insurance to cover buying a car in france and driving back to uk

fkeates

Hi
I'm looking at buying a car in france and will be driving it back to the uk (there's background story to this, but it's not relevant ). Once in the uk, it will be registered and insured (I'm a UK resident).

My query is, how & where do i get insurance from to cover the journey through france back to the uk?

the car will be second hand and bought from a dealer, not private sale.

Thanks

sevenhills

Just insure it in the normal way, all UK vehicle insurance provides the minimum third party cover to drive in other EU countries.
Just get a policy that allows the cover that you want?

marlot

Assuming its on French number plates ... given the level of bureaucracy in France, the easiest way is probably to hire a trailer or a flat bed.

Or get the dealer to deliver it - I'm sure they must have the equivalent of our traders plates?

Or if you've already bought it, register it with DVLA before you go to collect it, and take the UK number plates out with you?


There are several expat forums for Brits living in France - I'm sure you'll find an expert on one of them if you want to explore options.

iainscomputer

As a UK resident, it is illegal for you to drive a foreign registered car in the UK, unless you are driving it as part of your employment.
This is an obscure law that many people are unaware of.
Maybe drive it to the port & off the ferry & get it trailered from there.

Car_54

iainscomputer wrote: »

As a UK resident, it is illegal for you to drive a foreign registered car in the UK, unless you are driving it as part of your employment.
This is an obscure law that many people are unaware of.
Maybe drive it to the port & off the ferry & get it trailered from there.

It's so obscure that AFAIK I've never seen anyone able to find it. Perhaps you can oblige?

AdrianC

It's quite simply that the temporary import allowances do not apply to UK residents. To foreign residents, they do, which is why foreign residents can drive foreign-registered vehicles for a limited period of time. There's a small handful of exceptions, which don't apply here - mostly to do with driving in the line of work.

That apart, if it's on French plates, it needs to be totally French-legal to be driveable legally on either side of the channel. French-legal means French insurance, in the same way as UK-legal means UK insurance.

Once it's here, you'll find a UK insurer willing to cover it temporarily on either the French plates or the VIN, to allow you to get it moved about for registration purposes - but that policy will carry a range of exceptions and exclusions until you get it on UK plates. You may, these days, be able to get it UK registered without it being physically in the country - the French CT is accepted in the place of a UK MOT for a year after issue, following the roadworthiness directive the other year. But France doesn't need a CT until 4yo, so a 3yo car won't have one. And you'll have to find somewhere to store it in France - registration is not a quick process, and you will need to send all the French paperwork to Swansea, along with the HMRC NOVA (which should be completed post-physical import), CT (if >3yo), CoC (if <10yo) etc.