bobbi2

My sister is wishing to buy my car, which is on french plates but is a UK right hand drive. It is no longer practical for us to have a RHD car in France. I understand this is straight forward to do. The DVLA says it can be imported again to the UK, and remain off the road once it arrives until the tax and MOT is done. My insurance covers my sister to drive it back to the UK...is it really that simple? Can anyone advise on past experience please?
Looking at previous threads on car insurance, is she better off staying on our french car insurance policy, and driving it back to the UK, then taking it off road until it is DVLA approved, MOT'd etc? Will a UK insurer cover her if it is still on french plates?

Im_and_Er

Re-registering a car in UK is reasonably straight forward but the real problem is that legally your sister cannot drive a French registered car in the UK. I assume of course that she is UK resident.

Whilst your French insurance may cover her in French terms it's by no means certain that UK plod would acknowledge or accept that.

I think she will be very hard pressed to find a UK insurer who will cover her especially for a journey commencing in France.

Your, and her, safest bet would be for you to drive the car back to UK.

bobbi2

I can see where you are coming from. Surely a worldwide insurance company should be able to provide cover for her in the UK too? I will ask them tomorrow. I have heard of UK insurers covering for short periods in France, but that is on UK plates. If we are to drive it to the UK, she still has to get it to a garage for an MOT etc though??

Domino

having recently registered a RHD car in Europe I know of the difficulties, but they shouldn't be many if the car has already been a UK registered car.
https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk
Unless you had to make major changes to the vehicle to drive in France then it shouln't be hard to get it re-registered in the UK, with its original number plates.

As to Insurance, many EU insurance companies cover you for indefinite use in other EU countries (unlike the UK ins co's who only give you a max of 80 days or so) So perhaps your existing insurance can be used to cover it in the UK.

hth
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Im_and_Er

What is a 'worldwide insurance company' when it's at home ?

Even with companies like AxA who operate in France and UK there is no practical tie up between them.

When going through the UK registration process she will find companies who will cover her for the drive to the MOT it's cover for collecting the car from France which is the problem.

UK insurers covering UK registered cars in France is completely irrelevant to the situation.

You say 'we' when talking about driving it to UK, if that is the plan then you can drive it for the UK portion of the journey or your sister can because you are in the car with her. She couldn't on her own.

Regarding Domino's post, by law all motor policies issued in the EU provide minimum cover throughout the EU for their entire duration, the days UK insurers so generously grant are for the extension of the level of any extra cover you have in UK (comprehensive) and when that period expires cover reverts to the minimum so you are always insured, only the level changes.

As I said the car is insured in French terms but that does not mean it is insured in UK terms and for your sister to drive there.

bobbi2

Thanks Domino...a helpful reply. In this day and age, and also studying the DVLA site it may even be possible to drive it to Kent and take it off road at a french address until the MOT and paperwork is done. There are ways and means to these things, and if it saves us a further 7 hours from there great.

bobbi2

Ok, have spoken to UK police and own insurance company here in France. It is OK for another person to drive the car back to the UK, and be covered in the UK for the UK resident until the car is sold, say one or two days.
The french insurer issues a certificate to UK police, should there be an issue with her getting stopped in the UK.
She then goes back on to her own insurance for DVLA purposes.

From the horses mouth, always gets the most direct and accurate answers!

cjm

Glad you seem to have this sorted. I was going to say that if your insurer in France accepts your sister as a driver, given her UK residency, and the documents bear this out (perhaps a letter to this effect), there is no issue. I am covered, as a French resident, to drive my RHD vehicle on AXA insurance in the UK, pretty much indefinitely.
We are planning to take a RHD French reg vehicle back to the UK, take it off the road, re-register and MoT it, then tax/insure. Our insurance broker is happy for our policy on it to be cancelled, but is happy for it to be driven in UK for three months. The vehicle is legal in France with valid CT.
I agree, it is a lot less hassle than we sometimes think it will be; French law and bureaucracy being what it is.

Im_and_Er

Sorry but that sounds completely spurious and made up to me, by whomever you have spoken to I mean, not you.

What does 'spoken to UK police' actually mean, someone in authority or just a woodentop at the local nick, and what 'certificate' is it this that the French insurer allegedly issues ?

Your French insurer will be telling you the situation from his perspective and his insurance covering her in UK but that does not necessarily mean it has any standing or validity in UK terms.

DVLA are absolutely clear on the point that A British resident must not drive a vehicle displaying foreign registration number plates in the UK. (p3).

This is actually a tenet of the relative EU directive not just something DVLA have invented and FWIW the same prohibition applies to French citizens and foreign registered vehicles in France.

bobbi2

Ok, so we are living in France, have british drivers licence, and can drive in the UK or france in our own car, right hand drive on french plates! What's the difference? Our car is insured for the UK, should we take a vacation in the UK, just like someone in the UK can drive their car on UK plates in France, n a UK drivers licence and UK insurance???

Chatter Static

The difference is your not a resident of the UK but you can drive the car to it's destination in the UK where it would then need to remain off road until the paperwork is completed It's all about intended destination of car, a British resident can drive a French hire car in the UK because it has to go back to France but ownership and importation can become a guise for evasion.

bobbi2

For anyone needing to do the same, this has now been confirmed as acceptable after an enquiry to the met police in the UK, the DVLA, and advice given by insurance companies in the UK through the British Insurance regulatory authority.
I doubted some of the feedback on here, and thanks to those who have helped. i hope this advice will help others in the same boat, but certainly needs better clarification by the DVLA.

mikelincs

But you are legally a French resident (well I am assuming so), so are legally allowed to drive the car in the UK, if you have not become a French resident, but still are registered as a UK resident, then you would be breaking the law. It's where you are a legal resident that is important.

Chatter Static

I guess it depends where her sister is resident as she is going to be doing the driving.

bobbi2

It is legal for a british resident to drive a french registered car, obviously not long term, but it is legal on french insurance for the purposes of selling the car.
Long term use in the UK is illegal, but the DVLA have confirmed she would need to get it on to UK insurance, as soon as she arrives in the UK. There are insurance companies in the UK, who insure the car on the chassis number until the DVLA have processed the paperwork. She can keep it off road until then.
The DVLA are happy her driving the car from the port direct to her local MOT test centre. So all is good, and pays doing your research thoroughly and speaking to the people in the know.