Having difficulty with car insurance quotes

Hello,

Can anyone recommend car insurance companies that will insure new UK residents driving on a foreign license? My fiancé's company won't insure me, Direct Line has given me a quote of $2,467/year and will not except a foreign no claims letter  . And Adrian Flux says they are unable to find a quote for me, even though they advertise that they can give quotes for new UK residents with foreign licenses. I understand it will be expensive but I would at least like options and feel a bit discouraged that some will not insure me at all. I have been driving for 28 years and have a clean driving record and no claims.

Look forward to your suggestions 

Bye for now,
Nikki

Some a few months back suggested GEICO. Bottom line - get the UK license ASAP.

DH is a UK born & bred, I am USC; lived in the UK in the 90s, then we went to the US for 12 years. DH of course had a UK license since 1957, I had one since 1993...BUT.....because our most RECENT license was from the US, the initial quote to insure us was doubled. As soon as we updated the address and provided proof of the UK license, they refunded the premium difference less an admin fee. This was Churchill; we re now with LV - cheaper and better

I'm with Toyota insurance, not sure about the situation with foreign licenses but they were the cheapest for a returnee to the UK.

Definitely contact Geico...

Thank you for the suggestions. I have called two numbers for Geico offices around the UK and just received voicemails so left messages. Although when searching for Geico contact information, it looked as if this insurance is not just for any expat. I have read online about a few other potential companies so I will try them too. One is Norwich Union.

And I do intend to get my UK license as quickly as possible but would definitely like to take lessons first. I have just downloaded the Highway Code app onto my iPad  . Any recommendations on driving instructors in the Stockport area would be greatly appreciated  .

So even if I get stuck paying a higher premium to begin with, it should go down once I get my UK license?

Bye for now,
Nikki

If you can get the 'Official DSA complete Learner pack (electronic version)', that was perfect for me for the theory test and helped with the practical test as well.    It's got loads of practise questions and tests, hazard perception and practical test info on three disks (CD and DVD).  Really worthwhile.

http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp?FO=1207775&DI=636872

My driving instructor also suggested I get the 'DSA Driving The Essential Skills' book, but I didn't.  It looked helpful for experienced drivers (not beginner stuff for new drivers), but I felt ok without it.

... Any recommendations on driving instructors in the Stockport area would be greatly appreciated  .
...

Stockport, Manchester? My instructor was amazing. He's used to making the switch between sides (he lived in Germany for many years and was a truck driver) and was fantastic with helping me get used to switching sides and preparing for the test. And a really nice guy.

Stuart Taylor 07860 596947

http://www.sure2drive.co.uk/ (but don't just his instructing ability by his website!)

If you get in touch, feel free to tell him I (Shelley) sent you.

Thank you TravellingFrog, I will go ahead and order it. The DSA Theory Test Kit app I downloaded looks good but this looks to be even better. And yes evillshell, I am in Stockport so that is a perfect recommendation! I will contact him through his not so fancy website  And I will make sure to tell him Shelley referred me 

Ok so now I am getting really nervous about taking lessons and getting behind the wheel. I love to drive and drove everywhere I could back in America, in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia to be exact! As my fiancé says I am a petrol head...lol. I had 2 Saabs and I absolutely loved them, despite the occasional mechanical failure or necessary and expensive trip to the car doctor  With that said, we think it's better to get a smaller car with a lower insurance rating for me to start off with. I am certainly ok with that but I will miss my 150 HP turbo engine 

So I hope my love of driving and exploration will help me to overcome my fear of learning to drive over here. That and sitting down with a good cup of coffee/tea so I can read the highway code. I will try to stay awake this time 

Bye for now,
Nikki

Good luck, and Stuart is wonderful - I'm sure he'll help you relax behind the wheel. And he's had a few Americans as learners, so he'll point out some of the differences for you, too (like you can change lanes in an intersection, er, junction!).

Hello,

Feeling frustrated still with insurance. I contacted Geico and I do not qualify for their insurance because they say I either need to be with the military or have a Tier 2 Visa  . So I called Direct Line who first gave me a quote on a Vauxhall Astra (just picked a car I was looking to buy) and they had quoted 2,462/year. My partner has Esure and they said they would not insure me until I have residency and/or have UK license for 3 years. So now I have gone back to Direct Line to see if I can get insured on my partner's car until I can get my UK license. So after they gave me a quote of 2,052/year, I asked about different options to get premium down and if it would be better if my partner switched insurance and got a policy with them and then list me as a named driver. He got very curt with me and said no, that would not be possible. He called it some name that starts with an "F", flubbing, flustering... I don't know but basically its wrong or unethical, etc. to switch names/policy holders, etc. to get a lower premium... I don't know I may be explaining poorly but it just really threw me off.

