cupoftea

Hi Andrea - it might be worth looking in the UK for a left hand drive vehicle before you leave. We sold our RHD car before moving and bought LHD from 'Left Hand Drives R Us' or some such firm, which we found via the internet. We got a very good deal (not much call for them in the UK at the time) and by chance it was already french registered so we didn't have too much paperwork to do once we got here. Just changed the plates to our department. It saved the angst of car buying as soon as we arrived, and gave us something to travel down in. And nearly five years later it's still going strong.

Andrea50

Now that really is a brilliant idea. And we do have 2 months as well. Will google that and see if I can find them.

Thanks very much

GillyG

We have brought our British car over to France (don't want to buy a French car as we are only here temporarily and could be sent home at short notice). As someone else mentioned most UK insurance firms only offer 90 days per year of European cover so we took out a French car insurance through CIC bank. All seems legal...got British road tax and MOT and French Insurance.

Andrea50

Gilly, do you have to go back to England each year for the MOT? I was worried that we wouldn't find French mechanics to do the CT on it if we took ours over. Can you say how much the insurance is? I could do with knowing even a ball-park figure to help decide if it's worth taking ours or not.

GillyG

Yes we do have to take it back to the UK for the MOT but if you try and get it done say at christmas or over the summer when you might be driving back anyhow it isn't too much of a hassle. I think we pay about 45 euros a month for insurance including breakdown cover (I have a 5 year old Ford Focus).

Herman

When you drive back are then insured on British roads with this policy? I have a 2 year old Focus and we pay about 550 pounds per year for fully comprehensive insurance covering UK and France but arranged in the UK. The gap is no breakdown cover but the car has Ford assist breakdown cover for another year, which covers all of Europe and came with the car when we bought it. We also have to return once per year (not for MOT yet, but just because if its in France for more than 12 months it has officially been exported and cannot maintain the UK registration). I might be interested in a policy the same as yours once our Ford breakdown cover expires in a years time.

south_bound

GillyG and Herman - Does this all work in terms of you being French residents, or do you have a UK address on record for car registration and/or insurance? I also have a 2 year old UK Focus and would like to take it with me when I move over, rather than going through the hassle of re-registering it or selling and buying again (probably while losing out big-time financially).

Thanks

GillyG

Yes we are insured under the French policy to drive in the UK...not sure how many days at a time we are covered though. I'll have a look and let you know (if I forget please PM me!)

The car is still registered at my address in the UK, don't think it would work if registered in France.

jdr

I bet it wont work if they find out you are a French resident. ;-))

Herman

We still have our UK property and the car is registered to that address. Also we are officially only in France for 3 years on a temporary work contract under which I pay UK social security rather than French, so officially I am a temporary resident. I believe that if you move to France permanently you should re-register your car within 6 months of arriving, but I have a strong case for why this "law" (which breaches EU regulations but France do that a lot) does not apply to me. Expats I know in a similar position to myself, i.e. short term contracts in France, do the same and I know one who had an accident in France on the same type of insurance policy as mine after living in France for 2 years and he had no issue with the claim.

south_bound

Apparently, under EU law, insurance companies must provide 3rd party cover in any other European country - but you have to be resident of the country where the car is registered and the car must be legal in that country ie. tax and MOT etc. Comrehensive cover is then limited to whatever the insurance company wants to specify - 30 or 90 days, with limits on each individual trip etc. It sounds like a permanent move means re-registering the car or buying a new one, which is one more hassle to cope with. Can anyone recommend a LHD dealer in the UK? PLease PM me with details.

Ka Ora!

You find a lot of LHD dealers around Mildenhall and Lakenheath which are not that far from Bury St Edmonds cars are aimed at US Forces personnel but they do have cars that get pushed on to UK public.

jdr

You have to check the tyres though, as in Spain, maybe other EU countries, the tyres on yankee imports are illegal.