CONVERTING RIGHT HAND DRIVE CAR TO LEFT HAND DRIVE

A good company my friend used and always recommends to re-matriculate UK to Spanish plates is ´ITVs R US´.

as the name suggests they specialise in ITVs for the car but have very good contacts for re-rematriculation and everyone claims to have the best quote and service from them.

To be fair they sold my UK plated car for me so I never used them for plate change, but all the same the service was helpful and easy

the number I used was 634 355 090

http://www.itvsrus.com/

hope this helps

Ryan

Hi Gus

i have fully comp insurance here with abbeygate but my tax disc runs out at the end of the month and my mot is out

I dont know how they can tell when the car came into spain but if i get stopped what are the consequences?

If you get stopped by traffic cops who know what a valid MoT and Tax disc look like, they'll probably impound the car. The car is no longer road legal once the MoT expires so you can't drive it back to the UK for renewal - you may well get stopped coming off the ferry. Get back to the UK before then - or sell it to an unsuspecting Brit.

many here will adamantly claim that expired MoT and Tax will not invalidate your insurance. Personally, I wouldn't like to take my chances with an insurance company.

No MOT or tax is asking for trouble, the traffico can now access DVLA records if they call it in.

Also an insurance broker on the coast openly admits that you won´t be covered AT ALL if either the tax or MOT are out of date.

To his credit he refuses to insure any cars that aren´t legal because he knows the comeback he´ll get......

AND IF AN INSURANCE MAN WON´T TAKE YOUR MONEY THEN IT MUST BE GENUINE!!!

hope this helps

Ryan

bricer, of course you can drive your car back to UK. You might do well to book an MOT for the day you arrive back as you are legally allowed to drive with no MOT to a pre-booked appointment. In the unlikely event you were stopped by Spanish or French cops and in the even unlikelier event they gave a damn about your lack of MOT, you could argue that if the closest MOT test station was in UK then you would be legally entitled to drive it across Europe to get there. No MOT is a non-endorsable offence (no points on licence) usually attracting a £60 fine. Anyone who says insurance is invalidated simply because no MOT (ie car is otherwise roadworthy) is wrong. I challenge anyone to provide a link showing that anyone was ever convicted for driving without insurance because of no MOT or a link giving anecdotal evidence of someone having an insurance claim turned down because of no MOT.

 You can drive with no MOT but only to a "local" MOT testing station on the day you are driving the car.  You insurance will not be invalidated BUT if you have a prang, the insurance company will check the car.  If it has safety issues which could have caused it to fail the MOT (like bald tyres, faulty brakes etc) then they can refuse to pay the claim.

 The point is that all the three issues (MOT, roadtax and insurance) are treated as a separate issues here in UK 

so of course you can drive a car with insurance but without MOT and you can be issued insurance as an entity on its own it still does not take away the crucial point which is that if you drive such car that does not have MOT  even with your insurance it is illegal  and the same goes for road tax mind you there are some exceptions

and hardly will you be able to have a car that has road tax without a valid MOT and insurace since it is a standard requirement for you to have these two criteria ( insurance and MOT) before they can issue you a road tax. 

Remember insurance is now applicable to both the driver and the car so even if you are insured but driving a car that is not insured the car can be taken off you and away to the car pound to be crushed!!!

Better be safe than sorry

Lefthanddrivespecialist

From our experiences of buying cars in EU/Japan /USA and driving it back to the UK  (that is the EU cars) UK seems to be less strict in how they enforce the rules as long as you can show that the car has a valid MOT from the country it was issued (not insurance this time since your Uk insurance would have allowed you to drive it elsewhere in UK ) Buying a car in germany and some other countries will still require you to buy export insurance in those countries even though you have existing UK insurance until you register the car here and if it is in your name you have to get a separate insurance

The whole thing is so complicated it is unreal

We have actually experinced in a magistrate court where the whole issue reached deadlock nobody knew which was which!!

How much does it cost to transfer english plates to spanish? take it you need to have it itv at the same time?

Tony...

It's generally considered that it is better to employ a gestor to look after the legal aspects of the transfer. It is possible to do it yourself but you will need a good working knowledge of Spanish to deal with the red tape.

Insofar as other costs are concerned, you will need to change the headlights to a LHD config so they dip to the right, the rear fog light if it is a single item will need to be moved to the left hand side of the car, this may entail replacing the rear light clusters if red tinted glass is used for a single rear fog light.. The speedo should have the capability to display km.p.h.

An ITV inspection is a pre-requisite and you will have to produce this when effecting the transfer. You will also need a Certificate of Conformance from the UK for the type of vehicle. You can obtain this through your local UK dealership.

If you have an after market towbar fitted you could have problems; over here it is a prerequisite that the towbar is installed by a Spanish garage who will certify the standard of workmanship and the towbars suitability for the intended purpose. The vehicle documentation is amended

Similarly, window tint film, applied as an aftermarket accessory, must comply with Spanish standards and be certified as such.

The towbar and window tint can both lead to an ITV fail if not properly certified..

If your car uses amber tinted lights for indicators / hazards be sure that they are still amber and not bleached out to white, again, an ITV fail item.

If you present the car for it's ITV inspection with headlight bulbs other than original fit, again... fail.

Wheels and tyres must also be as per the vehicle manufacturers spec in terms of size and speed rating.

