Uk Car Insurance For Thai Wife

[Hawkinschris]

Has anyone purchased car insurance for their Thai wife/fiance

I have had a few quotes which have come in at around £1000+

My wife has Thai + International Licence and been driving for around 5 years

Any information would be greatful

[CharlieB]

You'd be better off getting her onto a UK licence asap. She will only be allowed to drive on the Thai licence for up to a year. I'm pretty sure her insurance would be lower on a UK licence.

[7by7]

It all depends on how big a risk the insurance company sees her to be. There are a lot of factors involved in assessing this, including her age, previous experience and the vehicle she will be driving. That she has no previous history of motor insurance in the UK is a major factor as it means she wont be eligible for any no claims bonus.

Passing a UK test may bring the premiums down as a UK test is a lot harder than a Thai one, and as CharlieB says, she'll have to pass it anyway if she is to continue driving in the UK after she's been living there for 12 months.

[torrenova]

I've been looking at UK car insurance and this is what I've found. I've UK license for over 20 years, no accidents, but nil no claims as I've been overseas.

Small car to medium car, regular family stuff, about £500/600 fully comp

Bigger car, Lexus, Merc, BMW, about £1000

Car value around £3-5k

Area London, parked outside, SDP

Try some here http://www.directline.com/

[MrsExpat2B]

I had my first car insurance last year which came to around £700 and that's for a fully comp.

Not bad considering I was under 25 and had only held a full driving licence for just under 3 months. The value of the car (brand new) was aaround £8k . I need to renew it in May and it'll be interesting to know how much it will be as I will be 25 years old with one year (fingers crossed) no claim bonus and will then have been in the UK for 5 years (was asked how long I'd been in the UK so I assume it's relevant)

Once she passes a driving test in the UK it should be lower.

[yeesipha]

Hawkinschris the way we did it was for me to be the main policy holder,and i added my wife as a named driver to the policy.

worked out hel_l of alot cheaper that way,she even gets the no claims bonus as a named driver.

[chiang mai]

I believe that foreign driving licenses are only valid for us in the UK for a period of 30 days after arrival, certainly this is the law in the US also.

I also believe that if a foreign national (or an expat who has been absent from the UK for several years) produces a letter from an overseas insurance company stating that they have held motor insurance and haven't claimed against it, that person qualifies for a no claims bonus.

[kennkate]

yeesipa has got it right, Just add her to your policy as a named driver. The only problem might be that she has not got a Full Uk License.

the insurance Co will ask if the other driver is a Full Uk License holder. If not that would put the Premium Up.

Better she gets a test passed. You could increase the exess on the policy to bing the cost down

[CharlieB]

I believe that foreign driving licenses are only valid for us in the UK for a period of 30 days after arrival, certainly this is the law in the US also.

I also believe that if a foreign national (or an expat who has been absent from the UK for several years) produces a letter from an overseas insurance company stating that they have held motor insurance and haven't claimed against it, that person qualifies for a no claims bonus.

No, it's 12 months as stated earlier: DirectGov Website

[chiang mai]

I believe that foreign driving licenses are only valid for us in the UK for a period of 30 days after arrival, certainly this is the law in the US also.

I also believe that if a foreign national (or an expat who has been absent from the UK for several years) produces a letter from an overseas insurance company stating that they have held motor insurance and haven't claimed against it, that person qualifies for a no claims bonus.

No, it's 12 months as stated earlier: DirectGov Website

I stand corrected, thanks for that.

[bobrussell]

My car is insured with the NFU (National Farmers Union) even though I am not a farmer. I asked them how much extra it would be to put my wife (Thai/International licence) on the policy. They contacted the underwriters and charged nothing extra!!!!!

They do insure non-farmers and your spouse seems to be automatically covered by the policy. I was amazed that they accepted her licence as equivalent to a UK one.

Obviously she will have to get a provisional UK licence within the year and I suspect that may raise the premiums a bit!!

Always been quite good insurers as well!

[7by7]

Obviously she will have to get a provisional UK licence within the year

If she wants to continue driving unaccompanied she will have to pass both tests and get a full licence within the year. If she only has a provisional UK licence when the year expires then she can only drive subject to the usual restrictions of a provisional licence.

[Totster]

Be aware that insurance policies are calculated taking into account many different factors, so what may work for one, may not work for another. Things like type of vehicle, age, worth and even the area you live all make a difference.

The good news is different insurance apply different criteria, so just keep searching, and you should find something that works for you.

Totster

[gregchambers]

Although I had a licence from 25 and am now 53 I have never actually driven since passing my test except for a day's car hire recently but I can get comprehensive insurance for myself for around two hundred quid for a used Citroen C1 with the co-op online, so age of the main driver is obviously a huge factor rather than actual experience! Be interesting to see how many Thai ladies can pass the written part of the UK driving test within one year of coming here - btw if they go back to Thailand for a holiday and come back to the UK does their international licence become valid again for a year?

[7by7]

If in the UK as a visitor the 12 months starts at one's last date of entry.

If in the UK for settlement it starts at the first date of entry for settlement.

So, no.