Car insurance after moving to Ireland

Arnout

Hi all, my name is Arnout and I moved from the Netherlands to Ireland two months ago with my wife (who also lived here before she moved in with me), two kids and my car.

Yesterday I finally managed to get my car registered, and now there's the next challenge: getting it insured. Apparently insurers don't like a no claim that's built abroad and I don't like to pay the premium as if I was 18 years old again. Has anyone faced the same challenge and found a better solution than to pay a steep premium?

(on a sidenote: funny that they ask about lefthand vs. righthand drive, since I'm more comfortable with the former rather than the latter)

Arnout

Since the car's new registration wasn't visible in insurer's systems yet, I didn't bother after a while and waited until now.

The registration is now visible on cartell.ie, but still nothing on the insurer's websites. Does anyone know how long that takes?

walterking

You can enter the car details manually.

I would try a broker or call into an AXA office - they can make a direct case for allowing your experience to be counted

Online systems are designed for people without special requirements.

Arnout

I know what you mean. Still, it's a lot easier if I've already filled everything out (including two named drivers) instead of spelling everything out over the phone.

Regarding entering the car's details manually, I know, but again I have a feeling it'll make my life easier if it's on the system. Just annoying that it took 2,5 months to get it registered and I can't use it since the Dutch insurer ended coverage at the end of August (after kindly extending it twice, normally they don't insure anyone who's living abroad).

At least there's my wife's car.

Alun

I had the same problems when I moved here from the Netherlands over 20 years ago. I ended up going via a broker, I think they were called Glennon's, at least for the first few years and after that went directly to the insurance companies.

I sold my car in the Netherlands before moving here, and bought a car here though, and I think trying to insure a LHD car here might be more what's causing the problem than recognising your no claims bonus.

Arnout

The feedback I got from the AA was that the no claims was the problem, not the LHD.

I'll look into that name Glennon's. So I gather that they accepted your Dutch no claim?

Eggs For Dinner

LHD vehicles are more of a risk to insurers on account of the visibility issue when overtaking on our roads

Arnout

I have a very simple way of dealing with that: I don't overtake if I can't oversee the situation.

But I'm aware I'm a dying breed in that respect...

Alun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665663#Comment_119665663

https://www.glennons.ie/

This was the broker, it was recommended by some colleagues in my wife's company who had the same problems.

Regarding the no-claims I asked my Dutch insurance company to provide me with a letter in English on official headed notepaper as I couldn't really give them a document in Dutch. I don't think I got the whole percentage but certainly better than nothing.

Arnout

Thanks!

Yes that letter I already have, since these days Dutch insurers store those details in a central database, but if course that's only accessible for Dutch insurers/brokers. Although the letter is a bit more concise than I had hoped, so hopefully the information that is in there is sufficient.

Alun

Yes, the letter I got was very short, direct and to the point too ... typically Dutch 😂 It worked though!

Arnout

Just called with Glennon, but they didn't get any quotes back from any of the insurers they work with, so they can't negotiate anything.

Reason being that the car is too old (2004). Apparently the foreign no claim history shouldn't be that much of an issue with at least some insurers, and LHD is actually a bigger worry (like Eggs For Dinner already suspected). But as said: Glennon needed a quote first to be able to proceed from there. Their advice was to contact insurers directly.

I noticed the discussion about insuring a car >15 years old, I'll go read through that for some inspiration and maybe reply there.

By the way on 123.ie I could find the car in the system around noon (haven't had a call back from them yet); axa.ie doesn't have it yet. Maybe their database updates overnight, I'll try again in the morning.

Atlantic Dawn

It could help too if you are still using your Dutch driving licence to swap it over for an Irish one, lots of insurers will add a loading for a non Irish licence on the basis that you can't get penalty points on it here.

Arnout

Ah yes I heard that one once too. Was before I got my PPSN and without that you can't get an Irish license.

I'll look into that too, depending on what quotes I get.

Arnout

Just managed to insure it online with Liberty for € 823. Still more than I bargained for per se, but it's something for now and at least I can use the car again.

Long version in the topic about insuring cars >15 years old. And yes it says there that I moved here three months ago instead of two, I rounded it incorrectly in the opening post (moved here 1 July).

Alun

Just read that other thread ... You didn't mention it was an Alfa Romeo GT 3.2l. Given the way Irish insurance companies view anything over a 1.0 hatchback as a "sports car" and therefore close to trying to insure a murder weapon I'm surprised your quote was so low to be honest!

Arnout

I did read about some problems with less-than-tiny engines in that topic. No insurer/broker however told me that they don't insure near-murder-weapons. Unless they got scared...

galwaytt

considering its and over-15 yr old, 3.2, LHD Alfa, frankly I think it's a miracle you got a quote at all, so €800 is a Win imho.

Arnout

Meh, it's not completely finalised yet. They're being difficult about the last policy in NL being for less than a year (took out a new policy in October 2021). Now I have acquired and sent in a similar letter about our other car (mainly my wife's car, but it was registered in my name), that has had the same policy since 2019, and today I got an email back stating "it's not my name on the letter". Pardon me?

Called them, apparently now the problem is that it only says my initials + surname on it, not my full name. Yes, that's what you get with all formal correspondence in the Netherlands...

Starting to feel they seek excuses to deny the foreign no-claim, even where they advertise they accept it from all over the EU.

Arnout

So to finish it all off, I got an email that I got two years NCD, based on the policy that started in 2019 (August to be precise, and cancelled in June 2022 because we moved, so less than three years). Already better than no NCD (they threatened me with € 3.300, so an additional € 2.500, at some point, for the year), but still not what I wanted or even what it should be.

I pointed out once again that the relevant bit in either letter would be the last sentence, which states the actual number of years of NCD, irrespective of when the (most recent incarnation of) the policy started. They reviewed it again and lo and behold I finally got the maximum number of years of NCD.

Only took two months to get them to understand that... It's not like the letter was particularly long (I left my initials + first letter of my surname in there, this is what you get with all formal correspondence in the Netherlands, somebody who deals with international correspondence should know that):

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

We confirm that the undermentioned client has held a car insurance with our company, the details of

which are as follows:

• Name: A.P. M......

• Address: ......

• Postal code + City: nnnn xx ........

• Policynumber : nnnnnnnn

• Type of cover: Third party and fully comprehensive

• Inception day: 07-10-2021

• Date of expiry: 09-08-2022

Bonus entitlement at 01-12-2022: 80% discount for 12 years of driving without causing and claiming a

damage.