chef29

Hi all
We are moving to France in 7 weeks originally flying but now knowing how expensive French second hand cars are have decided to drive taking our own car, Im wanting to know how long I can drive in France before having to register it, French mot, headlights ect, I will be driving on my English insurance which iv been told I can Do for 90 days from my insurance company, if anyone can help I would appreciate, also moving to bergerac and looking for work, im a chef by trade but can turn my hand to anything, any English companies out there need full or part time im your man. Thanxs again all for taking the time to read this.
Paul

cyrian

Hi Paul
This has been covered in several posts already.
Why don't you search for the previous posts.
The search facility is at the top right of the main France Forum screen.
You will need to get a certificate of conformity for the car from the UK to register it in France.
If your car is over 4 years old then you need the Controle Technique after you have changed the headlamps.
CJM is your man for the headlamps etc - he went through all this last year.
Your wife's family should be able to help you with registering the car at the prefecture and with the french bureaucracy.
Welcome to France

White Trash

To answer the OP's question....... You have to begin the process of immatriculation within one month of becoming a resident in France. I have lived here for over ten years and it is very clear that some expat Brits feel they are above the law. Take a journey on the back roads anywhere in the ghetto areas of Brittany and you will find properties with several vehicles, (mostly 4x4s that are cheaply available in UK because of high road taxation), still on UK plates after many years, and also sporting no up to date MOT. They sometimes have a French insurance sticker because it is generally easy to get cover (supposedly for a limited time to allow the registration process) but in the event of an accident the insurance companies do what insurance companies do, and look for an excuse to not pay out.

cjm

Hi Chef - cyrian is correct, lots of posts on bringing a RHD UK car to France, so do the search and read up (there's also lots on the web if you do a search). Depending on what vehicle you are driving will depend on how much you have to do to tweak the headlights to shine more to the right than to the left. I do hear mixed comments on how different CT stations test the vehicles. Someone hinted today that they got through with some stick-on deflectors on, on the basis they would change the lights after. Didn't happen. The CoC is crucial and the UK manufacturer may make a charge. Suggest when you get one, you copy it or scan it as it will be taken from you when you register the vehicle. In fact ensure you copy/scan all relevant UK docs, V5 etc just for back-up. PM me is you want with make/model of vehicle; some vehicles are made for left and right hand light adjustment.

Im_and_Er

I'm very surprised at that, did you tell them that you are actually moving to France, it makes a big difference.

Most UK insurance companies will refuse cover to non UK residents and if you come to France with the intention of living here then you will be deemed French resident from day one.

Tweedpipe

Very true.
My best advise to the O.P. is to buy a local vehicle when you arrive.
S\h vehicles are a little more pricy here but if you shop around and especially with cash in hand there are some good deals - even with new cars.
I've done both, re-registered a UK car in the past, and bought locally - twice! Imho the latter is THE way to go - far more convenient and the safest (due to l/h drive).

White Trash

"S\h vehicles are a little more pricy here "
First time in over ten years I have heard anyone say that! They are generally up to three times the price for second hand and with two or three times the mileage on the clock.
The "safety issue" is non-existent if you can shed your "must get everywhere ten minutes before I set off" attitude and wait for a safe opportunity to overtake. It is often a distinct advantage to be near the edge of the road when a French driver comes at you in the middle of the road on a blind bend. You can guage much easier how close to the ditch you can go before actually going into it.

cyrian

Then why does every country in the world - without exception - put the steering wheel on the offside?
I drive both UK and french cars in France and don't find a real problem with either - as long as you remember the limitation the wheel on the right has.
You don't have to be careful just when overtaking but also when you are pulling out from a parking space and there is a van or caravan or 4 x 4 blocking your view.
You are also on the "wrong" side for the autoroute toll booths and car park ticket machines.
I think that there is a slight safety issue with the wheel on the right but if you drive with that in mind then it it isn't a big issue.

loy loy

Tolls are a pain with RHD for sure

White Trash

So I gues the question is..........are you prepared to spend maybe a thousand more for a car just to avoid the occasional (problem??) at a toll booth?

loy loy

I'm not sure. We're after another car and think we will get a LHD. I had an airport trip to do last week, and not only are the tolls a pain, overtaking is tricky too off the motorways.

It costs a fair bit to transfer the car over to French plates, I think maybe 700e too.

Also as it's RHD, will still get the odd Frenchman flicking us the bird

We might go to Germany to buy a car as they are cheaper, apparantly.

Charentebound

Hello all,

I'm planning to move to France in semi-retirement by the end of the year and have found a wealth of useful information on this forum, so thanks for all your contributions.

Friends in Charente have driven RHD cars for years but I'd be happier with an LHD and have been looking at the options. As others have said, second-hand cars in France seem comparatively expensive and tend to have high mileage.

Has anyone used one of the LHD specialists in and around London? They claim to offer second-hand, French-registered cars at pretty close to the price of their RHD equivalents. This seems to be an avenue worth pursuing given the added paperwork involved in reregistering a vehicle.

Al

south_bound

I looked into that at one stage, but they all seemed to be either high end cars or old bangers - nothing in between, and I didn't see any evidence that they were anywhere near the price of the equivalent in the UK. I think the turn-over on these is so low that they pay peanuts to buy them and then have to add a huge margin just to pay their overheads. I'd look again if there was a chance things have changed since.

Charentebound

Thanks for that, south_bound. They do seem to have a lot of Lamborghinis and Maseratis. I'm looking for something considerably more humble. LHDs used to be dirt cheap in Scotland, where I'm based, but the prices have shot up. The search continues.

Al

White Trash

True enough about the LHD specialists in UK. Others here have found bargains in Germany, Holland, and Belgium. Good luck