Car insurance

[essex boys]

Hi all, I’ve been living in Khon Kaen for almost a year now, I have been driving the mrs car on occasions, mostly at night or in heavy rain…I asked her if im insured to drive the car and she said yes I was insured, how do I go about sorting out my own insurance policy for a car as I’m considering buying an older type pickup just to get around in, I lived in france where the car was insured so you could have anyone drive that car if they were legally entitled to do so, how does the insurance work in Thailand?

[hotandsticky]

In Thailand the car is insured rather than the driver.

 

 

Take a look at Roojai, the largest broker in Thailand.

 

https://www.roojai.com/en/

[HauptmannUK]

For the most part its the vehicle that's covered, however there are some 'named driver' policies also available. Really you need to read through the policy document to be sure.

[FriendlyFarang]

4 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

For the most part its the vehicle that's covered, however there are some 'named driver' policies also available. Really you need to read through the policy document to be sure.

It's always the vehicle that's covered.

In case of a named driver policy, it only means that if somebody who isn't a named driver is involved in an accident, they will have to pay a "fine" (a few thousand baht), but the insurance will still pay out.

 

24 minutes ago, essex boys said:

how do I go about sorting out my own insurance policy for a car as I’m considering buying an older type pickup just to get around in

Class 1 insurance is usually not possible on older cars, and also doesn't make much sense. So you are looking at a class 2 or 3 insurance. Just contact a few insurance brokers/companies, get quotes from them and compare them.

[Dmaxdan]

Do you have a Thai driving license or international driving permit?

The reason I ask is that many motor insurance policies here will not pay out if in the event of an accident the person driving doesn't have the appropriate license/permit.

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Do you have a Thai driving license or international driving permit?

Not necessarily... there is much discussion on this: 

 

IF you have a licence in English from a country which is signatory to the 1968 Vienna convention on road traffic they can drive on their national licence, if its not in English they need the IDP to accompany their passport.

 

There are other complications which have been listed and discussed in the past but there is little documentation on this: 

IF someone is on a non-immigration Visa they are considered resident and must have a local licence - this is often debated and there is no clear information on this.

 

Ultimately, if in doubt - get a Thai Licence, its extremely easy to get and handy to have as a proof of ID too. 

 

31 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

The reason I ask is that many motor insurance policies here will not pay out if in the event of an accident the person driving doesn't have the appropriate license/permit.

Insurance here is far more forgiving than insurance in many of our home nations. 

In most cases the car is insured for any licensed driver. 

In this case, if you have a licence from your home country (signatory to 1968 Vienna convention) then you are covered. 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

Do you have a Thai driving license or international driving permit?

The reason I ask is that many motor insurance policies here will not pay out if in the event of an accident the person driving doesn't have the appropriate license/permit.

That's where the govt CTPL comes in and why it's composory.

[mlkik]

6 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

That's where the govt CTPL comes in and why it's composory.

What is a composory govt CTPL ?

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, mlkik said:

16 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

That's where the govt CTPL comes in and why it's composory.

What is a composory govt CTPL ?

Its also called Por-Ror-Bor...    Its the compulsory insurance that every vehicle on Thailands roads has to have (theoretically), cars and motorcycles in Thailand cannot be taxed without proof of compulsory insurance (people usually get this insurance and tax their vehicle at the same time). 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

32 minutes ago, mlkik said:

What is a composory govt CTPL ?

Thai government Compulsory Third Party Liabilities.

Which you have to have to get the Road tax disc. 

[essex boys]

As usual gents, some very good information from you all, I’m on a Uk license but will now go and get a Thai drivers license as I think it’s going to make things easier for me.

many thanks for all the help and information 

[FriendlyFarang]

On 10/3/2022 at 1:36 PM, richard_smith237 said:

There are other complications which have been listed and discussed in the past but there is little documentation on this: 

IF someone is on a non-immigration Visa they are considered resident and must have a local licence - this is often debated and there is no clear information on this.

The law is clear, a Thai citizen or somebody with permanent residency status needs to have a Thai license.

Foreigners with any kind of visa can use their foreign license with IDP.

[richard_smith237]

33 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

On 10/3/2022 at 9:36 AM, richard_smith237 said:

There are other complications which have been listed and discussed in the past but there is little documentation on this: 

IF someone is on a non-immigration Visa they are considered resident and must have a local licence - this is often debated and there is no clear information on this.

The law is clear, a Thai citizen or somebody with permanent residency status needs to have a Thai license.

How clear or unambiguous or non vague is the Thai in that specific law regarding the meaning of ‘resident’ in the Thai writing of this law (I’m not sure). 

 

It was once explained to me that it means....   someone with a ‘resident visa’...  

 

This is where there may be some ambiguity of ‘resident’.... Do they mean someone with 'Permanent Residence’  or someone on a ‘Resident Visa’  i.e. someone with a Non-Immigration visa, which is considered a resident visa ???

 

Its pretty much a moot point for many of us because its so easy to get a Thai Licence anyway - ultimately, if we are living here and driving here there’s no logical reason not to get a Thai Licence. 

 

33 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Foreigners with any kind of visa can use their foreign license with IDP.

In many cases - if a foreigners licence is in English and they’re from a country which is signatory to the 1968 Vienna road traffic convention they don’t need an IDP.

An IDP is needed if the licence is not in English.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by richard_smith237

[FriendlyFarang]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

How clear or unambiguous or non vague is the Thai in that specific law regarding the meaning of ‘resident’ in the Thai writing of this law (I’m not sure). 

The law is 100% clear regarding this matter. It refers to people with permanent resident status.

[Kwasaki]

8 hours ago, FriendlyFarang said:

The law is clear, a Thai citizen or somebody with permanent residency status needs to have a Thai license.

Foreigners with any kind of visa can use their foreign license with IDP.

It's not that clear, 400 baht which you can sometimes  negotiate down to 200 baht is available when you haven't got a DL.