C.2s

UK or Italian insurance?

Also, do you mean 'Any Driver' or 'Driving Other Cars'?

philat98

I am driving a 12 year old Panda that is insured in Italy and does not belong to me. From what you say the insurance would always be 3rd party even if it did belong to me.

brian12

Cheers,that explains a lot.The neighbour in question had their car nicked in the Coop car park by Roma and they sold it back to them for 700 euro.Third party only.I was thinking of actually buying a car and they would put it in their name.Anything to avoid an Italian driving test which I read is now compulsory and losing my UK licence.I've got till next year before we will stay long term,so things might change,thanks,Brian.

C.2s

I would infer that. Unless they have insured under a classic car policy :-)

It's probably only worth a couple of hundred euros given that the used car market in Italy is very different to the UK, so wouldn't be worth insuring more - it is possible to buy top-ups like 'vandalism/fire & theft/weather damage' etc but probably not financially viable - and certainly not equivalent to UK Fully Comprehensive

You should double-check you are actually covered by the owners insurance for public liability (RCA) of course. As I understand it, Italian polices normally include 'Any Driver' cover as standard BUT there are always exceptions.

For example in the UK you can have 'Any Driver' as an add-on - BUT you will probably find that it excludes drivers who haven't had a full UK licence for 12 months...does the owner's Italian insurance have a similar clause? (I'm not in any way expert in Italian insurance policy wording)

Likewise 'Driving Other Cars' cover which is included in many UK policies (but not in Italian ones) will give you Third Party Only cover to drive a car that does not belong to you BUT you almost definitely find that it excludes use outside the UK - so you can't use that to drive a car in another country

C.2s

Hmmm...I guess your neighbour might have preferred to buy another second-hand car, rather give money to the thieves, but the cost of registering a change of ownership is really high here (around £600).

As a result there is much less buying and selling of used cars here than in the UK. Might put you off buying a used car also.? Plus there is the 'bollo' (Road Tax) which you have to pay even if the car is off road...

Hopefully, it will become clearer before next year. Maybe applying for a longer term visa and International Driving Permit and extended UK green cards for UK citizens who have 2nd properties here will be the easiest option. I hope there will be a solution that works for you

brian12

Thanks again.

GeorgeYoung

FWIW, I was driving a 10 year-old Nissan on casko completo (essentially "fully comp") until last year, though very few insurance companies would offer such a policy for such a vehicle. It generally came down to Prima or ConTe, both of which I found easy enough to deal with online.

As I understood it, in Italy a car insurance policy applies to the car and not the driver, so you can let friends/family members drive the vehicle on the same level of cover as you enjoy, though I imagine the small-print will have some restrictions. For example, my policy was for "guida esperta", meaning drivers aged over 30.

One other important note: as far as I know, if the OP does take the Italian test and get an Italian licence, the rules on the maximum engine size/power output will still apply to him, regardless of his age. A friend of mine, aged 40 and who had held a US licence for many years, was subject to this when he finally got round to taking the Italian test. Also, I believe you have to take a specific number of hours of driving lessons before you can put in for your test (and you have to have passed your theory before starting out on the road).

Serrano

As far as I remember this ALSO APPLIES if you convert an EU licence and would therefore almost certainly apply in any future mutual arrangements with the UK. Not just what you have mentioned, but you are in every way treated as a 'neopatentato'. Thus, for example, double points off your licence for the first two years, immediate disqualification for certain offences etc.

GeorgeYoung

Serrano - that was NOT the case for me when I converted my UK licence to an IT one in 2016. I got the full quota of points (plus some additional ones after a year or two of "clean" driving) and I had no issue registering my vehicle in my name, a car which was not neopatentato.

I was also able to demonstrate to my insurer - eventually - that I had previous years of driving experience which they took into account.

philat98

After licence conversion you are treated as a neopatente. https://www.laleggepertutti.it/14505...regole-e-multe

GeorgeYoung

Yes, anyone converting now would be a neopatentato/a, I was discussing a now-obsolete point about status after conversion of an EU licence.

Serrano

But George, you're not saying anything different from me.

You do (did, when we were part of the EU) get a full quota of points, plus your additional 'good behaviour' points. I did as well. But I also got docked double points for a speeding offence that occurred about a fortnight before my 'probationary' years were up.

As for registering a car - since there is not even a requirement to have a driving licence of any type in order to register a car, it clearly makes diddly squat difference whether you are 'neopatentato' or not. Driving the thing is, of course, entirely another matter.

And finally, your insurer taking into account (or otherwise) your driving record again makes no difference to the original point that I made.

INCIDENTALLY
I did not realise that I was officially 'neopatentato' until I got docked the double points. And fortunately when I did get the notification, I was no longer neopatentato (the 'probationary' period having expired in the interim). I certainly - obliviously - exceeded the speed limit on many occasions, as well as the (zero) alcohol limit. And I suspect that ignorance would not have been a valid defence ...

GeorgeYoung

I've just been looking to see if I can find anything to back you up with the idea that converted holders of EU licences are considered neopatentati but so far I haven't been able to, the only references I've found talk about non-EU licence conversion (which of course is now more relevant to us...) , I am very surprised to hear you got docked double points, I wonder why that should be? I would have thought that if it were an issue, my insurance company would have refused to insure me, given they took a copy of my licence on taking out the policy. Anyway, it's all moot now!

philat98

When I changed my licence they didnt mention it.

brian12

OMG,it's getting more farcical by the day.This means I have to run around in an APE for 2 years before I get my Ferrari.