Bring car to the uk

witgirl85

Hi

I am wondering if anyone could help me in regards to bringing my car to London.

My car (08 Golf) is insured with axa till august of this year and i understand that i will have 30 days cover in the uk from when i get there. I plan on getting my car insured a.s.a.p with a uk insurer but apparently from reading a few threads its not that simple.

So this is the info I have so far

As I will be a student in the uk from september till next july 2015 I dont need to pay tax or change plates. this is known as a temporary import. I do however plan to stay in the uk and work for at least another year after that but do not have any plans to stay forever.

Dose anyone have any idea if I can get insured in the uk seen as i wont be changing plates. apparently the insurance companys will not insure you unless you have changed plates. Id rather not go to all the hassel of changes plates MOT etc as I know that i can just bring my car under temporary import.

Any help or advice would be great!!!

Lindsay

ABajaninCork

If you've still got Irish plates, you won't be able to insure the car in the UK without getting the car inspected and MoT'd. Therefore UK plates!

Frankly, you're better off either selling your Golf here (Or leaving it with Mum & Dad) and buying a cheap runabout in the the UK. The aggro of bringing over an Irish car isn't worth it.

bazz26

You might be better off using public transport if staying in London. Driving around London is a PITA imo.

ABajaninCork

bazz26 wrote: »

You might be better off using public transport if staying in London. Driving around London is a PITA imo.

Depends on where in London. Central London - not worth getting a car. Suburbs - yes. You'll be needing one.

CiniO

witgirl85 wrote: »

Hi

I am wondering if anyone could help me in regards to bringing my car to London.

My car (08 Golf) is insured with axa till august of this year and i understand that i will have 30 days cover in the uk from when i get there. I plan on getting my car insured a.s.a.p with a uk insurer but apparently from reading a few threads its not that simple.

So this is the info I have so far

As I will be a student in the uk from september till next july 2015 I dont need to pay tax or change plates. this is known as a temporary import. I do however plan to stay in the uk and work for at least another year after that but do not have any plans to stay forever.

Dose anyone have any idea if I can get insured in the uk seen as i wont be changing plates. apparently the insurance companys will not insure you unless you have changed plates. Id rather not go to all the hassel of changes plates MOT etc as I know that i can just bring my car under temporary import.

Any help or advice would be great!!!

Lindsay

As you will be a student in UK, you don't become resident there, and it's perfectly legal for you to use your Irish registered car there with Irish insurance.

You say your cover will be valid for 30 days?
How do you know? Did you check with your insurer?

Even if that's right (30 days) it doesn't apply to third party cover, so your car will still be road legal until your policy expires. Once it expires, you can renew or buy new one.

Problem might be, that it's fairly new car (08) so you might want fully comprehensive cover. Shop around here in Ireland for policy that doesn't have time limits for full cover abroad. There should be plenty insurers offering this at least for UK.
AFAIR FBD offered umlimited cover in the EU.


EDIT:

PS - from quick looking at AXA policy document, it looks like you are fully covered in UK as well. But surely call your insurer to clarify.

ABajaninCork

If you drive on a 'foreign' policy within the EU, the maximum amount of time you'll be insured is 90 days. It varies from insurer to insurer. The above isn't correct, I'm afraid.

I had the same problem when bringing my car IN from the UK. Had to insure with Quinn as they were the only ones to cover me for both the UK as well as Ireland. And I had to get the car inspected and plates changed to Irish ones so that cover could continue. Otherwise it would have been voided after 60 days.

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

If you drive on a 'foreign' policy within the EU, the maximum amount of time you'll be insured is 90 days. It varies from insurer to insurer. The above isn't correct, I'm afraid.

Every third party car insurance policy issued within EU, is valid through all EU for the whole period of the policy. That's the law all insurers must obey - and they do.

