Non-UK Resident Motor Insurance

[Cypress Hill]

Tried searching on the forum for this but no threads.

Surprising as I'm sure this must've come up over the years but anyway, here goes.

I'm heading back to London for Christmas & New Year and I'd really love to drive my car.

Sadly, however, getting insured to do so is proving somewhat difficult as I haven't been a UK resident for 6/12 months.

Some insurers will cover you if you've been EU resident but obviously Thailand doesn't come under that

Would it be possible to get a Thai insurer to cover me to drive in the UK for a month or so?

Failing that, has anyone got any recommendations for brokers or insurers with whom they've had success in getting insured as a non-UK resident?

[jadee]

Try keithmichaels.co.uk for expat car insurance. Some people feel it's quite risky leaving a car uninsured, even if it is declared off the road, but each to their own. Presumably your car is kept at your UK address, as long as you have a UK address, getting cover should be no problem.

[Cypress Hill]

Try keithmichaels.co.uk for expat car insurance. Some people feel it's quite risky leaving a car uninsured, even if it is declared off the road, but each to their own. Presumably your car is kept at your UK address, as long as you have a UK address, getting cover should be no problem.

Thanks.

I pay to keep it in storage and they have insurance so no worries about it being uninsured.

Having a UK address apparently makes no difference; reason being that, if you're not resident in the UK, your UK driving license becomes invalid and should be surrendered to the DVLA.

I'll give keith michaels a shot tomorrow, though.

[Shadychris]

Try keithmichaels.co.uk for expat car insurance. Some people feel it's quite risky leaving a car uninsured, even if it is declared off the road, but each to their own. Presumably your car is kept at your UK address, as long as you have a UK address, getting cover should be no problem.

Thanks.

I pay to keep it in storage and they have insurance so no worries about it being uninsured.

Having a UK address apparently makes no difference; reason being that, if you're not resident in the UK, your UK driving license becomes invalid and should be surrendered to the DVLA.

I'll give keith michaels a shot tomorrow, though.

This is a very tricky one. Especially if you have already 'done the right thing' and surrendered your UK licence. If you have a Thai DL then that is OK to use in the UK for up to 12 months - however the Catch22 is you will really struggle to find an insurance company that will issue a policy to a Thai licence holder on a private car... :-

http://www.temporarycarinsurance.ws/international-drivers.html

So you will need to apply and pay for your UK licence again.

The only way round this that I found was to maintain an address in the UK and 'forget' to tell DVLA that you are non-resident. You can then choose one of 3 options. 1:Maintain and annually renew an insurance policy on your car - slightly dodgy as you are supposed to inform your insurer of change of circumstance. 2: Take out a new insurance and fib a little on the proposal form question that asks how long you have lived at that address, or 3: get a friend to insure the car for you to include any driver over the age of 25. All are likely to be quite expensive - especially in the 2nd case as you will no longer have any proof of NCD, so unless you have a really basic car (unlikely as you choose to keep it and pay storage on it) the premium will be astronomical. Plus in the case of all 3 should you be unfortunate enough to have a prang and it is unearthed that you are not resident you could well find yourself in a sea of sh*t!

Quite honestly for all the aggro and cost involved to keep a car stored and then get it back on the road for just a few weeks use, I ended up deciding to sell mine and simply hire one when back in the UK - which you can do on your Thai DL. Taking everything into account ultimately it is cheaper - and 100% legal.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Shadychris