Driving Licence and Insurance

I know there are loads of threads on insurance, etc, but all the ones I've read are fairly old and didn't really answer my questions.

We just moved over last week and have purchased a used car. However, we are having trouble finding reasonable insurance. I've gotten quotes around £3600-4000 for the year, which is way out of our budget.

One issue when filling out for quotes is that I received a ticket last month in the US (speeding), but whenever I try to fill out info for it, there is only UK offence options and points. I have no idea if points in the states are equivalent to points in the UK, and if I should fill it out at such. Also, I'm not sure if I should be selecting "foreign" or "international" for the license, since there's no US option and we don't yet have British licenses.

Finally, is there a period of time we have to wait before we can take the driving test? Someone told us we had to be here 6 months, but I can't find any timeline on the UK government sites. Of course, we'd like to have driven a bit before we take the test, as I've heard it's difficult.

If anyone has done this recently, I'd love to hear your experience and who you found insurance through! Thanks!

In your situation it will be easier to call for quotes as the agent can ask the right questions to help you give the right answers.

We have just moved back to the UK for a 3 year stint after being overseas for 16 years and the online quote system doesn't fit our circumstances. I've been on the phone this afternoon and received reasonable quotes, although yours will most likely be higher due to:

your lack of UK license and driving experience
your ticket

I received quotes from Direct Line, Toyota Insurance over the phone, and from Aviva by phoning a local insurance broker.

You don't have to wait to take your test - in fact, you have to pass it within 12 months or you'll no longer be able to drive using your US license.

As for insurance, I agree with fruitgum about using a local broker. Of course, my husband's an insurance broker, so I'm a bit biased!

One other option if you have military ties is to call USAA.  I got insurance on my first car through them as they have a London office.  Now it's more expensive, so I go through UK companies, but it was cheaper at first.  I'd also agree though on the calling a broker rather than using online.  You will likely goof up and list things wrong that way. If you get a good broker, they can sometimes take US no fault claims into account.  Not everyone will, but there are a handful out there.

Also, a bit off topic, but read the threads on here about the driving test too.  You have the year, but it takes a while to get through the process, and I think it's very foolish to take without driving lessons.  I needed them to learn all the little tricks like where to hold your hands, how to do the required manoeuvres, and dumb little things like how crossing your hands over on the steering wheel can make you fail a test with some examiners. I had 20 years driving experience with only one ticket in 20 years, and I still needed my lessons.  They saved me.

I don't think you have to mention the one ticket received out of the country. IMBW.

You have the year, but it takes a while to get through the process, and I think it's very foolish to take without driving lessons.  I needed them to learn all the little tricks like where to hold your hands, how to do the required manoeuvres, and dumb little things like how crossing your hands over on the steering wheel can make you fail a test with some examiners. I had 20 years driving experience with only one ticket in 20 years, and I still needed my lessons.  They saved me.

Excellent advice.