Car Insurance for UK Plates

Hi

We are driving to Spain from Scotland on the 28th June (finally!!) and we rang to let our insurance company know.  They have told us they cannot insure us from then on as we will have a Spanish home address.  That was ok until I rang to arrange cover from Spain, they told us they couldnt insure the car as it has uk plates.  I'm confused (and now panicking!!!). 

Does anyone know of an insurance company who will insure our car while it is in Spain.  We plan to take it back to Scotland after a few months to give to our son and we will buy a left hand drive car in Spain.  We dont want to change to Spanish plates as we wont have it in Spain for very long.  Surely there is a way of doing this.  Please can anyone help.

Many thanks

Lorraine

Hi Lorraine,

If memory serves me right, I believe Hamilton Insurance do.

You can see their logo on the left hand side of the screen, just click on it and it will take you directly to their website.

Hi Lorraine,

As you are taking your car back after a few months, you should be able to insure your car with RAC just give the commence and finish date for the insurance to end. It is true that no Insurance company will insure you if you are coming over here to live but if your car is only over here for that amount of time, and maybe if you give your son's address so you have the UK address for breakdown purposes then I can't see that you can't be insured. We drove over and had the same problem. Also make sure you check out Hamiltons I have a booklet called Costa Del Sol Action Group and their are two Hamilton groups on theUFA list

 (Unauthorised Financial advisors in Spain)

1.  Hamilton Asset Management

2. Hamilton Financial Services, S.L.

Maybe they are not even connected so you could be alright. There is a website

best of luck

On an previous thread Trafalgar in Gibralter were mentioned as insuring UK registered cars in Spain. I looked them up and for a small Saxo, before any no claims discount it cost approx £550 for  12 months fully comp. 

Regards, Irene

Hi Lorraine

We are driving from Ireland to Spain in August and when I contacted our insurance company they told me I would need to purchase 'a green card' which allows you to drive for 15 days after which you would have to get insurance in Spain. I havent looked any further into it than that yet. We have quite a few residents in our development who are on UK plates and are insured so there must quite a few companies over there that will insure you. Hope this helps.

"We have quite a few residents in our development who are on UK plates and are insured"

You think?

resident + foreign plates = illegal = not insured.

Hi Guys

Dont know if this helps but Abbeygate are our insurers the are in cadiz near gibraltar. go to www.abbeygateinsure.com  rgds Pat

Hi Someone on our community asked about driving a lhd car over with english plates. I informed him that I believe that the insurance company that I am with, provide this cover Reale Insurance english speaking, office in Playa Flamenca/ La Zenia but also have other offices up/down the coastline!

Hi All

Thanks for all the replies, they have been very helpful. this is a great website.  

I am awaiting replies from Hamilton and Abbeygate so we will see what comes of that. 

Watch this space.

Furniture being collected tomorrow!! Busy packing and repacking what I've opened - haha!!

Thanks again.

Lorraine

Saga insure my old UK registered rhd car for under £200 a year and it includes unlimited use on the continent. Unfortunately they cannot insure my little UK registered lhd Fiat  Strada pickup because this type of vehicle is not on the UK insurance data base - whatever that is.  But an outfit called Footman James were happy to insure it with a twelve month "Green Card" for unlimited continental use for about £450. I tried Trafalgar after seeing a recommeendation somewhere on EOS. Very hard work. No-one ever there to answer phone. Didn't return calls or answer emails. Useless.

From what I was told by a Taffic cop in the UK it is illegal to have a UK registered car with non-UK based insurance.

Abbeygate are a uk based insurance company operating out of cadiz .Plus dont rely on everything a cop tells you!!! in my experience they make it up as they go along.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rgds Pat

Hi delza

I have tried insuring my car with a UK insurance company but as I will be a resident in spain they won't entertain me. 

Looks like Abbeygate is the best option.  I'm running out of time and haven't heard from Hamilton.

I thought you didn't need a green card anymore when travelling across Europe.

Lorraine

Hi yes to my knowledge you still need a green card. Its a bit of a farce cus all it is is a sheet of green paper with wrting on it.!! but anyway you will get that when you go to abbeygate. Its comes with all the documents.

rgds

Pat

Hi Jewel of Moray,

You see your problem is you will not be a resident of Spain unless you apply for residency and even then that can take upto a month if not more to finally get sorted and during this process you have to register your vehicle in Spain this also enables you to have tax free import.

Otherwise if you become a resident thus not being a resident of the United Kingdom any longer then driving around on a UK plated car is illegal.

If memory serves me correctly you only needed the car for a couple of months and you're going to take it back to the UK. Then I would just use a family members address and say you live there but you will be traveling around Spain for a couple of months.

Most insurance companies will add that to your insurance automatically after paying extra and you don't have to worry waiting for documents to arrive.

As you pointed out the Green Card is being phased out and has been for the most part in the UK already but as normal Spain is always playing catch up so insurance companies based there may still use the green card method.

Thank you Pat and Delza. 

The more I read the more I learn. 

I may try insuring the car through my sons address, certainly gonna look into that, my OH would rather that, less hassle.

Thanks again guys.

Have just insured my daughters car for 90 days through ususal insurer, Direct Line. It cost £52 for 90 days and they are issuing a green card. This is the maximum period they will insure it over in a 12 month period.

Setting off on our adventure on Monday, should be fun in a little Saxo packed to the gunnels!

Regards, Poppyseed

Hi Poppyseed

I know exactly what you mean, we have a corsa - 3 countries, 2 adults, 2 teenagers and a dog!!  Should be fun.

We were hoping to insure our car for 6 months so the 3 months that most insurers offer wasn't going to be enough.  As it is we have gone with Abbeygate who offered  European cover with unlimited time for 330 euros.  They spoke English and were very efficient.

And so the adventure begins, leaving Lossiemouth here at 5am Sunday and should arrive in Daya Nueva, Alicante around teatime on Tuesday 30th.  We wish your daughter well on her travels and hope we all have a safe and pain free journey.

Lorraine.

Hi Lorraine

Good luck with your journey! There will only be my husband and me on this trip, daughter is in Korea so we're nicking her car for a bit! I remember many years ago driving to the Costa del Sol in a Fiat Uno with four of us although the kids were only about 10 & 11'ish. It was coming back the problems began when we bought far too much stuff (OK wine) at the hypermarket in Calais and nearly had to leave the kids behind. They ended up in  a little 'nest' in the back surrounded by cases of wine up to the roof and pillows, duvets etc.extreme creative packing! Happy days.

Regards, Poppyseed

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