Car Insurance for UK Plates

Have you gone and done it, then, Irene? Is it the Renooo?

I've used Linea Directa for years (Direct Line). Policy and customer service etc. in English. Others on here mention Abbeygate. The main thing, like in UK, is to shop around for the best quote/conditions.

Hi everyone

Just letting you know we have arrived safe and sound in Daya Nueva to start our new life in Spain.  We had no problems driving all the way from Lossiemouth to Spain apart from a slight hiccup bypassing Paris (thank god for the sat nav!!)

The car, dog and kids survived although extremely shattered and rather sweaty.

Abbeygate sent us all the documents we needed by email so we had them printed before we left for spain.

Keep you posted on how we are getting on, just chilling now with some wine and sunshine.

Lorraine.

 Jewel of Moray,

Best wishes in your new life in Spain.

We are moving at the end of August in time for our 10 year to start school. Can't  wait!

Jewel of Moray,

Good luck to you all on your new life in Spain, hope everything turns out well for you all.

Hi we have been living in Spain for a month now and my english insurance runs out on my car (Audi A3) next week so I have been ringing round for a few quotes, Linea Directa only insure spanish registered so that was out of the window, I had a really good quote from Abbeygate £600 but then they wanted to know all my accidents in the last 10 years which my memory fails me so I am going to have to get back to them with dates and how much the claims were (unfortunatley between the ages of 18-20 i did have a few!) Even though I have 4 years no claims they still want to go all the way back they said this will now change the quote! and Ibex who only wanted to know that I had 4 years no claim, which was for £1195. I have read all your posts which have been useful and I picked some names from them but can I just clarify somethings.

I have an English registered car with English road tax and less than 3 years old can I insure with Abbeygate Yes/No?

Is Abbeygate dodgy in someway if people are saying you are not supposed to insure a vehicle out of its country of origin?

And is it normal that you have to pay all your insurance up front as all quotes have specified, usually in the UK I pay monthly?

Its all so confusing!

Thanks

 Seak, I think you will find that most UK insurance companies will only cover you for 90 days abroad. The only exception I found was SAGA and you have to be over 50 to insure with them. You would need to bring the car back to the UK every year for an MOT when its 3 years old. In any event you can only use the car in Spain for 6 months! I think you may need to put the car on Spanish plates and then insure with a Spanish company. Assuming you want to make sure you are 100% legal. 

It is a commonly -held misconception that you cannot insure a UK plated car in Spain or elsewhere in Europe for longer than a set number of days.. I have insured two vehicles for fully comprehensive Europe wide 360 days a year cover whilst formerly living in the Czech Republic and now in Spain. One, a Mercedes, was on UK plates and the other, a LandRover Disco, on Spanish plates. Both LHD and bought via an English company, the LHD Centre in Basingstoke and delivered to me in Prague. The Merc did not require an MOT certificate as it was new. The LandRover came with with all required Spanish documentation.

The insurance broker I used is Stuart Collins of Swansea.  Google him if interested. Neither policy was cheap - the Merc was almost £1000 - but the point is that I was then as now 100% resident outside the UK and was easily able to obtain full, legal insurance cover, admittedly at a price. I was told in writing that cover would apply even without a current MOT certificate ot UK tax disc but you may have views on that...

The Merc is now in the UK and I am driving a BMW M3 on UK plates with full insurance obtained here in Spain.

The moral is that you can do almost anything if you are prepared to pay the asking price!

 If you have in writing that you do not need an MOT then all should be fine. However, it does seem a bit expensive. I've just insured my 2 year old 150 bhp Vectra for £220 and I can take it abroad for a year. Although my understanding is I can only keep the car in Spain for 6 months? EEC law not insurance retriction. However, I think I would need to prove the car has been there less than 6 months if asked by the police. I thought some ferry tickets that I never used would do? 

I've had a quote from Abbeygate for a 2003 UK registered Citroed Saxo of £500. Presumeably just driving it into France would be OK to get round the 6 month rule, but how would they know whether you have or not and therefore how long the car has been in Spain?

Regards, Poppyseed

 I think it might be down to you to prove that is hasn't been in Spain for more than 6 months. Probably more of a problem if you get stopped or get a fine. 

If you are over 50 try Saga insurance, its part of their policy if you have fully comp to include unlimited overseas cover, well in the EEC anyway.

