Normand

Hi, We have now been living in France for 3 years and would offer the following points: 1) It is very easy to obtain insurance for UK plated cars in France and is generally cheaper, than obtaining the same cover for driving in both countries, than England.  We went through AGF but most insurance companies will do it.  If you are not confident with your french, there is an english speaking broker and even an english broker in Aquitaine which both advertise every month in "French News". 2) If you are moving permanently to France, you will have to change your headlights.  The cheapest way is to do a search on the internet for second hand car parts.  We put out an enquiry and within 48 hours received replies for new ones at a third of the cost, we were quoted in GB and  ours is not an easy car to source parts. 3) It is easy to re register an english car here, as long as you have patience. MOTs are only neccessary every two years and apart from the original registration cost there is no annual tax. Do not inform DVLA until after the process has been completed, in case you have any problems with the importation. The french authorities require your english registration documents and they inform DVLA, after the process is completed. 4) The most important thing to do before you leave is make sure that you have your invoice/ receipt with you, as the starting point of the process begins with taking your receipt to your local tax office.  After that it is off to the prefecture to be given a list of things to do. 5) Most books tell you that you must obtain a certificate of conformity from the manufacturer. Check with your local office of DRIRE who downloaded a copy for our Mazda, while we waited and charged us a third of the price that we were given by Mazda. Hope this helps a bit Normand