Jacwalla

Hi all,
Sorry i am sure that this has been covered a hundred times before, but i have just moved to Connecticut and am looking for advice on car buying. i have managed to secure financing for it, but my main query is around insurance. at the moment i have a UK license with AA issued International drivers permit. will insurance companies cover me without a domestic license, and if so will it mean i pay a ridiculous premium to cover the car??

all thoughts/experiences/recommendations for insurance companies gratefully received!

Bink

Yes, they will cover you - at least some will. I know Geico will. It is expensive though and mainly because you have no US driving history. Your premiums may drop slightly when you get a US state issued license, but not by a massive amount.

Car insurance here is much more expensive than it is in the UK, at least IMO.

Jacwalla

thanks Bink...i thought it might be more expensive...i guess when most other things are way cheaper than the UK we shouldnt complain too much! i saw some other thread about getting max coverage incase someone sues after an accident...what level of coverage do think is appropriate?

Mr Weeze

Get chartis travelguard/AIG travel assist - $440 for the year, and they take your UK driving history into consideration. You will save more than the $440 in your first premium.

http://assist.travelguardworldwide.c...61_254926.html

Bink

Each state has minimum requirements that need to be met and they do vary state by state so there is no one answer. I'm afraid I only have knowledge of Texas so don't know for you, perhaps someone else will chip in. Here in Houston, there are lots of uninsured drivers so it is worth looking at exactly what you insurance covers in regards to things like that too. We pay about $250/month for a two cars (a Hyundai Elantra and a GMC Acadia). Without the Acadia, we were still paying $170/month for the Elantra which is a 1.8L family car.

Mr Weeze

I think we are about $600 every 6 months for 2 cars. Before getting the travelguard product we were being quoted $1600 to $2000 for 6 months.

Nutmegger

If you are now resident in CT, you should obtain a CT license within 30 days, so that will help when you make a purchase and obtain insurance. The UK license and international permit only works if you are a visitor.

Jacwalla

thanks Nutmegger...do you know if i am here under an L1 visa does that mean i qualify as a "visitor"? i guess to get my license i need to take the driving test? i have also been hearing about a compulsory 8 hour drink and drugs course too...do you know anything about that??

Jacwalla

Thanks Weeze...that sounds like a massive discount! i will definitely check them out as i have around 10 years no claims in the UK...

Jerseygirl

You are a temp resident if you have a L1 visa...not a visitor.

Nutmegger

All the info is on the CT DMV site.

http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a...=|28069|#28073

Bob

IDP means bugger all over here, unless you had the old paper license without a photo.

Get the local state license, it's easy and you don't exist till you have a license. Your insurance will go down by having one, only a little, but what will make it go down quicker is having US driving history and also building up US credit history.

For a newish car, with decent levels of cover, don't be scared of $1K per 6 months and be happy when you get a quote that's less.

If you get a beater, it'll be much lower, if you get state minimums it'll again be much lower.