Extra cover (fire, theft, own car damage, windscreen, breakdown assistance) might be limited - all up to insurers.
Most insurers in Ireland limit use in EU for between 30 to 90 days, but there are insurers which offer full EU cover for whole period of policy (f.e. FBD).
Also many insurers don't limit time you can spend in NI, UK, Isle of Man, etc...
I'd even say most Irish insurers offer full cover for whole period of policy once car is used within British Isles.

Nonetheless - whatever extra cover they offer, third party cover is always valid all over EU for the whole period of the policy.

I had the same problem when bringing my car IN from the UK. Had to insure with Quinn as they were the only ones to cover me for both the UK as well as Ireland. And I had to get the car inspected and plates changed to Irish ones so that cover could continue. Otherwise it would have been voided after 60 days.

But it only applied to extra cover (on top of third party).
Your third party cover would be still valid.

witgirl85

brilliant replys!

Thank you all

Im a mature 29 year old student so wont be leaving it with "mam and dad". I really do want to bring it with me.

Yes i rang axa and they told me themselves that i will be only covered for 30 days. after that im on my own. going by what some of you are saying though i should be covered at least third part till aug so ill check with them again.

would yee think that i could cancel my policy and go with fbd and expalin to them my suitation. i might give them a call.

im driving 10 years without ever any points or claims and have full licence last 5 years

witgirl85

Ive just rang axa

They told me yes i will have cover (full) for 30 days, after that I will have to cancel my policy.

Inquired about they whole suitation of being covered under third party till my policy was up (EU laws in all that) and she said there would be an extra charge of 20 euro every 2 weeks for this to happen other wise i would have to cancel my policy!!

there such a great help!!!!!!!!

matt70iu

I'm with Liberty and they include the uk mainland as part of ROI in terms of cover so there's no time limit on how long you're covered.

Where I think you may run into trouble even with this is the car will no longer be kept at the address which is stated on the policy.

I would check all of this out before you consider switching and explain exactly what you plan to do. The last thing you want is to be stopped by the police, (you will be at some point) and have them take the car off you as you will stand out on the Irish reg like a sore thumb.

Best of luck

ABajaninCork

matt70iu wrote: »

I'm with Liberty and they include the uk mainland as part of ROI in terms of cover so there's no time limit on how long you're covered.

True. But then if you stay longer than 6 months (which is what the OP's saying), then the vehicle must have UK plates. It needs to be inspected, MoT'd and taxed in the UK. Furthermore if the speedo is kph only, then it's illegal in the UK and will need to be changed over. If the speedo's a dual one (i.e. mph/kph), then that's OK. See https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-importshttp://. Therefore the Liberty policy would be void.

That's why I say it's not worth the aggro of taking the car over if you're staying longer than 6 months. Sell the car here, and buy a cheap runabout in the UK.

witgirl85

ABajaninCork wrote: »

True. But then if you stay longer than 6 months (which is what the OP's saying), then the vehicle must have UK plates. It needs to be inspected, MoT'd and taxed in the UK. Furthermore if the speedo is kph only, then it's illegal in the UK and will need to be changed over. If the speedo's a dual one (i.e. mph/kph), then that's OK. See https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-importshttp://. Therefore the Liberty policy would be void.

That's why I say it's not worth the aggro of taking the car over if you're staying longer than 6 months. Sell the car here, and buy a cheap runabout in the UK.

im thinking at this stage you might be right. theres alot involved. whats more confusing is that for the first year I will be a student which means im exempt from paying tax and changing plates but then what happens after i finish uni in july 2015??

theres alot to it!!

witgirl85

and liberty wont cover me.only for 93 days. just rang. looking like if i want to keep the car i will have to change plates MOT etc to be insured

CiniO

witgirl85 wrote: »

Yes i rang axa and they told me themselves that i will be only covered for 30 days. after that im on my own.

