British Expats

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)
-   Hungary (https://britishexpats.com/forum/hungary-140/)
-   -   Breakdown Cover (https://britishexpats.com/forum/hungary-140/breakdown-cover-914135/)

JBinhungary Jun 20th 2018 9:06 pm

Breakdown Cover
 
Can anyone advise on breakdown cover options for Hungary/ UK return trips ? UK car, Hungarian address.

Apparently ADAC only deal with German addresses.
TIA

Szeged Jun 20th 2018 9:26 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 

JBinhungary Jun 22nd 2018 4:05 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Am really struggling with this one...UK car, Hungarian Address..

Hungarian car club only do HU reg which is understandable. Green Flag wont do it cos it is 16 years old.

Phone number for info on ADAC site not working !!!!

Any & all suggestions most welcome as really want the peace of mind of breakdown cover.

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 22nd 2018 8:03 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
I'm not an expert in this matter but.....
If you have a Hungarian address does this mean that you are resident in Hungary?
How long have you been here?

The problem as I see it is that insurances and bureaucracies are not very good at dealing with cross border issues when it comes to cars. You can't have insurance and MOTs in one country for a car registered in another

If you move to another EU country you have to register your car in that new country within 6 months. If you have moved to Hungary (implied by the fact that you have a Hungarian address) then you will have to register your car here. If your stay is temporary (less than 6 months) there is no need to re-register your car, but then you will still have a UK address (and so be able to get breakdown cover from the UK) . Either way the insurance and the car registration (as I understand it) will have to be from the same country and your car will have to be registered in your country of residence.

As a word of caution if you are resident in Hungary then your UK insurance may be invalidated by this which means that in the event of an accident your insurance co.may use the residency as an excuse to dump the claim. If you avoid 'moving' to Hungary by retaining your UK address then look carefully at the insurance policy as many restrict the number of days abroad permitted (and checks will be made in the event of an accident because insurance cos. look for reasons/excuses to dump claims)

MOTs can only be done in the country of registration so anyway its a return to the UK for that otherwise you have no insurance.

Depending upon the car it can be a pain and expensive (i.e.more than the car is worth) to get it registered in Hungary. And then of course when you go back to the UK you have to re-register it in the UK. (Just re-read your original post - a 16 year old car will almost certainly cost more to re-register here than the car is worth)

JBinhungary Jun 22nd 2018 8:58 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Thanks Peter, moved in December so 6 months should be ok . I have read lots & been told that it is within a year. ??

Want to keep car for a bit longer while we suss out the car market here. Definitely not like buying in the UK. Looking for pre registered car hopefully of good 2nd hand estate with towbar.

yeah can imagine they would look to get rid of any claims , all they want is money coming in . Some insurances give 365 days insurance apparently but not found one yet.

Oh I can imagine the cost are high to re register & it is a 3.5 Nissan import

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 22nd 2018 9:37 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Registering cars is 6 months from entry
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...d/index_en.htm

You can get an idea about the registration tax for your car here
Regisztrációs adó kalkulátor 2018
When buying a used car here don't forget that Hungary doesn't have the consumer protection enjoyed by the UK. And if you haven't worked it out yet, used cars are (much) more expensive here than in the UK. IMO good second-hand estates with tow-bars will be like hens teeth !!

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 23rd 2018 10:36 am

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
An after thought
If you get a car without a tow bar then to fit a tow bar
1 Must be done by a professional.
2 The car will need a new MOT afterwards
3 The registration documents will need to be updated to reflect the towing weights.

Trailers in Hungary have their own identity (number plates and log books). They need MOTs and you need to pay road tax for them. There are no home made trailers as they need type approval to get registered. (one off trailers need to be designed and approved. I went through this process with my 2 ton tipping trailer)

Most people who occasionally need a trailer hire one rather than own. Around here a 500kgs capacity trailer is about 2500HUF / day.

