Insurance for driving in EU for 4-12 months

Souness

Hi

Planning on traveling through France and Spain in my own car. This will take anywhere from 4-12 months.

Wondering if anyone knows offhand which insurance companies would offer such a policy?

Currently with No Nonsense and they have advised that they cannot cover me for this trip.

Any help is appreciated.

S

keithclancy

Souness wrote: »

Hi

Planning on traveling through France and Spain in my own car. This will take anywhere from 4-12 months.

Wondering if anyone knows offhand which insurance companies would offer such a policy?

Currently with No Nonsense and they have advised that they cannot cover me for this trip.

Any help is appreciated.

S

They are required by EU Rules to cover you Third Party only.

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/insurance/motor_en.htm#overview

Motor Insurance Directive 2009/103/EC

All compulsory motor insurance policies should cover, on the basis of a single premium and during the whole term of the contract, the entire territory of the Union, including for any period in which the vehicle remains in other Member States during the term of the contract. Please note, however, that the Directive does not regulate the so-called comprehensive cover (cover for one's own physical damage, material damage to one's own vehicle and vehicle theft, amongst others).

scamalert

Interesting isn't it would be the same lets say if you crossed border after 3 months and it would of start of from 0 again,some sort like a visa trick ???

CiniO

Every insurance company will cover you third party without any questions.
However it might be tricky to find any insurer which will be willing to cover you for fire, theft and own car damage cover for longer than 3 months.

Anyway - even without those, you will be road legal.

CiniO

OP insurance is not your only worry.
NCT might be a problem as well, as in Ireland NCT is valid to first registration anniversary, so you might end up in a situation that you will have 4 months NCT left, will be planning to go for 12 months, but you won't be able to NCT your car, as it can be done only 3 months in advance. You obviously won't be able to NCT your car when abroad, and when your NCT runs out f.e. 4 months after you left, you won't be road legal anymore, and you won't be able to do anything about it. Probably only legal solution will be towing your car back to Ireland.
I've already mentioned it here few times, that it's one of the most absurd legislations, but what can we do?

keithclancy

CiniO wrote: »

OP insurance is not your only worry.
NCT might be a problem as well, as in Ireland NCT is valid to first registration anniversary, so you might end up in a situation that you will have 4 months NCT left, will be planning to go for 12 months, but you won't be able to NCT your car, as it can be done only 3 months in advance. You obviously won't be able to NCT your car when abroad, and when your NCT runs out f.e. 4 months after you left, you won't be road legal anymore, and you won't be able to do anything about it. Probably only legal solution will be towing your car back to Ireland.
I've already mentioned it here few times, that it's one of the most absurd legislations, but what can we do?

How is that any different to a UK MOT.

You'll be grand.

CiniO

keithclancy wrote: »

How is that any different to a UK MOT.

You'll be grand.

There is significent difference.
You can do MOT anytime you want, and it will be valid for 12 months from date it was done.

Example: My MOT is due to September 2012. I want to drive abroad for 10 months on May 2012. So I do MOT on May 2012 and get the cert valid until May 2013.
If the same happens in Ireland (your NCT due on September 2012) and you want to drive abroad for 10 months in May 2012, you are in deep hole, as there's nothing you can do.

vdriver

CiniO wrote: »

OP insurance is not your only worry.
NCT might be a problem as well, as in Ireland NCT is valid to first registration anniversary, so you might end up in a situation that you will have 4 months NCT left, will be planning to go for 12 months, but you won't be able to NCT your car, as it can be done only 3 months in advance. You obviously won't be able to NCT your car when abroad, and when your NCT runs out f.e. 4 months after you left, you won't be road legal anymore, and you won't be able to do anything about it. Probably only legal solution will be towing your car back to Ireland.
I've already mentioned it here few times, that it's one of the most absurd legislations, but what can we do?

If you get as far as Romania, it is possible to NCT any EU registered car. The only problem is that while the NCT will be valid in Romania , don't know if other countries will accepted. You might try to get it NCT'ed in each individual country if your NCT expire before your trip is over.

CiniO

vdriver wrote: »

If you get as far as Romania, it is possible to NCT any EU registered car. The only problem is that while the NCT will be valid in Romania , don't know if other countries will accepted. You might try to get it NCT'ed in each individual country if your NCT expire before your trip is over.

It's strange actually that Romania does such thing. But surely that kind of test wouldn't be valid anywhere else in the EU. Also I doubt there is any other country where you could test foreign registered car.

galwaytt

CiniO wrote: »

vdriver wrote: »

If you get as far as Romania, it is possible to NCT any EU registered car. The only problem is that while the NCT will be valid in Romania , don't know if other countries will accepted. You might try to get it NCT'ed in each individual country if your NCT expire before your trip is over.