Ringing them is pointless. People in customer helplines over the phone are totally misinformed and not knowlegable at all when it comes to anything that's not very typical questions.
I experienced it many times, with simplest example of ringing them and asking a simple question (with possible answers yes or no), and answer I got was "no".
Then I rang again 5 minutes later, talked to different consultant, asked exact the same question, and got "yes" answer.

If you try to get any information from the, do it in writing.


I'm guessing, that because your renewal is in August, you purchased policy in August 2013. Therefore this policy booklet would apply. (you can check on their website be sure - there are different policy booklets for policies issued in different times)

Now - few quotes from your policy document.

Europe – Any member state of the European Union
and any other country that is a current member of the
green-card system (providing we have issued you with
a Green card).
UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ireland – The Republic of Ireland

Unless a section or part of this policy shows the countries to which it applies,
the cover provided by this policy applies only to death, injury, loss or
damage happening in or between Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man or
the Channel Islands.

section 5
liability to others
This section of the policy applies to damage or injury happening
in Europe unless otherwise stated.

.
section 6
foreign use
Policy cover will apply for you to travel to Europe for up to 31 days per year
during the period of insurance

As you can see, you policy gives you nearly full cover (with very few exemptions) in UK.
31 days limit, applies to all covers in Europe (outside UK and Ireland), with exception to third party cover, which applies with no limits.

going by what some of you are saying though i should be covered at least third part till aug so ill check with them again.



would yee think that i could cancel my policy and go with fbd and expalin to them my suitation. i might give them a call.

im driving 10 years without ever any points or claims and have full licence last 5 years

IMO there's no need to call FBD, as axa provides cover you need.

CiniO

witgirl85 wrote: »

Ive just rang axa

They told me yes i will have cover (full) for 30 days, after that I will have to cancel my policy.

Jesus - they are being ridiculous.
By what means they would force you to cancel your policy?
They have no right to ask you for it.

Inquired about they whole suitation of being covered under third party till my policy was up (EU laws in all that) and she said there would be an extra charge of 20 euro every 2 weeks for this to happen other wise i would have to cancel my policy!!

there such a great help!!!!!!!!

That's entirely not true, and they can't request any extra charge from you for it.
Your policy covers you third party in the whole EU for the whole period of the policy, without any extra charge, no matter what some uneducated idiot in their helpline says.
That's the law.
And that's what their policy document says as well.

Here's some more info in regards this:

Motor Insurance Directive
The EU Motor Insurance Directive 2009/103/EC is intended to help EU residents involved in a road accident in another EU country.
Under the Directive, subscribers to compulsory motor insurance policies in all EU countries are covered for motoring throughout the EU.

Here's a quotation from mentioned EU directive.

Such a guarantee agreement presupposes that all Community motor vehicles travelling in Community territory are covered by insurance. The national law of each Member State should, therefore, provide for the compulsory insurance of vehicles against civil liability, such insurance to be valid throughout Community territory.

ABajaninCork

AXA already told the OP she WON'T be covered. As already pointed out, unless she puts UK plates on the car, no UK insurer will quote her either.

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

True. But then if you stay longer than 6 months (which is what the OP's saying), then the vehicle must have UK plates.

No it doesn't.
There is an exemption for students, which OP can avail of.

Details:

Students and workers
You may be able to use a vehicle with non-UK number plates for longer than a 6-month period, without taxing or registering it, if all the following apply:

you're a student or worker
you normally live outside the UK
you're in the UK for a set study or work period
the vehicle is registered in its home country
You must contact HMRC before or upon arrival in the UK to apply for customs relief.

If you meet these conditions, HMRC will give you a customs relief form which you can present to the police if you're stopped when driving your vehicle.

You must register and tax your vehicle in the UK if your vehicle is eligible for customs relief and you stay in the UK after it expires (normally at the end of the study or work period).

CiniO

witgirl85 wrote: »

im thinking at this stage you might be right. theres alot involved. whats more confusing is that for the first year I will be a student which means im exempt from paying tax and changing plates but then what happens after i finish uni in july 2015??

theres alot to it!!

