It’s only May, but the holiday drive season is arriving soon. And if you plan to drive your lease car abroad there are several pitfalls you need to avoid to enjoy a fabulous holiday abroad.
1 The first and crucial thing is to apply for a VE 103 form from your vehicle funder.
It’s easy to do, but it’s essential you do it in time – don’t leave it to the last minute!
A VE 103 shows that you are entitled to drive your lease car abroad, because you are not the owner of the car. It’s the equivalent of a logbook.
Without a VE 103 you could find yourself bogged down in paperwork, turned back or even, potentially, have the car impounded until you are in possession of the correct paperwork. Which is possibly not outcome you’d expected when you first planned your holiday.
2 Make sure you are insured to drive your car abroad – and take a certificate of insurance with you. If you are a company car driver, then you’ll need to get this from your fleet manager or fleet administrator.
3 If you’re travelling via Eurotunnel, turn up on time. From 05 March 2025, depending on your ticket, if you don’t arrive one hour before departure your ticket will be void and you’ll need to purchase a new one. That could be an expensive start to your holiday.
4 Travelling in France? Then get a Crit’air sticker. They are inexpensive and easy to apply for – go here to apply – to make sure you are covered to drive in one of the many new low emission zones throughout France.
5 A UK sticker is needed for the back of your car – GB stickers are no longer valid.
6 Reflective jackets are required for each member in your car – the fines are expensive if you don’t comply with this rule.
7 Headlamp deflectors to change the headlight beam from left to right – often this can be done from inside the car or your headlamp beam might be ‘flat’ so it won’t need changing. Check with your local dealer.
8 Carry a red warning triangle – this is compulsory.
Further information about travelling abroad
There is a government website which provides advice and information: https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad.
Two other good sources of information are the AA and the RAC. Or further information is available from CBVC here.
Happy travels!