Not a lot of help so far as how much does it cost ,but hopefully it is of some help with the practical aspects...

fb

bobaol. You can drive with no MOT but only to a "local" MOT testing station on the day you are driving the car. Why do you say this ? The following is a VOSA response to someone asking how "local" an MOT testing station has to be.

> Thank you for your e-mail,
>
> It was forwarded to the MOT policy department who have provided this
> response:-
>
> The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981 do not state a distance that
> you are allowed to drive a car to a pre-booked MOT.
>
> In section 6 2ai (Exemptions) it states:
> "(2) Pursuant to section 44(6) the Secretary of State hereby exempts from
> section 44(1) the use of a vehicle-
> (a)
>       (i) for the purpose of submitting it by previous arrangement for, or
> bringing it away from, an examination, or"
>
> The issue of reasonable distance has been mentioned by various people in
> the past and I would suggest that this would need to be a decision for the
> Courts.
> You mention a few common situations i.e. a specialist car and I would
> suggest that may be a representation that might be used but ultimately it
> would be down to the Courts to decide what is an unreasonable distance.
>
> Regards,
> Rob Evans
 

You also state authoritatively that "the insurance company will check the car". The insurance company might possibly check the car.

left hand etc:  "and hardly will you be able to have a car that has road tax without a valid MOT and insurace since it is a standard requirement for you to have these two criteria ( insurance and MOT) before they can issue you a road tax."

It is easily possible to renew your tax disk on the first of the month on the basis of valid insurance and MOT and have both insurance and MOT expire the following day.

 GuyT.  OK, that was one response from VOSA.  However, on another site where someone had asked the same question, they received this reply from the same department:

The dispensation requires you to drive to an appropriate garage (explained in caselaw as local) by the most direct route.

Obviously, having a "special" car may mean that only a garage some distance away would be "appropriate" but for a bog standard car then it would be up to you to fight the "local" bit and, if stopped, you must also show proof that the car was MOT'd on the day you were stopped.

The same reply as above also stated that the vehicle had to be in roadworthy condition with the appropriate insurance.

There are also incidents of cars and vans being impounded in Spain if not displaying a valid tax disc (the Guardia do know what a tax disc looks like, regardless of what some may think) and you have 60 days to get one, rather impossible if you haven't got a valid MOT.

Basically, get it done before the MOT runs out.  If you are advocating people drive a non-taxed and non-MOT'd vehicle in UK then so be it especially with all the VRN cameras around nowadays that alert the police to an untaxed and un-MOT'd car.  I personally would not chance it.  Plus, there can't really be an excuse as you can have an MOT done at any time.  If you are bringing a car to Spain for up to 6 months, then get it MOT'd just before you come.  Road tax is different but you can get it renewed up to 2 months before it runs out and, if your MOT and insurance is valid, you can do it on line at any time.  Get someone to post the tax disc to you when it arrives. 

The cost of changing to Spanish registration has been quoted to me at around 800 to 1000 euros.  Of course, this would depend on whether you do it yourself or if you get someone to do it for you and bear in mind the cost of getting the correct headlights (which is included in that fee).

People trying to skirt round the rules (like "can I take it to France" etc) are like those who complain about a bag on Ryanair being a "little" too big.  I, personally, would not like the hassle of trying to argue a case in court just because I'd interpreted the rules the way I wanted to.

where did you get that quote from i will try them

If all the chancers who spend so much time on forums trying to justify how to "get away with it" put as much energy into just doing things the right way, we wouldn't be having these discussions at all.

If you are going to be resident in Spain, just bite the bullet and re-register your car. Better still, sell your car before leaving the UK and buy a left hand drive Spanish reg car when you get here. Jeez!

 Roberto,

Some views are quite far fetched and seem to look for ways in which you can manoeuvre the system 

on the other hand it is healthy to know that people can air their views and understanding of driving legislations in Europe

Correct me if I am wrong it is often reffered to as choice? (Just an observation)

Choice may be appropriate or inappropriate it depends on the norms and values of the society we live in - Lefthanddrivespecialist

Oooooh, how profound.

Maybe it all depends on whether the norms and values of the society we live in include obeying the law? Maybe having no valid MoT is a victimless crime, and maybe the penalty is minimal, but I think everyone agrees that it is actually illegal. Or????

Hi,

I've loved following this thread. Tell me is 9525 a record number of  views? Looks high to me.

I just found this on the  'direct.gov.uk' site.

Why you need an MOT certificate

It is generally an offence to use on a public road, a vehicle of testable age that doesn’t have a current test certificate, except when:

• taking it to a test station for an MOT test booked in advance
• bringing it away from a test station after it has failed the MOT test, to a place of repair
• taking it to a place, by previous arrangement, where problems that caused the vehicle to fail its MOT test, can be repaired
• bringing it away from a place where the problems with the vehicle have been repaired

Even in the above circumstances you may still be prosecuted for driving an unroadworthy vehicle if it doesn’t comply with various regulations affecting its construction and use. Your car insurance may also be invalid.

Clearly states that your insurance may be invalid and that it is an offence to drive a car with no MOT. I would think this holds true in any country.

Happy driving, so long as one of the p**ts with no MOT does'nt hit you!

Take care, Febe

Interesting. Just had a quick look, and saw that The Coming Worldwide Credit Crunch is approaching 23,000 views. Wow. A lot of worried people out there! Interesting also that out of 9,525 views on this thread, only 36 replies. A lot of people interested, but not many with any opinion to express. Hmmmm.