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Motortax + Insurance problem

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  • 16-02-2015 9:03pm
    #1
    pollemon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭


    Hi everybody,

    First at all, sorry about my English. I have just arrived to Ireland, and I am still trying to do my best with it. Unfortunately, the results are very poor...

    My problem: I have bought a used car this last December from a person who I know. My intention was to put an insurance to my wife (she has a full European driver license), but it seems that it is not possible to take an insurance if your are not the owner of the car. I have no driver license, so for me take an insurance is totally impossible. In addition I have to pay the motor tax, and as I don't have an insurance I cannot pay it! It is a situation that it is very uncomfortable to me, and I have no idea of how to proceed.

    Do you have some tips? It could suppose a problem to wait for my learner permit and then take myself the insurance? I would not like to have problems in the courts!

    Thanks a lot for your help!
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Pov06
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,487 ✭✭✭Pov06


    If your car is not insured and you are not using it, you can declare a car to be off the road so you don't need to pay the motor tax.


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    #3
    dr.bollocko
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 35,943 Mod ✭✭✭✭dr.bollocko


    Change the ownership of the car to your wife?


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    #4
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    pollemon wrote: »
    Hi everybody,

    First at all, sorry about my English. I have just arrived to Ireland, and I am still trying to do my best with it. Unfortunately, the results are very poor...

    My problem: I have bought a used car this last December from a person who I know. My intention was to put an insurance to my wife (she has a full European driver license), but it seems that it is not possible to take an insurance if your are not the owner of the car. I have no driver license, so for me take an insurance is totally impossible. In addition I have to pay the motor tax, and as I don't have an insurance I cannot pay it! It is a situation that it is very uncomfortable to me, and I have no idea of how to proceed.

    Do you have some tips? It could suppose a problem to wait for my learner permit and the take myself the insurance? I would not like to have problems in the courts here!

    Thanks a lot for your help!

    Transfer ownership to wife as you cant drive it anyway

    The back tax then will be cleared and she will only have to pay tax from date of ownership.

    She can then insure no problem problem solved.


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    #5
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users Posts: 11,907 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    Your wife should apply for insurance on the car. She is likely to be quoted a high price as it will be her first insurance here.


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    #6
    pollemon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭pollemon


    Pov06 wrote: »
    If your car is not insured and you are not using it, you can declare a car to be off the road so you don't need to pay the motor tax.

    Is it still possible? The car was bought in December.


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    #7
    pollemon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭pollemon


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Transfer ownership to wife as you cant drive it anyway

    The back tax then will be cleared and she will only have to pay tax from date of ownership.

    She can then insure no problem problem solved.

    But what about the taxes from December till the insurance start date? Who will pay these taxes?


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    #8
    Cheensbo
    Registered Users Posts: 2,704 ✭✭✭Cheensbo


    pollemon wrote: »
    But what about the taxes from December till the insurance start date? Who will pay these taxes?


    A new owner is only liable for taxes from the date of sale.

    Change the car into your wifes name - example: today 16/02/15, the new owner (your wife) will be liable for taxes that will include all of february, so if you pay for 3 months tax as of now - you will get feb/march/april.

    Insurance has no bearing on tax - You can leave that blank on the tax form - they'll take your money anyway.


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    #9
    CiniO
    Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    pollemon wrote: »
    Is it still possible? The car was bought in December.

    No.
    You'd need to pay motortax arrers for December, and January (at 1/10 annual tax rate) and pay 3 at least for 3 months (Feb-April).
    Then in April you could declare that you won't be using the car from 1st May.

    Where is the car now? If it's parked in public place (like public parking on the street) it should have valid tax on it, as otherwise you might get fines for having it untaxed. Same story with insurance.

    Your wife, on the other hand, should be able to get insurance on a car, even though you are the registered owner. Many insurers allow the car to be in name of wife or husband of the insured person. Just ring around and explain that car is in your name, but she want's insurance in her name as you don't have driving licence. Should be no problem.

    Did your wife drove any cars in country where you came from? Does she have any insurance history there (no claims bonus)? If so this can be used here in Ireland which might make insurance lot cheaper.


