Car insurance in Ireland after emmigrating

Qweevs2 · 25-06-2013 1:44pm #1

Hi,
I moved to London a number of months ago, and left my car, registered in my name, at home with a family member to drive. I am still paying part of the insurance premium so that I am still covered when I return home for visits, and my family member pays the other portion. Insurance is up in August, but I had an accident last October so I have now lost my No Claims. I dont want to sell the car, but still want to be insured when I come home, but dont want to be paying a huge premium for insurance on a car I only drive once every 3 months. I dont have any No Claims I need to keep going, but maybe I should be building it back up while I'm away anyway? Any advise as what I should do?
Family member wants to keep using and paying for the car which I'm happy to let them do. I am over 25 so can I go as named driver on another policy, let family member take over my policy payments, or what should I do? I cant afford to keep paying for something I am not using!
Any advise appreciated. Thanks!

Tallon · 25-06-2013 1:50pm

Sounds to me like your family member should be paying the insurance and you should be a named driver (Covering said costs)

Qweevs2 · 25-06-2013 1:55pm

Can they take out a policy on the car, registered to me, in their own name?

djimi · 25-06-2013 1:55pm

I dont really see the point in paying a large premium for a car that you will almost never use. You would be better off putting the car in the family members name and let them take out their own policy on it, and have them put you down as a named driver when you are home. You will still end up paying a larger premium when you come home, but at least you will be paying it at a time when you will be using the car.

djimi · 25-06-2013 1:55pm

Qweevs2 wrote: »

Can they take out a policy on the car, registered to me, in their own name?

Probably not. Just fill out the change of owner form and put it in their name.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 25-06-2013 2:10pm

The car can only be legally insured by the owner.

Have you tried 123.ie. they have a third party only policy available which is generally only a 200euro roughly although with no NCB it may be more expensive.

Marcusm · 25-06-2013 2:22pm

CJC999 wrote: »

The car can only be legally insured by the owner.

Have you tried 123.ie. they have a third party only policy available which is generally only a 200euro roughly although with no NCB it may be more expensive.

Oh my god, everyone in Ireland who is driving around on a car subject to HP or lease is uninsured. You'd better ring the cops!

OP: It's better to be upfront with the insurance company so that you don't have any problems in the event pf an accident. You are no longer the main driver and you no longer live in Ireland so most insurers will not regard you as a standard risk (if they'll even insure you). Your family member needs to have an "insurable interest" int he car in order to insure it in their name. They should not need to be the registered owner although this will make it easier. How you proceed will depend on your relation and the trust between you and the family member. You could lease the car to them for a nominal sum, perhaps recording it by an exchange of ;letters or you could transfer ownership to them against a promise to transfer it back. In either case, you should get them to promise to transfer it back in good condition and in a decent state of repair - this will enable them to acquire an "insurable interest" even if they do not have full ownership.

The simpler you make it, the easier it will be to get insured. You may have to use a broker to get insurance.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 25-06-2013 2:27pm

Marcusm wrote: »

Oh my god, everyone in Ireland who is driving around on a car subject to HP or lease is uninsured. You'd better ring the cops!

Ok smartarse, I meant owner as in the registered owner which you already knew but chose to be pedantic about instead.

djimi · 25-06-2013 3:02pm

Marcusm wrote: »

You could lease the car to them for a nominal sum, perhaps recording it by an exchange of ;letters or you could transfer ownership to them against a promise to transfer it back. In either case, you should get them to promise to transfer it back in good condition and in a decent state of repair - this will enable them to acquire an "insurable interest" even if they do not have full ownership.

Why wouldnt they have full ownership if they are the registered owner?

Marcusm · 25-06-2013 3:53pm

CJC999 wrote: »

Ok smartarse, I meant owner as in the registered owner which you already knew but chose to be pedantic about instead.

Thanks for the compliment on my bottom, it is truly a nice feature.

