Mike Scragg

In couple of years, I'm going to be at the age where it will be difficult to hire a car in France. My idea is to buy car in France and garage it with a friend who has a property over there used only by family.

Any advice re insurance, can I use my UK address ? Can I avoid my friend being involved in the procedure ?

Mike

Michael E

Almost impossible to insure it via UK - Just go to a french insurance co (AXA are the most expensive and not too user friendly) and use your friends address but not his permission or involvement - the rates seem similar to UK and you can have fully comp or 3rd party - If it is off the road - in a garage then they will issue a greatly reduced rate - I now use MAAF but I am sure others are good too.
You will be caught for Road tax and to register it in your name you need again to use a french address but this will not involve your friend except that the letters will arrive via his address...

bourgogne

MAIF are way better but you cant even get a quote unless you already know a member

to insure a house is like 90% cheaper than the uk and thats house and internals!! cars are 50-60% cheaper, and they are good very!! here they insure cars the UK insurance refuses and trust me i asked b4!!! a 306 S16 unrestriced UK insurance wont even qoute!! in france is ok, and anyone with a full licence insurance or not can drive it!!!

bourgogne

insurance i forgot

a word of advise;

if you are cancelling any UK insurance to take out insurance in france, please MAKE THEM LIST NO-CLAIMS as YEARS not percentage!!!

I had 60% no claims protected that translated into ............. nothing!

So i lost out and lovely direct........... you know them? said they have no way to type 8yrs and not 60% you imagine what they got told?

mpprh

Hi

just a minor irritation :

Before I had a permanent address in France, I used a relatives address to register a car. I got income tax returns from their local tax office for three years !

Peter

proo

Try and get your UK insurers to give you a certificate/statement saying the "years that you had no accidents" rather "no claim discount years" if you can. I tried to get insured as an additional driver on my sister-in-law's car but the monkeys at Matmut said "you have X yrs NCD" meant I hadn't claimed the discount I was entitled to for X number of years

Groupama had no problem with exactly the same certificates and everything went smoothly although they are more expensive. Now I'm on my mother-in-laws car and even got my UK banger insured without any problems too.

Also I believe french road tax doesn't exist any more - according to my father-in-law (?).

bourgogne

YEP no road tax in france for the last 5 years ))))))))


your are so correct that YEARS not NCD is the important factor.

also you be may be shocked at the price for a midrange 1.9d (higher than uk) then shocked again at a 3.0 unrestricted sports....... like errrrr (no way uk will insure, france no probs)