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    #10
    Supergurrier
    Registered Users Posts: 7,292 ✭✭✭Supergurrier


    It's very uncomfortable for all of us


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    #11
    CiniO
    Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    pollemon wrote: »
    In addition I have to pay the motor tax, and as I don't have an insurance I cannot pay it! It is a situation that it is very uncomfortable to me, and I have no idea of how to proceed.
    Supergurrier wrote: »
    It's very uncomfortable for all of us

    Agree.
    OP you moved to a great country to live in except from unfortunately when it comes to motoring, it's probably the worst country you could have chosen.
    Expect problems, high costs and illogical and confusing situations when it comes to motoring here.... Good luck.


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    #12
    goz83
    Registered Users Posts: 8,034 ✭✭✭goz83


    If you leave the car in your name, you must pay the back tax. Only then can you declare vehicle off the road (after 3 months tax being purchased).

    You do not have a license.

    The best thing to do is transfer the car to your wife. the tax is only payable from the month of the sale. If you tansfer it now, she pays for tax for all February, unless the vehicle is first declared off the road, within 10 days of transfer.

    If you wait until March 1st to transfer the car, you only pay from month of march.

    Insurance will be high. It will be a small bit cheaper 5-10% if she changes to an irish license. Expect prices to be over €1000. If they are lower, you're doing well. Be sure to call lots of companies for quotes, because they may vary hugely. Try AA car insurance and One Direct, as well as many others.


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    #13
    stefanovich
    Registered Users Posts: 5,490 ✭✭✭stefanovich


    Another option (if you plan to learn) is to get yourself a learner permit. Insure the car in your name and put the wife down as a named driver (it'll bring it down a lot.) In the meantime declare it off the road for tax.


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    #14
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    stefanovich wrote: »
    Another option (if you plan to learn) is to get yourself a learner permit. Insure the car in your name and put the wife down as a named driver (it'll bring it down a lot.) In the meantime declare it off the road for tax.

    Not in this case. The OPs wife has a European license which basically doubles any premium and they insure based on the highest risk i.e. The learner permit. So the quote will probably be absolutely astronomical.

    I'd recommend, if you are in no rush, to tax the car from 1st of March. We are 50% of the way through February so why pay for it if the car has minimal usage. Put the date of sale as Feb 28th on the log book. And then tax on the 1st of March.

    Another lovely thing about Ireland is you can't tax in advance. I had a car off the road, went down on Jan 30th 2015, they couldn't give me a disc for Feb 1st.


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    #15
    stefanovich
    Registered Users Posts: 5,490 ✭✭✭stefanovich


    My girlfriend is French with a French license. When I was a learner I put her down as a named driver and my premium dropped significantly. By around 400 euros if I remember correctly.

    She pays more as she has a left hand drive car and a French license though. I know when I got my full my premium dropped below hers even though she has 8 or 9 years no claims. On renewal hers dropped significantly as I think it takes a year for foreign no claims to kick in fully.


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    #16
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Not in this case. The OPs wife has a European license which basically doubles any premium and they insure based on the highest risk i.e. The learner permit. So the quote will probably be absolutely astronomical.

    I'd recommend, if you are in no rush, to tax the car from 1st of March. We are 50% of the way through February so why pay for it if the car has minimal usage. Put the date of sale as Feb 28th on the log book. And then tax on the 1st of March.

    Another lovely thing about Ireland is you can't tax in advance. I had a car off the road, went down on Jan 30th 2015, they couldn't give me a disc for Feb 1st.

    Why....

    Then you pay tax for the whole of February.


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    #17
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Why....

    Then you pay tax for the whole of February.

    Sorry, my mistake, date of sale to the 1st of March. Then the OPs wife is tax liable from the 1st of March.


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    #18
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Sorry, my mistake, date of sale to the 1st of March. Then the OPs wife is tax liable from the 1st of March.

    Also you don't need to go into office as you can declare off the road online and tax onlline.


