can i insure my UK car with foreign insurance

can i insure my UK car with foreign insurance

Author
Discussion

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Its simple, insurance here is a joke

Next year I will be opting for German ADAC for my car breakdown

But anyway is there a company in either France Germany ot Poland that will insure my UK registered car

As the prices over there are cheaper and anyone is insured to drive.

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I'm pretty sure not. And I hope not.

Most companies will only provide a maximum of 120 days out-of-country cover, then it gets expensive. Next you'll be trying to tax it elsewhere and test it elsewhere, pay your income tax elsewhere..

McHaggis

50,291 posts

154 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Unlikley.

1 ) They would (presumably) want to know the registration of your car, and that would need to be an in-country registration. I am aware that you can insure based on chassis number, but think that is only until a plate is issued.

2) You could do want (some) people do and buy (for example) a France registered car and insure it in France, but you would need a French address. You might get away with it here for 6 months (or up to a couple of years)...

... but bottom line is no. The European free market hasn't opened up that far.... though technically you could argue that it has, as the ultimate underwriter of the policy IS often the same big European company (e.g. Zurich) - they are just pricing their policies based on local risk and costs in each countries.

Otehr countries are cheaper, but then they don't have our horrible ambulance chasing, whiplash claiming, fraud ridden market. Also, traffic density is lower, the driving licence harder to get (in some countries) and accident claim costs are lower?

You are aware that UK companies make very little profit out of car insurance?


djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I don't care how little profit they make

They take 20% of my yearly income

also I would like to see the look on someone's face who is trying to claim whiplash on foreign insurance as the word whiplash doesn't exist in Poland

If you ring up insurance over there for whiplash will laugh at you

Anyway I will keep looking

The reason why I want to pay somewhere else is because it's cheaper

I don't care whose cheaper. If it's England then they will be paid if it's somewhere else then they will be paid instead




McHaggis

50,291 posts

154 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
But you are missing the point.

There is no point in handing out money for a piece of insurance that you can't claim on. Insurance can be revoked.

They also spend a lot of money on anti-fraud.

Do you not think a driver holding, for example, a German insurance policy and having a UK registered car and having an accident in the UK and a UK phone number (assuming you could get a German address to register it to) might not set off some alarm bells?

They would in all possibility investigate and then invalidate your policy... maybe handing back your premium, but not paying out... leaving you with the costs of your repairs and potentially those of the other party....

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
McSam said:
I'm pretty sure not. And I hope not.

Most companies will only provide a maximum of 120 days out-of-country cover, then it gets expensive. Next you'll be trying to tax it elsewhere and test it elsewhere, pay your income tax elsewhere..
erm sadly some do indeed do this kind of thing. I know of a person who's van failed an MoT big time. No probs registered it in Poland instead, it passed all the tests there no probs and its now road legal in the UK again without needing to do a single thing to it.

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I'd say unlikely. Find a company, give them a ring and let us know thumbup
You never know, a French insurance company may do Europe wide cover as part of standard policy, so I can't see a reason why your car wouldn't be covered in the UK.

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
McHaggis said:
But you are missing the point.

There is no point in handing out money for a piece of insurance that you can't claim on. Insurance can be revoked.

They also spend a lot of money on anti-fraud.

Do you not think a driver holding, for example, a German insurance policy and having a UK registered car and having an accident in the UK and a UK phone number (assuming you could get a German address to register it to) might not set off some alarm bells?

They would in all possibility investigate and then invalidate your policy... maybe handing back your premium, but not paying out... leaving you with the costs of your repairs and potentially those of the other party....
bks. If he's up front with the insurer when taking the policy out then they'd have no reason to renegue in the event of a claim.

McHaggis

50,291 posts

154 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
mrmr96 said:
bks. If he's up front with the insurer when taking the policy out then they'd have no reason to renegue in the event of a claim.
But that's my point. You wouldn't get a policy without a level of deception. Oh, and it would be subject to local insurance rules and contract law, not UK. Most companies, would, I think, cancel the policy and invite the holder to see them in (their local) court.

