Basically it’s not worth it. Get UK sitters with a car. Who would want to deal with the fallout of damage and a claim?
Hi @Debandbee
Sorry to hear about this - I’m glad that nobody was hurt - and I hope that the dogs are ok. How have they been since you posted this?
It’s useful to see people post this kind of info on the Forum, as I’m sure others will have searched for it before on here, and if anyone else looks then your post (and the advice from others) might help them too.
I’ve updated your post title a little bit (adding “not covered by THS insurance”) as I think that might help anyone else looking for posts about a similar issue.
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Indeed, since Covid a lot of UK owners do prefer it. They know the sitters are already in the country, have transport and understand how things work here. Less to think about. That doesn’t apply to everyone of course.
I live in Spain
Actually, I have had several hosts in the UK lend me their cars. It is typically an older model and they put me on their insurance. I drive extra carefully and fortunately have had no incidents. But of course, accidents do happen and there is always a risk. If I did have an accident, I would strive to cover the damage myself if at all feasible. I so appreciate the loan of a car, given the cost of car rentals these days.
I’ve had U.K. hosts loan me their cars as well — late model, even.
Everyone’s circumstances and trust levels differ. I didn’t ask for use of cars and they volunteered, though it wasn’t listed. I think some hosts decide based on their comfort levels with individual sitters (maybe based on age, too).
That’s happened with multiple hosts, in the U.K. and U.S. I don’t mention it in reviews, to avoid putting the hosts on the spot with future sitters.
Normally the HO add the sitter as a driver on the HO auto insurance policy. I don’t think THS offers auto insurance.
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BTW, for folks who don’t know:
You can make it easier for a host to consider loaning you their car by offering to share your driving record and offering to pay the deductible or excess in case of an accident. Of course, their rates might go up if there’s a claim caused by the sitter, but that can be a risk of loaning a car. (Specifics vary by country, insurer and policy.)
You can google for instance for “how to get my driving record in (name of state, territory, country or such). You often have to order and wait for the licensing agency to send you that. And you typically pay a nominal amount. Various folks need such, sometimes to apply for jobs involving driving, for example. (Process varies by jurisdiction or country.)
If you offer specifics, it can make a discussion about using someone’s car go more smoothly. No guarantee they’ll loan their car, of course.
And for some hosts, who need sitters to drive their pets or who need extra enticement to do say a rural sit (or one that’s not popular), you can always check with your insurer before posting a sit, if you want to consider loaning your car.
Like with anything involving potentially expensive costs or something meaningful to you, due diligence will always be the best bet. Don’t assume.
And some countries might require international driver’s licenses to drive or rent a car, depending on where you’re from. You also can find that online, by searching for something like “Do I need an international driver’s license to drive in (country).”
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Thanks @Maggie8K this was helpful information that I actually need for a sit I’ve applied for. They asked if I had a clean driving record and I replied “I don’t know how to prove that to you other than my word.” But now I know how thanks to you. 
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I agree. The responses are, at times, are rude.
@Maggie8K - your response above was really helpful.
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@Maggie8K
I’ve had some “vitriolic” responses from sitters commenting on Reddit - THS topics about requesting a copy of drivers license +- driving abstract when agreeing to loan my car.
Basically told that it was unethical, not allowed to request because THS does identity verification, that legally I wasn’t allowed to have that information, etc. etc.
I can understand someone not wanting to provide the information, but conversely, I don’t want to loan my car without it. Insurance follows the car. THS does not provide insurance for this purpose/covering car loan and there is no way for a homeowner to directly verify that the identification used by a sitter with THS was a drivers license that was valid.
I don’t have any issue, loaning my car without certain safeguards to protect my own liability and insurance costs in the event of an unexpected accident.
Loved your suggestions. I would loan my car in a heartbeat to any sitter providing appropriate documentation.
I don’t see why the replies have to be rude, but I can see some people taking things personally and not being able to see the other side’s POV, then getting upset.
I figure we all have choices — to show ID or not, to loan a car or not, etc. It seems straightforward to say “no” in a neutral way if that’s the individual’s choice.
Sometimes things aren’t personal at all, but someone makes it about them — feeling insulted or whatever say if asked for ID. In reality, in most cases, people don’t even care about you personally — they’re just trying to look after their priorities. Like when you want ID to drive your car, it’s not random to any individual sitter. You’d want that from anyone who drives your car, presumably.
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