Classic Car Insurance whilst being stored in France, advice?

[levron73]

Hi

Timing is not always perfect in the current COVID-19 climate. I completed on a Austin Healey 100/4 located in France a week before the world went into shut down. It was due to be collected but rightly that has been postponed until we come out of the other side of this pandemic.

The sellers are fine and are storing the car in their secure, heated industrial unit and they have said there is no rush to collect and they will look after it for me as long as I need. They have said that the unit is insured and therefore the car is insured.

Me being slightly paranoid that I purchased this car, but its not yet in my possession wants to mitigate and protect myself if anything were to happen to the car or unit. However, I am being told that I cannot insure the car via a UK Insurer until it is in the UK. Am I being overly paranoid, or is there a way to use a French insurance company to cover the car until it can be collected - simply for piece of mind?

Any advice?

Cheers

[hilly10]

I have not got any answer’s but I would not be happy with the car in France and I had paid a fair few quid for. Hope you get it sorted and your happy.

[leyorkie]

I have classic in surance on a car in France but I have a French address and it’s on French plates.
I would have thought that you could insure it on the VIN number before registration in the uk
Try posting in the French section on here see the international section and I’m sure someone will come up with a solution.

[Mike-tf3n0]

I used to insure my cars in the UK but it got harder to do this so I switched to an English company who had a office in Majorca, when they said they were no longer able to insure me I bit the bullet and insured in France, that was around 2005. I can't now remember exactly why this all happened but my recollection is that it had something to do with bail bonds for cross border insurance policies.

It might be worth contacting the FFVE (https://www.ffve.org/Welcome_to_France) who are the main French body for classic vehicles, they might be able to give advice on insurers who take this type of risk. Whereabouts is the car, there might be somebody on this forum who could garage it for you.

[lowdrag]

The last i heard the FFVE were taking 6 months to give the attestation so you could register a car in France. As regards insuring it in the UK, the number of companies giving out 12 months green cards are pretty thin these days, but - how old are you? I know that Saga have always given 12 month green cards so it might be possible there.

[cayman-black]

You trusted them to purchase the car so i would trust them that the car is safe and insured with them and relax.

Also, you can get insurance in the UK on the chassis number for the time being if needed. Just find the right insurer.

Edited by cayman-black on Thursday 26th March 09:47

[psi310398]

lowdrag said:

The last i heard the FFVE were taking 6 months to give the attestation so you could register a car in France. As regards insuring it in the UK, the number of companies giving out 12 months green cards are pretty thin these days, but - how old are you? I know that Saga have always given 12 month green cards so it might be possible there.

Saga's underwriters (who are in Gib IIRC) make it clear that car cannot be "unaccompanied" abroad, although I guess a discussion with them might yield a bespoke result. An unmoving car securely stored in a locked down country should be a feasible insured risk, I'd have thought.

[levron73]

Thanks for the responses. The family I purchased the car from have sent pictures of the garage where it is stored. There are multiple cars in there, it is on a raised car lift, covered etc so safe. It is more like an industrial unit as the they owned a boat building company and various classic cars. Not ideal but I will put my faith in human nature!