Moving abroad but keeping & insuring a car in the UK... Please help!

LaurenDxb

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to offer some advice on this topic...

I will soon be moving to Dubai for work, but want to keep my car in the UK so that I can use it when I come back to visit, which sometimes will be for stints of several months at a time.

I have spoken to my current car insurance company as well as others and they have all stated that they would not insure my car whilst I am living abroad, but I can keep my current insurance policy until it expires at the end of May. They suggested I leave the car uninsured as nobody will be driving it and then reactivate a policy whenever I am back in the country, however I obviously do not want to leave my car uninsured at any point in case of theft/fire/damage. It will be parked on a residential road in central London. Is there any way round this, or are there any specialist insurance companies who would offer an appropriate policy for someone living abroad but keeping a car in the UK?

There are several reasons why I don't want to sell the car; one of the main ones being that I am below the required age to hire a car in the UK so would not be able to get a rental for the periods of time when I am back visiting.

Any help would be greatly appreciated - Thank you in advance!

iainscomputer

Hi, I wouldn't tell the insurance you are living abroad. My friend insures all his vehicles (UK Reg) in the UK & he lives in Spain with the vehicles. I would be tempted to keep it off the road so it doesn't have to be taxed. There are a lot of storage places springing up that could store your car with 24hr security. All you need is a UK address to use? Parents, brothers, friends etc.
Just have all your documents at the same address, insurance, reg document & driving license.

agrinnall

You will not be able to keep it uninsured on a public road, it will have to be SORNed and kept off the road. Could it be insured in someone else's name, with you as a named driver?

alanrowell

iainscomputer wrote: »

Hi, I wouldn't tell the insurance you are living abroad.

He already has told his insurance company - and others.

Trebor16

What are the circumstances of your move to Dubai? is it in relation to a transfer by your employer or are you going there for voluntarily for a short period of time?

Is the address you want to insure the car at your permanent address?

I suspect this may be a situation which armed service personel have to deal with when they are posted to Afghanistan for 6 monthsd at a time, so there must be a solution to it. It might be worth going to this forum and asking there:-

http://www.arrse.co.uk/

LaurenDxb

agrinnall wrote: »

You will not be able to keep it uninsured on a public road, it will have to be SORNed and kept off the road. Could it be insured in someone else's name, with you as a named driver?

I don't want to have it SORNed as I may want to use it at short notice whenever I visit the UK for business or holiday. I think that's what I'll have to do - transfer the insurance to my mother's name and have me as a named driver on the policy. Many thanks for the suggestion!

LaurenDxb

Trebor16 wrote: »

What are the circumstances of your move to Dubai? is it in relation to a transfer by your employer or are you going there for voluntarily for a short period of time?

Is the address you want to insure the car at your permanent address?

I suspect this may be a situation which armed service personel have to deal with when they are posted to Afghanistan for 6 monthsd at a time, so there must be a solution to it. It might be worth going to this forum and asking there

Hi, thank you very much for the response and suggestions. I am moving to Dubai permanently to work there, but I will spend most of the summer months in the UK each year, as well as coming back for holidays, when I will want to have use of my car.

My car is currently insured at my home address in London, where my mother also lives, so I think the best solution as per agrinall's suggestion is to transfer the policy to my mother's name and put myself as a named driver. I am surprised the insurance companies have been so unable to advise on this as I'm sure it can't be that unusual a request?!

spiro

If you mother lives at your address all I would do is add her as a named driver to your policy if she is not already and leave it in your name. Doing this does not break any rule that I am aware of (other may know differnet) and it will not result in you loosing you NCD you remain out of the UK for several years.

Hintza

spiro wrote: »

If you mother lives at your address all I would do is add her as a named driver to your policy if she is not already and leave it in your name. Doing this does not break any rule that I am aware of (other may know differnet) and it will not result in you loosing you NCD you remain out of the UK for several years.

What I would do.

But knowing insurance companies they will claim reverse fronting is not allowed

boyse7en

spiro wrote: »

If you mother lives at your address all I would do is add her as a named driver to your policy if she is not already and leave it in your name. Doing this does not break any rule that I am aware of (other may know differnet) and it will not result in you loosing you NCD you remain out of the UK for several years.

I don't think he can do this. As far as I can see, the insurance company won't issue insurance in his name as he is not (or will not be) resident in the UK.
He may not be able to insure it in his mother's name, as insurers may allow her to be the main policy holder on a car that she isn't the Registered Keeper of. I had this problem when I wanted to insure my Sister's motorbike when she moved to the USA. We had to "sell" the bike to me for me to insure it, and then she could be a named driver.
Although that would technically be fronting, wouldn't it?

The legisalation is all designed to keep uninsured drivers off the road actually seems to be designed more to make it almost impossible for law-abiding citizens to keep vehicles insured sometimes.:mad:

Trebor16

There are still companies who will insure a person as the policyholder when they are not shown as the registered keeper of the vehicle. The OP has already said he will return to the UK for the summer months so he is resident in the UK for some of the year.

As I suggested before, going to the Army forums and asking how they deal with such an issue when they are posted away for a 6 month stint in Afghanistan might prove informative.