In Sweden and Norway, the car is usually insured, no matter who drives it. So no extra cost for a pet sitter to drive it.
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Thanks for the helpful feedback
That’s fair enough. USA rules with car insurance are different to U.K. as I drive my sisters car when I visit her in Chicago, no problem and no cost to anyone. Perhaps it’s the type of insurance they’ve taken out
I wasn’t thinking about driving the pets anywhere, just purely the offer if a car and who bears the cost of insurance. But thanks for responding 
Thanks for the comments. Yes it’s a nightmare adding non-UK residents onto a car insurance here in the U.K.
I was actually replying to the OP. Mentioned not driving pets, because that can influence whether some hosts offer cars.
Thanks for all of the responses. If I can drive to a sit within a day I take my car. If cars are going to be over $1000 to rent for the entire sit then I pass for those homes that are outside of my driving range. I LOVE the listings in the UK but have to say driving on the other side of the road is a bit intimidating 
Soz, I was reading various comments, got mixed up 
So did you always bought an insurance for the car? is it possible to buy a car insurance just for a short term? Thank you
@CatloverForever, insurance varies among countries and specific policies, but usually you can’t buy insurance for someone else’s car — the owner of the car usually has insured it and either their policy won’t cover other drivers or it does. If it doesn’t, the owner might discuss with their insurer whether there’s a rider (additional coverage) they can buy. In some cases, some owners will ask the sitter to chip in or the sitter might offer. That’s a discussion had between the individual host and sitter.
Some people have insurance that automatically covers other drivers temporarily and that would be ideal, of course. But you won’t usually know that unless you and the host discuss it.
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In my profile, I include a reference to my driving history, for the consideration of hosts who might be open to sharing their car. That’s because I think it helps if they’re potentially open to it, but haven’t posted it as an amenity in their listing. (Beyond normal driving, I’ve driven safely over decades of road tripping cross country in cars and an RV, for instance, and have driven comfortably even in congested places like Manhattan.)
I’ve been offered cars before in the U.S. and U.K. and currently have two sits later this year involving cars — in one case, the host offered me their car unasked, raising it during our phone chat after I’d applied.
In the other case, I had temporarily applied for a sit after seeing a listing that didn’t work for me date wise, but was perfect otherwise. I asked whether they might want me to sit later in the year, if they traveled again. They got back to me quickly and offered me three weeks that hadn’t been posted and they raised the topic of loaning me a car during our video chat, because they’d read my profile and had seen my reference to potentially using hosts’ cars.
They’re newbies to THS, so I explained that it’s entirely up to the host whether to loan a car and told them to consider it, no rush, since our sit won’t be till later this year. I did that, because I only want to borrow a car if my hosts are comfortable with it. And I figure no pressure allows them time to consider and to discuss with their insurer.
During our chat, I also mentioned specifically what I’d be using the car for — for groceries and for meals with friends in the area. I telecommute from all sits, have lived in their city before and wouldn’t be doing a bunch of sightseeing in their car. I figured that info might help them decide whether to loan their car. But I get that that carries additional risks, so I’d never pressure anyone into it. Personally, I’d rent a car if I really wanted one, or take Lyft, Uber or such.
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We didn’t do anything - each time the homeowner added us on to their insurance.
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For me the harder part of right hand drive is shifting with the left arm. But you get used to it.
I’ve just been looking into this - we would very much prefer , and have always had, a sitter with their own car, not because I’d be particularly anxious as if I’m trusting you with my house and animals I trust you to tell me if you’re a safe and confident driver or not, but because it’s so much simpler.However, increasingly with the cost of car rental we have begun to consider leaving our own car. In Ireland it is hard even to get a quote for adding someone to the insurance for 2 weeks- you have to supply the person’s full details, they won’t just give you a ballpark figure to indicate whether it’s worth pursuing. From what I’ve heard from others though it’s around €70 per week for a driver with a full clean US licence. So it seems to be doable but a hassle. That’s leaving aside whether the applicant can drive a manual transmission car and the question of how they get to us (I don’t mind collecting someone from the airport) and then how we would get to the airport- they would have to be willing to drive us. I am considering applications that would need us to leave the car but really really keeping my fingers crossed for someone who has their own!
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My view as a sitter is that the HO should always put themselves in the shoes of the sitter when requesting their services.
If you live in a location that is well connected to public transport and has amenities close by then this shouldn’t be an issue.
However, if you live remotely or with no to little access to public transport and you personally rely on a vehicle to live in your chosen location then you should be offering free use of that vehicle (or an alternate) for the duration of the sit.
If you’re not willing to do so you should ask yourself ‘would I live here without a vehicle for however long I’m requesting a sitter’
Additionally HOs need to consider what would occur in an emergency.
if one of their pets become sick or injured or if their home was subject to severe weather or some other natural disaster… would it be fair to require a sitter to pay for a rental car to collect medication for your pet, to take your pet to a veterinary clinic or to evacuate etc.
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Or choose sitters who will bring their own car.
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There are always things like taxis. Also, in some countries it is extremely expensive to add another person onto the car insurance, not to mention the liability.
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Certainly that’s an option.
I’m assuming you live within walking distance of vet care should your pet need emergency medical care or would you require a sitter to have a vehicle at your disposal for such an eventuality?
Why do you assume that, and why is my proximity to a vet relevant?
In the US there are huge numbers of places where there are no taxis, no car sharing, no public transport, and getting around requires a car.
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