Thanks for all the replys, I had thought about how would they know but luck is never usually on my side! I think I will try the insurance Co that was recomended in Swansea, unfortunatly or fortunatly depends how you look at it I am not over 50 I am just short of 30 so SAGA wouldn't be an option but thanks for the recommendations.I will keep you informed on how I go. I did have a private message sent to me saying that they had insurance with Abbeygate and they didn't ask for all there previuous accidents so I might mention that to them when I call back on Wednesday. I will also be considering the long drive back to the UK to get my MOT in January has anyone tried to drive back at this time? Is the weather OK to drive back or am I at serious risk of snow!!

I have had fully comprehensive insurance on my English plated Mercedes for several years now from Liberty Seguros via Sergio Romagosa Madrid, phone 902 889022 at a very reasonable price,  435 Euro this year and have found them very good, instant attention in the case of any trouble.

Well, that sounds very reasonable, angell. My Merc was a new CLK top of the range cabrio, so the high premium probably reflected that.  But a Merc is a Merc...

My policy via Stuart Collions was with Allianz, very reputable.

I had a quote from Abbeygate for UK reg car of £586 to include fully comp cover and breakdown/roadside assistance. I called them today with a couple of questions, it was a very efficient telephone service where a real person answered the phone. The outcome was my questions were answered and the premium was reduced to £469. It was a worthwhile call!

Regards, Poppyseed

As I posted before, there is a lot of disinformation about driving a lhd vehicle with UK plates. This can cost people a lot of anxiety and money. The fact is that you can, quite legally, insure your UK plated car if you are non-resident in the UK.  It's true that not many insurers provide this kind of cover and it's expensive but it is available.  You can also insure a vehicle on Spanish or indeed any European plates via a UK-based insurer.

I use Stuart Collins, as I posted earlier, but I'm aware there are a few other agents specialising in this cover.  I used his agency to insure a UK-plated car in the Czech Republic and the cover continued to be valid when I brought the car to Spain. I also had in writing an assurance that the vehicle would still be covered if it had no current MOT although the vehicle is now back in the UK for its first MOT so that wasn't required.

I have another vehicle on Spanish plates, bought in the Czech Republic, also covered by Stuart Collins but when the cover expires next month I'll probably go for Linea Directa. Yet another vehicle, on UK plates, is covered by a policy issued in Spain by Knights Insurers, with my Spanish address on the documents.

People will tell you a lot of things about living in Spain which are at best inaccurate and at worst downright untrue - as with the ridiculous Sky in Spain thread (I'm still watching, toby !) and it's sometimes difficult to sort out what's what.  I had the same experiences when I left the UK to live for several years in Prague - wrong information which cost me a lot of time and money.  Because of the nonsense I was told by expats I sold my UK cars, bought Czech-plated cars in Prague then sold them and bought Spanish and UK plated cars to come to live here.  I now realise, some nine vehicles later, that I should have kept my original UK cars,driven them here and had them put on Spanish plates. That would have saved me £thousands!!!!!!

Looks like I will be insuring with Hamilton. Fully comp RHD 2004 Zafira on English plates with breakdown for £571 euros. I set of for Spain on the 14th of October for a new life with my Spanish wife and 2 babies.

K 5ive Hi,

Good luck with the trip and your new life.

Dont forget that legally you must either import and re-register the vehicle in Spain or ensure that the vehicle is not on English plates after 6 months has elapsed. English plated cars are allowed to be driven freely in Spain for 182 days in a 12 month period and must then be taken out of the country for six months before you can start another six month stint. During the time that the vehicle is in Spain all english legal documentation like road tax and MOT must be current. If you do go ahead and re-register the vehicle you must let your insurers know, because they may not be prepared to continue the insurance on a now Spanish reg vehicle....

For future information...A Spanish ITV (MOT) cert is not valid for English registered vehicles and cannot be used for UK road tax renewal.

Once either the MOT or road tax go out of date, the vehicle is not permitted on any European or British roads and the insurance is automatically null and void.

Just because thousands of other Brits get away with it doesnt make it right! ...As the Guardia Civil would be the first to point out as they write up the many and varius tickets....

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I am going to be importing it as soon as we arrive amongst other things.

Between the two companies mentioned on here, I have now got it down to 480 euros. Not bad at all, as I understand spanish is more expensive than english insurance. My renewal from Elephant this year was much less than that. Although using Confused site I got it down to £240.