plus 75 euros for the insurance. Are there other more cost effective alternatives? Thank you for you replies...Hugh

LWJ · 03-21-2020, 07:41 AM

Ok. I take that back. If Leland is charging for this, seems an anticipated exposure!

Nice. Read the policy. Go forward. Seems a great solution. My apologies.

javadog · 03-21-2020, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindbhr

This is a new policy with Leland West. I may have the policy for other cars, so I’ll look. The shipping company charges 1.25% of the value of the car plus 75 euros for the insurance. Are there other more cost effective alternatives? Thank you for you replies...Hugh

I used Leland West for years. Don't email them, give them a call. I talked to them dozens of times over the phone and never failed to get my questions answered.

My guess would be that it's not covered, based on my experience with them.

I'd bite the bullet and get cargo insurance, if I were you.

spuggy · 03-21-2020, 02:43 PM

When I bought it, it was called "Marine insurance"; covers the car while in the care/control of the shipping company.

In much the same way that auto insurance doesn't cover your car while in a shop (their insurance covers it), I don't believe that any auto insurance covers against the ship sinking/the container your car happens to be in falling off the ship. Which happens, sometimes..

I can't find any quotes for it (for either of the times I bought it); may have just been bundled into the overall shipping invoice and not a line item. Seem to recall I was given the option to decline - but it seemed very reasonably priced to me.