EU Driver on UK car insurance

tonho51

Hi guys,

I just want to check with you if you know anyone or perhaps are yourselves in a similar situation. I’ve got a full French driving license, I got it 8 years ago. I’ve driving for about 4 years on my parents car (and insurance, as the main driver) and never had any accidents, claims etc…

I want to buy a car in the UK, and therefore get a UK insurance. The cheapest quote I got with my circumstances was just under £1k which made me jump through the roof!! Is this always the case for “foreign” European drivers? Is it worth redoing my driving license in the UK to get a UK license? It seems hard to believe that a European citizen that has a EU license for 8 years, and can prove a no claim record for 4 years still have to pay nearly £1k in car insurance!

InsideInsurance

Use the aggregators like confused.com to see what the difference in premiums will be, just use some dummy details to ensure you dont have problems.

You will have no NCD which will be the cause of the high premium as a maximum NCD could be worth up to a 75% discount on premiums (though more commonly 65%)

scheming_gypsy

You've got no UK ncd and you're complaining at paying under a grand? pretty much everybody else would be doing the dance of joy if they could get a quote that cheap on their first policy.

tonho51

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

You've got no UK ncd and you're complaining at paying under a grand? pretty much everybody else would be doing the dance of joy if they could get a quote that cheap on their first policy.

Maybe I'm being ignorant! I thought that was a bit steep! I suppose I'll have to take the hit and start piling on the NCD years!

scheming_gypsy

It is steep but it's not cheap to get insured these days. Teenagers just passing are getting hit with quotes they can't afford (some in 5 figures), so £1000 with no NCD is very cheap considering.. .

You could try sticking a named driver on though to bring it down.

Alisha2008

I have a EU driver's license and before getting my own car in the UK I was for a year on my boyfriend's insurance (I ocassionaly drove his car). When I got my own car the insurance was about £350, so I think around £1000 is definetely too much!!! This was about 2 years ago, and last time I paid around £400 as insuraces have gone up in general, but never that much...

Having a EU license has made no difference whatsoever, if it had i would swapped it for a british one! (it costs only £50)

forgotmyname

Sounds cheap to me, Maybe they are offering a discount anyway.

If you were 17 you would be looking at a bill of £3000 for your 1st years insurance.

I would expect an older driver to be £1000 - £2000 depending on age and location.

mikey72

Uk insurance no way compares to the cost of european motor insurance.
Motor insurance is a lot dearer in the UK than France, but the price is accepted by many here I'm afraid
It's worth trying to get insurance through a broker, and usually it's cheaper to keep the eu license, as when you change to a uk one you then have to declare you have just got it, so you reset to zero.
Some companies will accept eu ncd, but not many, so again, try a few brokers.

tonho51

mikey72 wrote: »

Uk insurance no way compares to the cost of european motor insurance.
Motor insurance is a lot dearer in the UK than France, but the price is accepted by many here I'm afraid
It's worth trying to get insurance through a broker, and usually it's cheaper to keep the eu license, as when you change to a uk one you then have to declare you have just got it, so you reset to zero.
Some companies will accept eu ncd, but not many, so again, try a few brokers.

Thanks! yes that's the conclusion I came to. Luckily there is a small light at the end of the tunnel, as you mentioned a few companies (Churchill, DialDirect...) That obviously slashed the prices down!

I will check out brokers!