In the meantime, I started my driving lessons w/ Stuart, thanks Shelley for the referral! I really want to practice in between lessons on John's car but how do I get insurance on it without paying an arm and a leg? Am I stuck with having to pay a high premium for a few months and then shop for new insurance when I have my UK license?

Thank you in advance for suggestions and encouragement. 

Bye for now,
Nikki
 

I have no idea how much insurance costs vs renting a car, but what about renting a car (under your US licence) and taking a weekend or a day to practice driving in the UK a bit?  Obviously you know how to drive (if you've got a US licence) but if you just want to practice a bit, it might be cheaper than the higher insurance rate.

I had five or six 2-hour lessons without practicing in between and I passed fine.  Obviously everyone is different, but I was fine with a good instructor.  Oh, and I took the bus and sat up top above the driver to practice reading signs and knowing what lane I should be in.     hehehe    Worked for me!  I passed with only two minors! 

Thank you in advance for suggestions and encouragement. 

Contact a local independent insurance broker and let him/her do the work for you.

Hi,

Keep trying all the 'direct' type insurance quotes from the big insurers, do the same from the 'comparison' websites, call insurance brokers and finally, call specialist insurance brokers/specialists. It's all more intense that it used to be but there are insurance companies out there willing to do more reasonable quotes/policies in terms of cost. For a long while, it used to be that going the 'broker' route would often mean a better insurance deal and it's exactly what I used to do, however when a renewal came up from them I was shocked at the price rise, I got a much lower quote elsewhere and my broker almost embarrassingly said to go with them as he just couldn't get anywhere near it! So, i've been with Admiral the last couple years. I'd also suggest looking at specialist insurers, and looking at things like a limited mileage policy if it suits you. I have a 2nd car and only use it here and there as it's a bit of a special one i've wanted for a long time, its on a limited miles policy and when I was quoted for the year, I literally fell off my chair at just how comparatively cheap it was!

Also, on this forum and similar posts before, I've mentioned there's multitudes of other criteria the insurance companies use to come to a quotation amount. The biggest one you have control over is the actual car you are considering insuring. In a nutshell, the smaller engine it is, the easier it is to get repaired from the insurance company perspective, the cheaper the insurance will be. The other big aspect with regards to this forum is getting a UK license will instantly lower your insurance premium as well, but I understand to help get that license you need to practice more and with your own car your chances would be increased, but insurance is just so expensive - catch 22 there. I'd also agree with perhaps hiring a car for perhaps 2-3 weeks and REALLY getting in as much practice as you can in conjunction with taking lessons. Perhaps look to those 'intense' drivers license courses?

The company which gave me the quote that made me fall off my chair was called 'Classicline' insurance - http://www.classiclineinsurance.co.uk/ - although they do specialize in more bespoke insurance requirements, they can and will do more mainstream policies, however they might not be as competitive as some of the more mainstream well known insurers.

Please do look at magazines/websites like WhatCar etc, which give excellent reviews on cars and advice for cars which are 'cheap(er) to run overall including general insurance costs etc.

In general though, motor insurance costs industry wise have reduced by quite a lot in recent times. The very latest data shows the UK has the safest roads in Europe in terms of the number of accidents/fatalities & serious injury incidents over 2012.

Good luck and keep searching!

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Nikki, I'm so glad you're happy with Stuart! He'll soon have an American expat following

Sorry that Geico didn't work out. Before I got with them, the best quote I had was from Aviva - but don't use their online facility, call them. They were willing to recognize my Swiss no claims, and I think they'd recognize an American one (fingers crossed).

For what it's worth, I contacted Geico last Tuesday and was emailed a form to fill out. I returned it half an hour later and was told it could take up to 36 hours to get a response.

On Sunday I emailed to ask about the status, and got an email on Monday saying I wasn't eligible as I am not working, so it would have to go under my husband's name, but since he is a UK citizen he isn't eligible either.

Fair enough, but I'm surprised at the slow response, as I had Geico insurance in the US at one point and they were always responsive.