First car and insurance

[Camondo]

Hi,

I have been reading PH for a while but this is the first time I actually post a message.

I would like to buy within the next few months my first (second-hand) car. As I am not a UK citizen, I am not familiar with all the admin stuff and would like to understand the steps I need to follow when buying the car.

In other words, once the car has been bought either from a dealer or a private seller, can I drive it without being insured for a very few days or do I need to insure the car first and drive it back home?

My question might be a bit silly, but I know that the rules are not the same accross all European countries.

Thanks!
Camondo

[Codswallop]

Once you buy a car, you must have appropriate insurance in place for you as the driver on that particular car, and the car must have a valid MOT certificate and road tax before you can drive it.

What car you thinking of getting?

[Camondo]

Thanks for your answer! So nothing prevents me from buying the car in a first instance, but I can't drive it as long as it is not insured.

I will go for a compact car with let say c.60hp, but I haven't made my mind on the model yet (could be anything from an old Micra to a much more recent Fiat 500). I guess it shouldn't be too complicated to find an insurer for that type of cars...

[Codswallop]

Camondo said:

So nothing prevents me from buying the car in a first instance, but I can't drive it as long as it is not insured.

Depends where you are going to keep the car. It must still be taxed, insured and MOTed if you intend to keep the car on a public road.

Unless you have a private bit of land to keep the car on, it would be best to delay the purchase until you are ready to pay all of the other associated costs.

[Cemesis]

Don't buy a car without getting an insurance quote. If you don't have a UK licence and have no driving history in the UK then your quotes could be very large indeed, even for a small engined car.

Once you buy the car, it must be insured from that point (even if you don't intend to return to collect it for a few days). It must be taxed at all times or have a SORN (Statutary Off Road Notification) and stored off the road.

It also needs an MOT if you are buying a car over three years old which is an annual test.

I had a cousin who had trouble finding insurance on anything for less than £1,000 due to being in the same situation as you and he was 25

[Camondo]

Thank you all for your answers, this is extremely helpful!

Cemesis, I am in the same situation as your cousin being over 25+, having quite a few cars in my home country but without being insured as driver...

Have a good week!

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Cemesis said:

Once you buy the car, it must be insured from that point (even if you don't intend to return to collect it for a few days). It must be taxed at all times or have a SORN (Statutary Off Road Notification) and stored off the road.

It also needs an MOT if you are buying a car over three years old which is an annual test.

If he isn't collecting it for a few days, then provided it's sorned and off road, he doesn't need insurance from the point of purchase. It only needs insurance once it's taxed and on the road. If it needs an mot, he can insure it and then drive it to the mot station and back again without having tax/mot.

[xRIEx]

Camondo said:

In other words, once the car has been bought either from a dealer or a private seller, can I drive it without being insured for a very few days...

Some dealers have a facility to provide 7 days insurance.

Worth noting, if you buy a car that is SORNed, when the registered keeper changes the SORN declaration immediately ends - you need to either buy a tax disc or re-SORN it.