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    #19
    CiniO
    Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Not in this case. The OPs wife has a European license which basically doubles any premium and they insure based on the highest risk i.e. The learner permit. So the quote will probably be absolutely astronomical.

    That's not true. Indeed some insures impose extra premium for holders of foreign licence, but it's no more than 10-20% usually. Not double.
    Another lovely thing about Ireland is you can't tax in advance. I had a car off the road, went down on Jan 30th 2015, they couldn't give me a disc for Feb 1st.
    Because car was declared off the road.
    If you are just renewing, you can do one month in advance. (f.e. tax expires end of March, so you need to tax from 1st April, but you can go to motortax office on 1st March, pay the tax and get disc straight away.


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    #20
    johnb25
    Registered Users Posts: 503 ✭✭✭johnb25


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Not in this case. The OPs wife has a European license which basically doubles any premium and they insure based on the highest risk i.e. The learner permit. So the quote will probably be absolutely astronomical.

    I'd recommend, if you are in no rush, to tax the car from 1st of March. We are 50% of the way through February so why pay for it if the car has minimal usage. Put the date of sale as Feb 28th on the log book. And then tax on the 1st of March.

    Another lovely thing about Ireland is you can't tax in advance. I had a car off the road, went down on Jan 30th 2015, they couldn't give me a disc for Feb 1st.

    What about the arrears from Dec to Feb; will the OP not be still liable for those, or do they really disappear?


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    #21
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Also you don't need to go into office as you can declare off the road online and tax onlline.

    Depends. Not always possible especially if its the first time. Seems hit or miss.
    CiniO wrote: »
    That's not true. Indeed some insures impose extra premium for holders of foreign licence, but it's no more than 10-20% usually. Not double.

    OH has a foreign license. The premium is double mine (I'm on a full Irish license) and I'm younger. I had a thread about it here a while ago and apparently its completely legal to do so. It will be significantly higher than a full Irish premium and with a learner on the bill, a good deal more again.


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    #22
    slimjimmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,787 ✭✭✭slimjimmc


    johnb25 wrote: »
    What about the arrears from Dec to Feb; will the OP not be still liable for those, or do they really disappear?
    Gone for eternity. They really do disappear.


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    #23
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    slimjimmc wrote: »
    Gone for eternity. They really do disappear.

    +1, its a pretty serious loop hole. The downside of course is you 'add an owner' to the car each time.


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    #24
    whomitconcerns
    Registered Users Posts: 4,342 ✭✭✭whomitconcerns


    CiniO wrote: »
    That's not true. Indeed some insures impose extra premium for holders of foreign licence, but it's no more than 10-20% usually. Not double.


    Because car was declared off the road.
    If you are just renewing, you can do one month in advance. (f.e. tax expires end of March, so you need to tax from 1st April, but you can go to motortax office on 1st March, pay the tax and get disc straight away.

    Agrree with Cinio, its definitely not the case, my gf has full EU driving licence (here 2 years) and it made little or no impact on my insurance. her as named driver


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    #25
    Cheensbo
    Registered Users Posts: 2,704 ✭✭✭Cheensbo


    ironclaw wrote: »
    +1, its a pretty serious loop hole. The downside of course is you 'add an owner' to the car each time.

    Funny old loophole really, they've made it even easier to not tax a car now, as you no longer have to stare down the guard at the desk with your rf100a form:p


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    #26
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    whomitconcerns wrote: »
    Agrree with Cinio, its definitely not the case, my gf has full EU driving licence (here 2 years) and it made little or no impact on my insurance. her as named driver

    Odd as I tried numerous insurance companies, all higher than a full Irish. The policy was in her name however, not named.


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    #27
    whomitconcerns
    Registered Users Posts: 4,342 ✭✭✭whomitconcerns


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Odd as I tried numerous insurance companies, all higher than a full Irish. The policy was in her name however, not named.

    try AXA or AIG. I have used both in last 2 years and it made 40-90€ difference


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    #28
    pollemon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭pollemon


    Finally I changed the car ownership to my wife and I toke AXA. It was around 1500 €...

    Thanks you a million! :)


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