JBinhungary Jun 23rd 2018 8:28 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Interesting about the towbar. Knew it had to be properly fitted but not about MOT & reg docs.

not interested in a trailer for those reasons, we do want to be able to hire for Normandy & the WW2 stuff in neighbouring countries.

Do you know if there is any truth in the fact RHD cars are far more expensive to insure?

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 23rd 2018 9:30 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 

Originally Posted by JBinhungary (Post 12521340)
Interesting about the towbar. Knew it had to be properly fitted but not about MOT & reg docs.

Err - properly fitted is not necessarily the same as professionally fitted

I don't know if RHD cars are more expensive to insure, but insurance is much cheaper than in the UK. There is no TPF&T here,it is either compulsory (third party as required by law) or full comprehensive. If you want theft cover then you have to get comp.. All car insurance here is any driver, named driver policies are not available.

When you hire a trailer make sure the hirer knows you want to take it abroad.

enter Jun 24th 2018 1:00 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 

Originally Posted by Peter_in_Hungary (Post 12521351)
Err - properly fitted is not necessarily the same as professionally fitted

I don't know if RHD cars are more expensive to insure, but insurance is much cheaper than in the UK. There is no TPF&T here,it is either compulsory (third party as required by law) or full comprehensive. If you want theft cover then you have to get comp.. All car insurance here is any driver, named driver policies are not available.

When you hire a trailer make sure the hirer knows you want to take it abroad.


I have mandatory insurance and casco, seperate policies. Do you mean a "casco" covers the mandatory as well ?

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 24th 2018 9:22 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
The mandatory insurance and the casco (comprehensive) are two separate policies. I get a ticket quarterly to prove the compulsory is valid, this I have to carry in the car to prove cover in the event that I get stopped (this part of the insurance I pay quarterly). The comprehensive policy is paid monthly. Unlike the UK the NCB is rebated annually. That is I pay the full premium all year and in the event of no claim I get a rebate about March for the previous year.This means that in the event of a claim I don't get a rebate rather than the insurance going up the following year. Also the maximum NCB is 50%

Szeged Jun 25th 2018 10:08 am

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Peter. Could you give details of the insurance company you use and perhaps a link to the policy? as my hu wife says she never got any rebate in her lifetime and she has driven in Hungary for more than 20 years with no claim! Is this a recent thing?

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 25th 2018 1:18 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
I am with the Allianz. I have had a NCB since I came to Hungary in 1994. I brought with me a letter from my UK insurers that stated I had a 60% protected NCB and on the strength of that I managed to talk my way into a maximum NCB here (which I have had ever since). As far as I know all the insurance companies follow the same system and a description can be seen here
https://www.allianz.hu/v_14048250950...t-20140315.pdf
I suggest that as a first action talk to your current insurance company.

Szeged Jun 25th 2018 3:24 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
Thanks for the info, Peter - However! You are describing what I first thought (the Bonus Malus system) - In Hungary they do not REBATE in the sense 'give cash back', which is the way I interpretted your wording.......what they do is: If you have had no claims this year, they DISCOUNT you next year. So if I pay £100 per month for example with no claims this year, next year I might only pay £85 a month; as a bonus for no claims.

In your case Peter, you were lucky! My hu wife says not every insurance company did that in 1994.....and still not today. It is the same in the UK, however. Some insurance companies accept/honour Hungarian's Bonus Malus while others do not; which is a shame.

Peter_in_Hungary Jun 25th 2018 4:21 pm

Re: Breakdown Cover
 
I would have to check but I recall a payment into my bank from the insurance co. in about March. I pay the car insurance by direct debit.

When we came here insurance was still a bit primitive (and biased to the insurance co.) There was no account taken of where you lived so Budapest or a village in the sticks was counted as the same risk and it was all any driver with no account of age, but it was still a lot cheaper than the UK where my car (a 9 seat Land Rover) would either be impossible or cost a fortune to have any driver with no age restriction


All times are GMT. The time now is 12:24 pm.

Powered by vBulletin: ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.