As it happens, I didn't mean the "registered owner"; what I meant is what I said, i.e. a person with an "insurable interest" can insure the car. In respect of any vehicle there may be a number of persons with an insurable interest (especially where HP, leasing or other forms of finance are in play).

djimi wrote: »

Why wouldnt they have full ownership if they are the registered owner?

It's one of the reasons why I think the UK got it right with the "registered keeper" phrase - there can be any number of people who are the true owner (in a legal or financial sense - which can differ) rather than simply the registered "owner". With the manners I suggested, he OP would effectively keep control of the car as it must be returned to him adn he would bear the brunt of depreciation. Many will regard those as more key features of ownership than the registration document.

djimi · 25-06-2013 4:14pm

Marcusm wrote: »

With the manners I suggested, he OP would effectively keep control of the car as it must be returned to him adn he would bear the brunt of depreciation. Many will regard those as more key features of ownership than the registration document.

Whatever about the leasing scenario (which is entirely unnecessary imo), if the OP signs the change of owner form to the family members name on the log book and sends if off the Shannon then it really doesnt matter what agreement they come to themselves; the family member becomes the fully registered legal owner of the car. The only control the OP would keep over it is an agreement with the family member to sign it back over upon their return.

Marcusm · 25-06-2013 4:19pm

djimi wrote: »

Whatever about the leasing scenario (which is entirely unnecessary imo), if the OP signs the change of owner form to the family members name on the log book and sends if off the Shannon then it really doesnt matter what agreement they come to themselves; the family member becomes the fully registered legal owner of the car. The only control the OP would keep over it is an agreement with the family member to sign it back over upon their return.

Which with the appropriate correspondence between them, should be enforceable. You'll remember my comments about relationships with family etc, no arrangement of this nature would be sensible without trust. The correspondence (letters) would be to memorialise it.

djimi · 25-06-2013 4:23pm

Marcusm wrote: »

Which with the appropriate correspondence between them, should be enforceable. You'll remember my comments about relationships with family etc, no arrangement of this nature would be sensible without trust. The correspondence (letters) would be to memorialise it.

It would be a civil matter and might be enforceable if dragged through the courts, but it doesnt change the fact that while the car is registed in the family members name, it is entirely and fully legally their car.

Marcusm · 25-06-2013 4:36pm

djimi wrote: »

It would be a civil matter and might be enforceable if dragged through the courts, but it doesnt change the fact that while the car is registed in the family members name, it is entirely and fully legally their car.

Not intending to parse your words but that is the point which would be for a court to decide but that's not where the OP is starting out. He seems to have some level of trust in the family member and is trying to get to the point that they can both move forward with being able to operate and insure the car properly. No arrangement is going to be perfect but the OP could insist on holding onto the newly issued VRC (in family member's name) to make any default by the family member more difficult but nothing will be perfect (could apply for a new one). All comes down to trust and family relationships.

djimi · 25-06-2013 6:04pm

The point Im making is that as far as Shannon are concerned the car would belong to the family member after it was signed over, and as far as an insurable interest goes that is all that matters. Any agreement that might be in place is between the OP and the family member, but it would not change the legality of the ownership, ie the name that Shannon have registered against the car.

CiniO · 25-06-2013 9:06pm

Qweevs2 wrote: »

Hi,
I moved to London a number of months ago, and left my car, registered in my name, at home with a family member to drive. I am still paying part of the insurance premium so that I am still covered when I return home for visits, and my family member pays the other portion. Insurance is up in August, but I had an accident last October so I have now lost my No Claims. I dont want to sell the car, but still want to be insured when I come home, but dont want to be paying a huge premium for insurance on a car I only drive once every 3 months. I dont have any No Claims I need to keep going, but maybe I should be building it back up while I'm away anyway? Any advise as what I should do?
Family member wants to keep using and paying for the car which I'm happy to let them do. I am over 25 so can I go as named driver on another policy, let family member take over my policy payments, or what should I do? I cant afford to keep paying for something I am not using!
Any advise appreciated. Thanks!

Are you still resident in Ireland?
If not - you can generally forget about legally insuring your car in Ireland.

Car insurance in Ireland after emmigrating

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