Polish Car - Polish Insurance - UK driver ???

MissMoneypenny

ichorus wrote: »

Hi there, I am a UK resident and driver. I'd like to know if something I heard is correct.

I hear that in Poland you insure the car, not the person.
My Polish friend in the UK is going away on holiday and has told me I can use his Polish car with its Polish insurance and he was puzzled when he saw me looking for insurance quotes.

This was discussed on one of the other boards. If you a resident in the UK then you cannot drive a foreign registered car in the UK. As I recall the link I read was something to do with DVLA and car tax, plus MOTs as well I assume as these are required in the UK if you are a resident and drive on the roads.

There is a limited time a foreign car can be driven on UK roads and then it is only while the person is not resident here. DVLA will be able to tell you more. As I recall, when registering for something like a GP, that person is then declaring they are a resident of the UK. I have seen a Polish car on a DVLA recovery lorry, so I assume DVLA are active in recovering the tax they are owed.

There was also something about this on the police programme "Road Wars" (?), when the traffic police pulled over a foreign drive in his own foreign registered car, who turned out to be a resident of the UK. The driver claimed it wasn't it fault as nobody told him and he was swiftly told by the police that it was his responsibility to find out the law of the country he lived in.

The DVLA site might tell you more?

marriott_d

ichorus wrote: »

Hi there, I am a UK resident and driver. I'd like to know if something I heard is correct.

I hear that in Poland you insure the car, not the person.
My Polish friend in the UK is going away on holiday and has told me I can use his Polish car with its Polish insurance and he was puzzled when he saw me looking for insurance quotes.

He assured me that I wouldn't need my own as long as I drive the car with its insurance documents inside.

Can anyone confirm or deny this as I would not like to be pulled over and have to walk a few hundred miles because of this.

I have looked around the internet and can't find what I am looking for.

Cheers

The text that I have changed to red, In Poland.....

That insurance would not apply in the UK as it would not pass requirements that are stated by the DSA(Driving Standards Agency)

marriott_d

ichorus wrote: »

Yeah I think if I can't find a solid Yes or No from the insurers of the car then I will get my own insurance. Its just not worth losing my license over. 6points on my license if it was not correct and If I'm correct that's your limit for the 1st 2 years.

Last question, any good short term insurers for a 25year old who has only had his license for less than a year?

provisional marmalade or young marmalade

vaio

marriott_d wrote: »

The text that I have changed to red, In Poland.....

That insurance would not apply in the UK as it would not pass requirements that are stated by the DSA(Driving Standards Agency)

Nonsense and nothing to do with DSA.

RTA and assorted European law basically says that if a car in legal in any EU country then it’s legal in all of them.

Thus my UK policy which makes me legal in the UK also makes me legal in any other EU country.

Legal = complies with the minimum requirement so third party in the UK and whatever the local equivalent is in the other country

vaio

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

This was discussed on one of the other boards. If you a resident in the UK then you cannot drive a foreign registered car in the UK. As I recall the link I read was something to do with DVLA and car tax, plus MOTs as well I assume as these are required in the UK if you are a resident and drive on the roads.

There is a limited time a foreign car can be driven on UK roads and then it is only while the person is not resident here. DVLA will be able to tell you more. As I recall, when registering for something like a GP, that person is then declaring they are a resident of the UK. I have seen a Polish car on a DVLA recovery lorry, so I assume DVLA are active in recovering the tax they are owed.

There was also something about this on the police programme "Road Wars" (?), when the traffic police pulled over a foreign drive in his own foreign registered car, who turned out to be a resident of the UK. The driver claimed it wasn't it fault as nobody told him and he was swiftly told by the police that it was his responsibility to find out the law of the country he lived in.

The DVLA site might tell you more?

I vaguely remember reading something along those lines too although I don’t see how it ties in with the EU free movement of people, goods and services.

The way I remember it was that my German resident kid brother can legally drive my UK car in the UK (and France, Belgium & Holland etc) but somehow it gets illegal when he crosses the German boarder? Or I can drive his German registered car legally in Germany etc but somehow that becomes illegal when I cross the channel?

Doesn’t seem to fit with the EU ethos, I suspect it’s either a work in progress or ripe for a challenge.

billymadbiker

I wonder if polish insurance companys offer cheaper quotes?

Also, if you put a polish (any EU) cars number plate into the MID does it come up?

I have been insured with Quinn Direct, (based in Ireland) who cover my for the UK and are quite a bit cheeper though I think this was to do with the £/Euro rate at the time of purchase

dacouch

billymadbiker wrote: »

I wonder if polish insurance companys offer cheaper quotes?

Also, if you put a polish (any EU) cars number plate into the MID does it come up?

I have been insured with Quinn Direct, (based in Ireland) who cover my for the UK and are quite a bit cheeper though I think this was to do with the £/Euro rate at the time of purchase

More to do with them fiddling their figures.

paddedjohn

vaio wrote: »

Nonsense and nothing to do with DSA.

RTA and assorted European law basically says that if a car in legal in any EU country then it’s legal in all of them.

Thus my UK policy which makes me legal in the UK also makes me legal in any other EU country.

Legal = complies with the minimum requirement so third party in the UK and whatever the local equivalent is in the other country

But if you are only third party in the uk does this translate as third party in France?

vaio

Any UK policy has to give you the minimum cover legally required in any other EU country with no further action by you and no extra cost or time limits.

If, in the UK, you have more than the legal minimum cover then you can ask your company to extend your normal cover (say fully comp) to use abroad but, if they agree, they can charge extra and impose time limits.