A topic always worth revisiting, It drives us mad when we see uk cars untaxed and it seems uninsured in either France or the UK. On a slightly different subject has anyone imported a trailer? Do all weight trailers need a CT and it’s own plate?
Hi Mark,
I used to recommend an AXA agency in SE France to my clients, but I no longer do this. If the agency you refer to has a name reminiscent of a sharp yellow fruit, they are a law unto themselves, and employ a number of very sharp practices to ensure that polices are renewed when the clients have had enough and want to get away. Steer clear.
Brian wrote:
And for those who SORN their vehicles to avoid UK vehicle excise duty they run the chance of fines as you cannot legally SORN a vehicle which is not in the UK (see DVLA website for details) but as a UK registered vehicle, if not subject of a SORN, must be taxed or automatic fines will be issues.
This is true only if you take the vehicle back to the UK.
French law states that it is illegal for a French resident to drive a foreign registered vehicle - except for the 30 days exemption. There are many who drive around on UK plates who claim not to be resident because they have a UK address. If they are insured by a French company my adice would be - "don't get involved in an accident" only to discover that they are NOT covered.
A friend with a UK registered car had his vehicle stolen and vandalised. The police found it 2 days later, but his UK insurance company insisted he return it to the UK "at the end of your holiday!" for proper repairs to be done in UK. That cost him a double ferry fare plus 2 flights - a lot more than doing it properly.
I know the subject has always been well covered but the new slant for me is that there are French insurance agents who continue to claim to be able to cover these UK cars "for an unspecified time". If such cover was legally available then ALL agents could offer it, but it is contrary to EU wide law. These agents are surely aiding & abetting fraud?
We've been here before, Mark, all those UK registered cars parked at airports etc with no tax discs...! You can't have it both ways - get legal!
Here here! Our insurer only allows the 1 month as directed by his head office...... It really is not that hard to re-register, although the certificate of conformity can take as long as a month to arrive.
My only gripe was registering our latest one and getting CY *** ST as our plate, lol. (Fortunately it is spelt differently in France so no french guffaws at our expense).