Insurance for car for a year abroad - any tips?

A snowHead

The Grom has a chance to instruct for a year before going to University - bike and ski - but because of location of accommodation he will need a car. This means insuring a car for Switzerland for around 9 months - any idea of the best way of doing it and likely cost?

A snowHead

@valais2, I'm no expert, but it would seem that if the car is out of the UK for more than 90 days then you'll struggle to find someone to insured it, while the owner being out of the country for more than 6 months will make it impossible to get a UK policy as they are no longer classed as resident. See https://www.moneymaxim.co.uk/long-stay-european-car-insurance

It may be easier to buy and insure a cheap car in Switzerland and then sell it at the end of the stay, but that will have its own problems.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Up to 180 days is easy with LV, beyond that lie dragons as ousekjarr suggests

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Also beware of a UK car being seen as an import if it stays over a certain amount of time, at which point import duties and/or VAT equivalent may become due on it, and that might be based on the initial sale price rather than the current value. And as a right hand drive car in Switzerland, it has a value pretty close to zero.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

all very helpful … many thanks. 180 days will be OK.... we can do two blocks of dec-apr ski instructing and then a break and then summer DH instructing....

very many thanks

You'll need to Register first of course.

@valais2, Stuart Collins provide UK car insurance for a UK car which is going to be abroad for most/all of the year (used by our daughter in Switzerland for the last few years).

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Or just buy and register a car in Switzerland. It will probably not really cost you anything as you will get back the same or more guven how second hand car prices are going right now!

After all it is free

@valais2, totally separate question....

What's the situation re passport/visas etc.

Do you have access to the much desired, EU passport?

StuartCollins....we insured with them when living in the EU and they were excellent. Car needs to remain registered in the UK which may be an issue with the "host" state. You may need to export the car from the UK, import it into the host state and then re-register before moving to a local insurer after three months or something.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@Hurdy, What you are suggesting can be done with most Insurers. Most give 90 days, its the beyond that period that is the issue. But as has been said previously, it also depends on your residency status. Ie if your an Austrian resident, you have to re register it in Austria Im sure less than the 90 day period anyway.

Its a total falacy to think you can have a UK reg veh out of the UK for 365 days, and still maintain UK Insurance. One way or another you are either breaking local rules re registration, or your Insurance fm the UK. Even those who provide annual cover arent giving 365 days out of the UK . Most are giving annual cover, but to a limit to how long each trip out of the UK is.

I find those who think thye can do it, tend to have gleemed enough info to say the correct thing to the insurers to get themselves both a competitive quote, and an annual green card. But it doesnt work like that when you make a claim, and you may have to show when the vehicle was both out of the UK, and when it was back again.

Be warned.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Here in Germany it is illegal to keep any foreign registered vehicle in the country for more than 6 months. The reason being is that by doing so you are avoiding car tax, avoiding tax here being the most heinous crime possible. After 6 months you would have to register the car as a German one, which for UK vehicles is fairly painful. Other countries are likely to be similar. You can avoid any issues by simply driving to Austria for a day or two as long as you have evidence of leaving Germany.

snow reports

I don’t believe that the Grom will necessarily lose UK residency. Also, many EU countries allow foreign registered vehicles for up to 12 months by non-residents. Extended insurance is also possible.

I have recently had a conversation with my insurance company, for a slightly different reason. I want to stay in France for about 7 weeks, which would, when added to the time I have already spent in France during the period of insurance, take me way over the 60 days the policy provides for. The insurance company says they will maintain the cover up to the 60 days. When that expires the policy will revert to the minimum legal cover required wherever I am in the EU - third party. They suggested I might want to get a top-up policy to maintain the fully comp cover. My limited searches so far suggest the additional days will cost me as much as the existing annual policy.
Turning back to the OP, this (together with checking GOV.UK) suggests that you will still get minimum insurance cover for an extended stay. However, as others have suggested there may be other registration issues and you would have to tell the insurance company where the vehicle is usually kept. That could be problematic.

You know it makes sense.

+1 for Stuart Collins - OH and I both used them when we were working in France and Italy all year. Yes, the cars had to be registered to us at our UK addresses and we had to be on British licences.
Saga do 12 month continental cover but age is probably a showstopper, NFU also do 12 month cover.
As @munich_irish, says, have an away day or two!

Stuart Collins & Co, 114 Walter Road, Swansea SA1 5QQ
Phone 01792 655562 Fax 01792 651126

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

People go "vanlife-ing" out of the UK for these kind of periods and they are clearly insured.

It must be do-able.

Help!!

Insurance for car for a year abroad - any tips?

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