Insuring UK car in France

[Rob G]

Hi,

We're hoping to move back to the UK in December after a few years in

Normandy. We intend to sell our French car before we leave, and my

father has kindly offered to give us his UK car as he feels he no

longer needs it. The ideal would be for him to bring it over a month or

two before we move so we can immediately put the French car on the

market, and then use the English car for the remaining time in France

until we move back. The car will continue to be registered in my dad's

name until we've moved back.

The question is, will either my dad or we be able to insure the

English car for my wife and I to drive in France? My dad is planning to

ring his insurance company and ask whether we can be added as named

drivers and covered for use in France, but my worry is that, as our

address is outside the UK, this won't be possible. By the same token, I

could call our French insurance brokers and see if there's anything

they can do, but since the car will be registered in the UK I'm

doubtful they'll be able to cover it.

Just wondering whether anyone has any ideas and/or has been through a similar situation and found a way around it?

Thanks,

Rob

[mint]

Can you get a buyer lined up to buy your French car when you leave these shores?

[Rob G]

Hi,

[quote user="sweet 17"]Can you get a buyer lined up to buy your French car when you leave these shores?[/quote]

How easy it will be to find a buyer is another question. What I'm wanting to find out at this stage is how my dad or I can temporarily insure a UK car to cover my wife and I to use it in France for a month or two.

Rob

[Théière]

Rob G, as you will only be named drivers the policy holder is your father in the UK so it should not be a problem, (in theory) it would be the same if you were named drivers using the car in the UK but living in France. However the mighty insurance companies do have their own rules.

What is the difference between God and an under writer?

God doesn't think he's an under writer [Www]

[Pickles]

If you were importing the car into France then your French insurer would cover it under the car's UK registration until it had been re-registered in France - normally a month. As has been reported on here before, the French insurer wouldn't chase you to re-register it in France (but might use a failure to re-register as a reason to refuse to pay out in the event of an accident), and you would technically in any case be driving it illegally in France on UK plates beyond the end of the month's grace. Then there is the issue of what happens when you take it back to the UK, if still on UK plates, where if your father cancels his insurance then the car would trip the ANPR cameras as being uninsured.

Why not get your father to put you on the UK insurance as a named driver? This at least would prevent problems at the UK end. (edited) Théière got there first ...

Regards

Pickles

[mint]

You never know, I might be in the market for a French reg car in a month or two if my own is found to be not reparable.

Nothing wrong with having a Plan B in any situation in life............

[Rob G]

Thanks for answers so far. I think my dad's going to call his insurers first and see whether we can be added as named drivers. If that's no good, I'll have to contact our French insurers and see what they say.

As to the car being picked up as uninsured once we get it back to the UK, that won't happen: either it will still be on my dad's insurance or we will make sure we have a new UK policy in place before we arrive back in the UK.

Rob