It's strange actually that Romania does such thing. But surely that kind of test wouldn't be valid anywhere else in the EU. Also I doubt there is any other country where you could test foreign registered car.

If it's an EU State, the test is valid in all EU states.

CiniO

galwaytt wrote: »

If it's an EU State, the test is valid in all EU states.

According to one of EU directives, test must be done in the state where vehicle is registered.
If you start driving Irish registered vehicle with Romanian test, surely you won't get too far.
Can you imagine after coming back to Ireland you would be trying to explain to the guard, that you don't have NCT but have a Romanin test for another few months.

NO - only valid test for a vehicle is the one done in the country of registration. There should be no exceptions, and while there might be some countries where police allows for tests done locally even for foreign registered cars, it doesn't mean it's valid anywhere else.

Souness

Thanks for all the responses. Have been reading up a bit on the obligatory third party cover that insurance companies have to provide but would really rather be fully comp for this trip or at least 3rd party fire and theft.

From checking this French property site aimed and UK residents,

Car insurance in France using your existing car insurance company

The easiest way to insure your car in France if you are still resident in the UK, is to contact your existing car insurance company, to extend your UK policy to cover France. Usually cars are covered for third party in EU countries, but it would be advisable to increase cover to fully comprehensive. It would be well worth looking into the breakdown insurance that is offered too, as many offer an excellent package with English speaking assistance provided. Check the options on offer as some car insurance companies include everything in one package, while others offer a cheaper initial deal but leave out important cover. It would be worth making sure that the cover includes road-side assistance, replacement parts cover and providing over-night accommodation when necessary. Some will get your car back to the UK, others won’t.

Now just need to try and get an Irish insurance company to extend their policy cover to France and Spain:eek:

Happy to announce that my NCT will be valid for duration of trip,so stop off in Romania will not be needed:)

CiniO

Souness wrote: »

Thanks for all the responses. Have been reading up a bit on the obligatory third party cover that insurance companies have to provide but would really rather be fully comp for this trip or at least 3rd party fire and theft.

From checking this French property site aimed and UK residents,



Now just need to try and get an Irish insurance company to extend their policy cover to France and Spain:eek:

Happy to announce that my NCT will be valid for duration of trip,so stop off in Romania will not be needed:)

You're lucky with the NCT.

About finding insurance it might be bit tricky.
As I wrote in other thread, my insurer (allianz) provide unlimited cover in the EU according to their policy.
However when I asked them about it to confirm, they replied, that indeed that was the case according to the policy, but if I stayed abroad for more than 3 months, I wouldn't be considered resident in Ireland anymore, and therefore my policy would be void.

snaps

Also breakdown cover.....I used these crowd when ive been on my jaunts in Europe

http://www.breakdowncover.ie/

They use MAPFRE ASSISTANCE.

Souness

Just off he phone with FBD and the very nice lady has told me that they will cover unlimited EU driving on their policy. Happy days:)

snaps,thanks for the link. Looks like their euro cover is only for 30 days.

Might just risk not having the breakdown assist, main thing is accidents and theft are covered.

Thanks for all your assistance, appreciate it.

S

CiniO

Souness wrote: »

Just off he phone with FBD and the very nice lady has told me that they will cover unlimited EU driving on their policy. Happy days:)

Did you ask by any chance how does it go in line with residency?
Surely in your case it looks like you are just going traveling, so you won't be changing residency (you will be Irish resident at all times when away) but I'm curious if they would provide cover for the full length of the policy for a person who moves abroad, gets a house, job, etc there but keeps his Irish registered car.

Souness

I didn't CiniO, take it that you would not be keeping your irish reg car for over 6 months of the calendar year in the new country.

I would think that the policy I took out would cover this but if you give them a call they will check with the underwriters for you and give you the definitive answer.

Good luck!

CiniO

Souness wrote: »

I didn't CiniO, take it that you would not be keeping your irish reg car for over 6 months of the calendar year in the new country.

I was just asking more of curiosity, as at the moment I don't need anything like that, but maybe in a future I will.

I would think that the policy I took out would cover this but if you give them a call they will check with the underwriters for you and give you the definitive answer.

Are you saying that FBD are not the underwriters themselves, but are just a broker?
I thought they were actually an insurer..

Souness

Indeed

Marcusm

Souness wrote: »

Indeed

Not sure but if you are answering CiniO's question, it's incorrect. The person on the phone may have specified a need to talk to "underwriters" but that's I house. FBD writes its own insurance, it's not a broker.

Souness

Sorry about the confusion, my terminology is probably wrong..Yes they are the insurer and the underwriter I was referring to was an in house colleague of the customer service rep that took my call.