UK Car - Insurance?

[Traci]

Hi,

I have a UK registered car with current UK insurance, however just relised that it only covers me for being one month abroad.  I don't want to register my car here as I want to sell it in the UK later this year, but I do need insurance.  So what i would like to know is, which companies are easy to deal with, and without being ripped off and what do i need in the way of documents etc.  I am in area 33 . Thanks

[Sunday Driver]

As a resident of France, you are not permitted to drive a foreign registered car here.  So if you don't want to register it here, you'll have to keep it off the road until you return it to the UK.

If you do want to drive it here, then you'll have to import it and register it within one month.  You can obtain temporary insurance cover on its UK plates until you've completed the registration formalities, then you'll be issued with a full certificate when you produce your new carte grise.

You will find full details at the top of this forum section in the FAQ entitled [url=http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/684121/ShowPost.aspx]Importing and registering your UK car to France[/url]

All of the French insurance companies are easy to deal with, none of them will "rip you off", and they will all want to see your vehicle registration document, driving licence(s) and NCB letter.

 

 

[Traci]

poop, i'm in trouble then! hadn't wanted to bother with all that registering stuff as its going back in a few months and also heard that i'ld need to then register in the UK to sell it there..................but I can't keep it off the road either as its the only one i have at the moment.  Isn't there an easier solution?

[Teamedup]

A few years ago my friends neice came to France as part of her uni course. She was here for the school year. At toussaint she went back to the UK and brought her car back. She had to insure it in France as soon as she arrived, but was told at the prefecture that she needn't reregister it in France as she was leaving the following June.

What is right and wrong in this I don't know. Just that this was what happened where I live a few years ago.

If someone was coming across for the same thing, then I would ask again at the prefecture and see what they said about it all.

[Sunday Driver]

Students coming to France to study are a special case.  They are classed as visitors (ie, not residents) and they are also exempt from the rule which restricts visitors to driving their cars in France for up to six months only, so as long as they are still studying, they can drive ther UK cars here indefinitely.

 

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="Traci"] Isn't there an easier solution?[/quote]

If there was, I'd have told you about it......

If you want to drive your car in France, then the law says you have to import it and register it here.  You won't get insurance here unless your vehicle is legal.

 

[Will]

There is an easier solutuion, and that is to do what the majority seem to do and ignore the law. That sort of works until you get checked or have an accident of course.

Being a bit more helpful, as long as the vehicle is taxed in Britain you may be able to get temporary insurance via a specialist broker in France (there are some which advertise such a service on certain English-language web sites and in certain publications) which will at least give you the minimum legal cover and enable you to return the vehcle to Britain. Not strictly in accordance with the law, so we couldn't recommend it of course.

.That is as long as it remains taxed, otherwise when repatriating it you could get stung for back tax and a fine.

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="Will"]

That sort of works until you get checked or have an accident of course.

[/quote]

Then you get fined and if your car is written off, then you lose everything. 

Given that the registration processes both here and back in the UK are straightforward, why don't you do things properly?  Yes, there will be a cost to you, but that's the cost of being able to legally drive your car.

 

[tristanspeed]

You could try www.bacchus-insurance.com - they helped me out with this on my UK reg MX-5, as did Naafi financial - www.naafi.co.uk

I'd say probably don't bother with importing it - you'll have to pay to change the headlights, possibly fog and reversing lights, get a cert of conformity (about 80euros), Controle Technique etc. It can get very complicated, or be very easy, I've had it work in a few weeks (Golf)or several months and a great deal of tests (MX5). Keep it UK road legal (tax, Mot) of course. Good luck!