Insuring car with UK plates in Ireland?

EricM

There are a few threads about this but my situation is a little different.

I am living in Ireland at the moment and I want to buy a car in the UK (its an american car and is very hard to find that particular model in Ireland).
I am not going to keep the car in Ireland, I will bring it to Romania, where I will live and register/insure the car there.
So the car will only be in Ireland a few days, so I will not be paying VRT.

The problem is the insurance, none of the insurance companies in Ireland I have tried will insure the car (at least not with online quotes, and axa told me over the phone its not possible), because it has UK license plates and because it is left hand drive.

I need only insurance that is valid long enough for me to drive the car from UK to Ireland, and from Ireland to France and then to Romania, how do I get it???

Thanks.

Kenny Logins

I've insured and driven cars on both US and UK plates with Hibernian, Carole Nash, Axa and First Ireland... Five times now, and two were LHD...

MugMugs

Know anybody in the UK whose address you could use to insure via a UK address for it's transition to Romania?

Also, why are you going England to Ireland to France?

Would you not be quicker just taking the Chunnel?

Taylor365

I wouldn't look for insurance from Axa on anything that isn't a lawnmower if your not prehistoric(over 25).

EricM

MugMugs wrote: »

Know anybody in the UK whose address you could use to insure via a UK address for it's transition to Romania?

Also, why are you going England to Ireland to France?

Would you not be quicker just taking the Chunnel?

I don't know anyone in the UK but getting an address there is not a problem if it makes this easier, there are plenty of mail forwarding companies that do that.
What is important is that I have proper insurance documentation when crossing the border.

I go back to Ireland with the car to pack my things inside to take with me

MikeCairo78

Reading your post am I right in saying you only are looking to insure the car for a few weeks ? If so get yourself named on someone elses policy, do a transfer of insurance and make your way home - the other person would have to take their car of the road for the period that you are travelling.

It is not possible to insure for a few weeks, save taking out a policy and then cancelling. Imported Amrican car that is lhd will be expensive either way

ThreeLineWhip

If you have a uk address, a mail drop would do take out a months temp insurance online. That would do you till you got to Romania to register it there.

MugMugs

ThreeLineWhip wrote: »

If you have a uk address, a mail drop would do take out a months temp insurance online. That would do you till you got to Romania to register it there.

Issue with that though is if he wants to claim for the car in the event of an accident a mail drop isn't a risk address. I dunno OP. I'm surprised nobody will cover it here. Tried a broker?

ThreeLineWhip

If he tries to insure it here, the customs will be on his tail within days as they have to report any foreign reg vehicles that are insured here. It is hassle the OP does not need.

Also those temp uk policies will only cover 3rd party liability.

EricM

ThreeLineWhip wrote: »

If he tries to insure it here, the customs will be on his tail within days as they have to report any foreign reg vehicles that are insured here. It is hassle the OP does not need.

Also those temp uk policies will only cover 3rd party liability.

Damn, thanks for telling me this.
I did not know it would get reported to customs.
I guess UK cover would be the best way.

What do you mean anyway about customs, what will they do? Is it something wrong to get insurance on a foreign vehicle?

ThreeLineWhip

They will assume that someone is avoiding VRT.

MikeCairo78

EricM wrote: »

Damn, thanks for telling me this.
I did not know it would get reported to customs.
I guess UK cover would be the best way.

What do you mean anyway about customs, what will they do? Is it something wrong to get insurance on a foreign vehicle?

I work as a broker you can insure a car for 30 days on foreign reg they normally or shouldn't issue a cert and disc, but you have the same prob of having to take out an annual policy - you can not get a short term policy in Ireland

kona

ThreeLineWhip wrote: »

If he tries to insure it here, the customs will be on his tail within days as they have to report any foreign reg vehicles that are insured here. It is hassle the OP does not need.

Also those temp uk policies will only cover 3rd party liability.

Either the customs don't give a **** or your making that up. I insured a car on English plates and drove on them for alot longer than 24hours, never heard anything from customs.

EricM

The tip to use UK insurance appears works well.
I got many quotes on moneysupermarket for the car, I have to buy for a year but I can cancel it and get a partial refund.

This will at least give me the insurance documentation I need when crossing the border.
But in the case of an accident its not really useful if they find out I don't live in UK and cancel the insurance?
Still it seems much better then having customs/revenue investigate me for dodging VRT if I get it insured in Ireland.

MugMugs

ThreeLineWhip wrote: »

If he tries to insure it here, the customs will be on his tail within days as they have to report any foreign reg vehicles that are insured here

AFTER 30 days...

robbie99

Why don't you get Romanian insurance?

ThreeLineWhip

robbie99 wrote: »

Why don't you get Romanian insurance?

Not possible as they won't cover foreign plates. Totally different insurance systems there.