After you cease to be student, and decide to stay in UK, you would be forced to reregister your vehicle in UK unfortunately.

ABajaninCork

That info was in the link I provided. What I was talking about was if the OP decided to stay on and work as indicated in her OP. Then the problem of insurance arises. No UK plates? No UK insurance. The Irish won't insure her longer than 90 days.

So now what??

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

AXA already told the OP she WON'T be covered. As already pointed out, unless she puts UK plates on the car, no UK insurer will quote her either.

AXA could have told her whatever they want to.

OP has a policy with them, and there are certaing conditions attached to this policy, which both sides must adhere to.
According to those conditions, OP is covered in UK.
So something that some unknowledgable cowboy in their customer helphine tell her, is completely irrelevant.

OP paid her premium for the policy, and can reasonably expect the cover which is provided by policy (and described in policy document).

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

That info was in the link I provided. What I was talking about was if the OP decided to stay on and work as indicated in her OP. Then the problem of insurance arises. No UK plates? No UK insurance. The Irish won't insure her longer than 90 days.

So now what??

As I said above - once she is not student there anymore, she becomes resident there, and therefore must change plates to UK, get UK mot, insurance etc..
But for first year when she is student, she is OK to use her Irish car there.

witgirl85

WOW thank you all so much.

its just all so confusing. Im in the middle of finishing my thesis so I will later on read all the documents that you all have so kindly provided me with.

Yes i did think it was unfair that they requested me to cancel my policy and send my disc back and certificate after the 30 days. also i was further shocked that they asked me to pay 20 every 2 weeks to have full cover till my policy expires in aug!

thing is even if i do go further about this and get cover from them till aug im still stuck with trying to get uk insurance as my plates will not be changed or my car wont be registured in the uk.. i doubt any uk insurance company will cover me i really want to bring my car. there has to be some way to do this!!

CiniO

witgirl85 wrote: »

WOW thank you all so much.

its just all so confusing. Im in the middle of finishing my thesis so I will later on read all the documents that you all have so kindly provided me with.

Yes i did think it was unfair that they requested me to cancel my policy and send my disc back and certificate after the 30 days. also i was further shocked that they asked me to pay 20 every 2 weeks to have full cover till my policy expires in aug!

thing is even if i do go further about this and get cover from them till aug im still stuck with trying to get uk insurance as my plates will not be changed or my car wont be registured in the uk.. i doubt any uk insurance company will cover me i really want to bring my car. there has to be some way to do this!!

See additional problem here is, that as a student in UK, you are not becoming resident there.
And as non-resident person, you can't reregister your car on UK plates, and you can't obtain UK insurance.
In other words, you have barely any choice other than taking your Irish car with you.

ABajaninCork

There IS another way! Either put the Irish car in storage/ sell it. Or just buy a cheap runabout in the UK. Problem with the insurance solved. Cheaper all round. Those are the choices as I see it.

ardmacha

This insurance issue brings two issues into conflict. One is the area of cover, which may generally includes Britain and Ireland. But the other is the price of the cover, a vehicle in London may have a significantly different risk profile (not necessarily worse) than one in Waterford.

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

There IS another way! Either put the Irish car in storage/ sell it. Or just buy a cheap runabout in the UK. Problem with the insurance solved. Cheaper all round. Those are the choices as I see it.

Will UK insurer be happy to sell policy to OP, considering she won't be resident in UK ?

ABajaninCork

CiniO wrote: »

Will UK insurer be happy to sell policy to OP, considering she won't be resident in UK ?

She will be whilst doing her studies. As long as she has a clean EU licence (which she has), and a UK car with a UK address, then no problem. They will quote her. I'd also provide proof of Irish NCB to help things along.

CiniO

ABajaninCork wrote: »

She will be whilst doing her studies.

She won't.
Students who study abroad, are considered to be resident in their home country. That's EU wide rule.