Dordogne Roofer

We are hoping to head to France for our big move with our worldly goods at the end of the summer. We want to hire a van (Luton size) in the London area and drive it to the Dordogne. Are there any van hire companies that do one way European van hire or allow you to drive to France and back to the UK to drop off? I've been looking and all I can find is man with a van type hire which, we don't want. Any help appreciated. Thank you!

Countryreverie

I'm not entirely clear what you mean by the second option of driving to France and then returning to UK to drop off as that would be entirely possible. You then have an extra trip to come back again to your new home, not a big problem. I had the same issue and couldn't find a one way hirer . It makes sense as they would then be stuck with a right hand drive vehicle in France. I did eventually go with the man and van route actually with someone I know.

petitefrancaise

There's a removals guy who lives in the Gers who goes to/fro the UK with his van. He will take part loads if there's room. But haven't heard of anyone renting a van in the UK just to take it back.

Vinosity

Most van hire firms will allow you to rent to take a vehicle from the UK to France and back; though there is a substantial insurance premium involved.

I'm sort of in the same boat as you, at the moment as I'm in the process of moving my life to the South of France. For my situation, I've decided to buy a decent left hand drive car in the UK that I will drive over, packed with all my fragiles and valuables; the rest of my worldly goods will be transported by a friend who has a moving company, who does trips to Spain, via France on a monthly basis.

I figured buying an lhd car in the UK was my best option as I will need a car in France anyway; and given the exchange rate is so chronic, and in addition to the fact that secondhand cars in France are very expensive in comparison to other countries, this seemed like the best option.

Countryreverie

I know this has been debated from time to time but to add my two-penneth I have been driving my rhd since being here ( over 2 years) and have no problems at all PROVIDED that you aren't in a tearing hurry and don't try to overtake without a clear view. I suspect that a rhd is less likely to be nicked as well.

bhamham

I like that idea... who will you insure the car with? UK or French insurer?

Vinosity

With the caveat that I am not an expert on this, and the information I can give is based purely on my research, it would appear to depend on what plates the car was on.

In other words, if it was registered in the UK, it would have to be insured by a British provider; if registered in France, with a French provider.

Just one other thing to add here, if you are taking a car to the continent permanently, make sure that it has continental headlights. Generally this is not an issue with lhds purchased in the uk; but it can be, and then it would be another downstream cost that could otherwise be avoided.

petitefrancaise

This was talked about before on BE.
Buying a used car abroad and bringing it to France . I honestly can't be bothered to search for the thread but at the time I think none of us could find out the legal situation for registering the car anyway.
This has now been addressed by the authorities and the information is here
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...osdroits/F1050

You have 1 month to register the car and get a carte grise.
If the car is more than 4 years old then it must have a controle technique ( done in France ) which is less than 6 months old.
There are other documents required too.

I would imagine that the UK insurers will now tell you that you can get insurance for this first month but not afterwards since the car must then be registered and insured in France.

EuroTrash

Even more fundamentally than that, in fact it all hinges on your own country of residence. Your car has to be both registered and insured in the country where you live.
A UK insurer won't normally insure a non-UK resident.
A UK resident is technically not allowed to drive a non-UK registered car in the UK (this isn't really checked up on or enforced but it's what the law says).
French law requires vehicles imported into France by French residents to be registered on French plates within a month.
Reputable French insurers will only cover non-French reg cars temporarily on the understanding that the owner is in the process of re-registering them in the French system (these days they usually issue a sticker valid for one month, then when you've completed the re-registering and given them a copy of the registration document with the new number, they issue the sticker and paperwork for the rest of the year).

Vinosity

Thanks PF and ET.

I see I should have clarified what I wrote.

I am a UK resident moving, permanently, to France.

I will be taking a car from the UK to France for permanent export.

If it is on UK plates, then I have 3 months to reregister it in France, as I am not yet classified as a French resident. The insurance, for the initial period, in this case, would have to be covered by a UK based insurer.

I can buy a French registered car in the UK and take it across to France, registered by a French insurer; with the understanding that it would then be reregistered, in the prefecture that I will be domiciled (I'm unsure about the period of time for this, but believe it to be a year). This is on the understanding that France will be my country of permanent residency, hereon.

This is how things seem to pertain to my specific situation.

EuroTrash

Not a year, no. As in PF's link - as a French resident, you have one month to get the car registered in your name, to your current address, paying the registration/change of ownership fee. That's French law, and your French insurer will expect to have a complete dossier including the carte grise in your name.

Vinosity

Except for the fact that I am not a French resident, yet. As I have repeatedly stated.

EuroTrash

Well yes you have stated that, but if you buy a French reg car then it's taken for granted that you live, or at least have an address, in France; otherwise you have no business owning a French reg car. French law doesn't make exceptions for people who live here sufficient to buy a car but don't live here sufficient to register it. Quite simply, French law says that when a French registered car changes hands, the change of ownership must be registered within a month of the purchase. It's the same for UK residents with a holiday home in France who never become French resident, if they buy a car in France they have to register it within a month. For obvious reasons it's not allowed to to buy a car and drive around in it leaving it registered in the previous owner's name, potentially getting speeding tickets and contraventions that will be sent to that previous owner's address. And in practical terms, French insurers will insist on having a copy of the carte grise in your name, it's standard procedure.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult or pick an argument! but that is how it works.

And a word to the wise - if you do buy a French registered car in the UK, make very sure that you have all the correct paperwork, including a certificat de cession signed by the previous registered owner. Otherwise the prefecture will send you away and you'll have problems. The carte grise on its own is not sufficient, plenty of people have fallen into that trap.

Novocastrian

An important distinction. I'm in France now but not a resident. I have a French registered car, insured and CT'd in France. I have a French address to go with all that.

Unfortunately the ****ing priest who lives next door has a habit of parking in such a way as to block our gates to the garage when he thinks we're not here.

Well we are here so I'll have to shove this up him in the morning.

Vive la France.

.

cyrian

We also have a neighbour who park on our property - with our agreement - when we are not there.
We simply email her when we are due to arrive and she moves her car before we get there.
She appreciates our neighbourliness and keeps an eye on our property.
Win win.