Otherwise these forums would be full of people comparing French vs Italian vs Dutch insurers for their P&J that they keep in the UK?

Now, if you genuinely had a foreign address, I can see possibilities. But none worth the hassle.

Tell you what, start with the Netherlands an an insurer/broker there, you will at least get someone who speaks good enough English to understand what you are trying

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
My reasoning is simple for this

1. Its cheaper
2. If I was to crash into Joe Bloggs and he starts shouting ow ow my neck im dying
and then I pull out this foreign languaged document he may think twice before trying to claim and therefore I keep my no claims

Clever or what ??


TooLateForAName

4,728 posts

183 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I remember seeing on one of those TV cop things a guy getting in trouble for this.

English bloke living mainly in France, UK registered car with french insurance - and the cops were doing him - and being particularly snotty about it iirc.

sinizter

3,348 posts

185 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Interesting. Please update if you find such a company and what the requirements might be.

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I can have a UK address (where I live)
A French address (where my parents live)
A polish address (where my girlfriends spare flat is)
A German address (when I stay where my girlfriends aunties is)

Deception....... What deception :-P

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
TooLateForAName said:
I remember seeing on one of those TV cop things a guy getting in trouble for this.

English bloke living mainly in France, UK registered car with french insurance - and the cops were doing him - and being particularly snotty about it iirc.
If only they said the company :-P

McHaggis

50,291 posts

154 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
djad1200 said:
I can have a UK address (where I live)
A French address (where my parents live)
A polish address (where my girlfriends spare flat is)
A German address (when I stay where my girlfriends aunties is)

Deception....... What deception :-P
Then you might as well re-register your car in France, take out a policy there and face the risk of the police telling you off (worst case temporarily seizing) your car after a couple of years on the road.

Still think you will find it hard to get a French company to insure a UK registered car and provide you with more than 180 days out of country cover.

Also you might struggle when you switch back to a UK insurer in having them recognise your no-claims (stress, might)

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
McSam said:
I'm pretty sure not. And I hope not.

Most companies will only provide a maximum of 120 days out-of-country cover, then it gets expensive. Next you'll be trying to tax it elsewhere and test it elsewhere, pay your income tax elsewhere..
erm sadly some do indeed do this kind of thing. I know of a person who's van failed an MoT big time. No probs registered it in Poland instead, it passed all the tests there no probs and its now road legal in the UK again without needing to do a single thing to it.
That's stretching "legal" to bursting point, isn't it? Like I said, I hope not.. I've often taken the standpoint that if you don't like how things are in this country, feel free to bugger off, but do not try and evade all the costs and inconveniences that the rest of us normal, legitimate citizens put up with because they're part of living here.

UK insurance companies make extremely little profit, and a lot of the profit they do make is actually from short-term investments rather than direct profit on the premiums vs. the claim outlay. So if a significant number of us started doing this bullst that the OP's trying, foreign countries' insurance companies will lose a shedload of money and we will cause them to put their insurance prices through the roof to cover it. This means that we are causing someone else's prices to rise for selfish, personal gain. Exactly like a whiplash claimant. How does that feel, OP?

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
My car is a jap import so getting a CoC is pretty difficult

I'll keep on with my quest and update if I find anything

Apparently there is a company in Germany that will. Just gotta give them a ring and find out.

My car is registered for LEZ4 DEKRA in Germany too. Last time I was there I got it type approved.

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
Did you miss my post, or just choose to ignore it? rolleyes

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
The rest of Europe laugh at whiplash claims

Unless you're dead then you're not injured enough to get anything

Its not quite that bad but a sore neck just isn't enough

So I think the level of claims would still be the same

djad1200

Original Poster:

126 posts

140 months

Monday 23rd July 2012
quotequote all
I still stand by if it's cheaper elsewhere then why pay more. I GUARANTEE that you do this with your fuel in your car