Car insurance

Hello everybody
I will be coming in Jan 15th under a fiance visa which I just got. Im planning on buying a car when I arrive there. About 1000 pounds or less. How much is the 3rd party insurance for us yanks starting out? I heard it can be expensive. I going to buy my car at a dealer and hopefully they will have insurance there as well. Thanks.

Heya...

We just moved to the UK (well actually are in the process, visiting family in Canada now but will be back on 2 Jan) from the states. I did some online estimators and ended up trying (on a lark) the RAC insurance. I figured, RAC, good brand, etc... couldn't be too bad, right? I went through the online application, and at the very end, under the Terms and Conditions, I found that you have to be a UK licensed driver.

So I phoned up their number, and the phone sales person said no, that it was no problem, they would honour your US license until you got a UK one. They also gave us credit for our no-claims in the US. Once all was said and done, it was about £450 for a year's cover for me and my partner, and that was comprehensive cover on a 2000 model Saab that is parked on the street in London. And they let you pay over time.

Which I thought was quite good--that's a bit less than we pay on our '95 Volvo in the Seattle area.

-B

I going to buy my car at a dealer and hopefully they will have insurance there as well. Thanks.

You wont be able to get insurance through a car dealer if you're buying secondhand...  they only do that for brand new cars.

thanks baylor for that. What did you have to show them? Like statements form the DMV? And whats the number? Thanks again. And to you too otterpop.

Hi there!
Welcome to the UK!

Baylor has gt it summed up quite well. Speak to your current US insurance company/provider. Get them to provide documentation showing your insurance status, no claims bonus (or equivalent) driving records from the DMV etc etc. Then once you get here, spend an afternoon calling the freeby 0800 numbers for the larger insurance companies you'll see in natiional media and the yellow pages. Get quotes directly from as many providers as you can. Check online of course as well (assuming they'll insure US drivers via websites) and see what your best price is.

Here's a tip - now call insurance brokers - sometimes they can beat online and the large companies quotes - ensure the cover is like for like or at least acceptable in terms of any differences. This is what  I do every year when it comes to renewal. Personal circumstances, postcodes, type of car, overnight storage etc all cause possible wildly varying prices. I remember one time I had a renewal quote for £1800 for my BMW at the time, after I'd had a small crunch rang around 3 times what I was paying! I was shocked! called up and around and managed to get re-insured with a like for like policy at £945 and that was through a broker!

Overall though, you should be able to arrange cover relatively painlessly, and I know I've read somewhere some UK insurance companies will honour no claims bonuses built up in the USA - and vice versa!

Hope this helps and good luck with yer move over here!

Dennis! West London UK!!

what if you're not a permanent resident? I am on a student visa and plan on getting married and staying, but I don't know if I'm considered a permanent resident which is a requirement for all insurance I have seen. How do I get insurance? I just bought a cute, cheap car and would rather insure it than have my partner do it then put me on b/c I have a better record than he has. Thanks!

I asked this question somewhere else, but it seems more applicable here.  Is car insurance required in the UK like it is in the US?

Yes, it is.