UK driving law for Americans on a visitors visa

Hi all, I'm a Brit but joined to ask a question on the uk driving laws concerning Americans visiting here, pretty much as the tittle says.

please could someone clarify for me if an American can legally buy, own and insure a car in the UK without leave to reside? if not why not and what needs to happen first?

many thanks, Phil.

You can buy and own, but insuring might be a big problem. Some US insurers will cover you for a vehicle driven in the UK, Geico is one insurer that offers this: https://www.geico.com/information/aboutinsurance/overseas/ but you would have to check if this works for a visit rather than a relocation.

Can I ask why someone who doesn't live here would want to own a car here?

You can buy and own, but insuring might be a big problem. Some US insurers will cover you for a vehicle driven in the UK, Geico is one insurer that offers this: https://www.geico.com/information/aboutinsurance/overseas/ [nofollow] but you would have to check if this works for a visit rather than a relocation.

Can I ask why someone who doesn't live here would want to own a car here?

Thank you for the replies guys tbh it's a long and complex situation, and maybe not so easy to understand, but I'll do my best to explain where I am with it all...

A couple of years back I got involved with a lovely American girl, or so I thought at the time, I'm a single Dad with residence of my disabled daughter, and enjoy 50/50 shared care with my Son, I had known the woman for about 4 years online playing the same fb game, I dont flurt with girls online, it's simply not British lol, but could not believe my luck when she approached and hit on me, she came over and we got on great, the children got on with her so it seemed like it could be a great family unit, the first few visits she used hire cars, now I need to explain that her family by marriage is deffo in the USA's top wealthy 1%, so money was really no object here, in the first summer she bought a used Ford Focus, perfect family car with two kids and two dogs to take out for walks, her sticking point was not being able to insure it, I was sat not four feet away as she was turned down by UK insurance companies time and time again, they would either turn her down flat or refuse to take her American credit cards, I could not help her as I had a cash card account not a visa, in the end she got a girlfriend of hers in London to pay the insurance, all seemed good, I had no real reason to doubt her, I mean rich folks simply dont need to break rules right?

Anyway, there was a problem with the second year with the Ford, she passed it off to me that "it would not pass an MOT"....however although I'm a cnc machinist by trade I had done my 'City and Guild Motor Vehicle Engine and Chassis' when I first left school, the only obvious things wrong were a defective reversing light, wiper blade and the front plate had slightly delaminated...she did not take it for an MOT, just seemed to drop the car like a hot cake.

She then went into the local Fiat dealer and placed a deposit on a factory order Fiat 500, seemed a bit odd to me, we could no longer take the dogs out in a brand new small car, one of the dogs was hers, a huge long hair colly, all this time she was popping backward and forward across the pond on visitors visas.

The Fiat was paid for by bank transfer, with a years insurance paid outright at the point of purchase, however the relationship was becoming strained, she was putting pressure on me to upgrade my card cash account so that she could transfer money directly, in Oct last year she asked me to open her mail looking for an insurance letter, I did so and there was a bill for the Ford, the insurance was cancelled and the account had been sent to collections, now this is a very wealthy Lady, yet the debt collection company refused point blank to take her card, the letters got worse (we broke up end of Oct) with LBA's threatening County Court action, when I asked her she brushed it off as "just a bill" I did not see it that way, it was deffo court action in her name at my address (were she 'visits' not 'resides' ), by this point I was clear in my head something fishy was going on, I mean a debt collecting company refusing to take payment (or her type of CC payment) just is not right!!! I had been into Barclays and upgraded to a current account (yes screaming and kicking into the 21st century  ) but I then refused to use my account to pay the bill as I had read that that could involve me 'if' there was insurance fraud going on...and with hindsight I must say I'm bloody glad I did.

it was around the fourth LBA that I rang the company myself, I explained the situation, and told them there was no way they were going to take her to court listing my address...and things got looked into more closely, about two weeks later I received a letter, but this time nothing to do with the Ford, it was from the MIB (motor insurance bureau) cancelling the fully paid up insurance on the Fiat with 6 months still to run on it!!!!

One week later the DVLA hit the situation with the standard "Failure to Insure" letter, a week after that (last week) the Secretary of State for Transport wrote with a failure to SORN letter and the £100 on the spot fine.

And thats around about where I am with it all, I should mention the insurance agreement is here with me, and I can clearly see where she has lied many times to get through the UK system.

I dont believe that you can legally buy and own a car in the UK on a USA visitors visa, Craig the salesman at Fiat told me himself he did not think the sale lawful, there are many ways to get around the system, all it does is stop NPR cams pinging, but have a crash and they check into you...well you will be up the creek without a paddle.

I am not angry or cross about the break up, tbh it was the making of me, I am cross that it looks like my children were in a car the MIB thinks has no right on the road.

what do you guys think? insurance scam or on the level?

All the Best, Phil. 

It's not an insurance scam.  Just someone who doesn't understand a foreign system or care if they follow the rules.

Is your name listed on the vehicles or were you an authorised driver?

I know of someone who comes over here every few years, buys a cheap-o wee runabout car for a few hundred quid, uses it for a few weeks (cheaper than a hire car) and then donates the car to a charity when they leave again.

Doesn't seem there is any issue with buying and owning a car as a visitor... no idea what they do about insurance while they are here, though. 

I know of someone who comes over here every few years, buys a cheap-o wee runabout car for a few hundred quid, uses it for a few weeks (cheaper than a hire car) and then donates the car to a charity when they leave again.

Doesn't seem there is any issue with buying and owning a car as a visitor... no idea what they do about insurance while they are here, though. 

If it's just for a few weeks, then they're probably either (think they're) covered under their own US car insurance (just as they might be if they'd hired a car instead), or they might get a short-term policy, which again, are roughly the same kind of policy you'd get on a hire car.

It's not an insurance scam.  Just someone who doesn't understand a foreign system or care if they follow the rules.

Is your name listed on the vehicles or were you an authorised driver?

Sorry for delay in answer, so I'll deal with them one at a time

No, I'm not a named driver, I don't have a UK car licence, just full motor bike licence....and yes there is deffo a scam

I know of someone who comes over here every few years, buys a cheap-o wee runabout car for a few hundred quid, uses it for a few weeks (cheaper than a hire car) and then donates the car to a charity when they leave again.

Doesn't seem there is any issue with buying and owning a car as a visitor... no idea what they do about insurance while they are here, though. 

I know a Scott, whom is also my life long best friend of twenty years, 15 years ago he went through a break up and did a few months of drink driving, clearly messed up, his mother, mothers children, and I were on his case about it, though he never did get caught.....does that make it legal in your book? I would be very interested to hear from Americans on a visistors visa that had had a crash and the insurance company paid out...rather than those that fall through the net! if you know what I mean

If it's just for a few weeks, then they're probably either (think they're) covered under their own US car insurance (just as they might be if they'd hired a car instead), or they might get a short-term policy, which again, are roughly the same kind of policy you'd get on a hire car.

If it's just for a few weeks, then they're probably either (think they're) covered under their own US car insurance (just as they might be if they'd hired a car instead), or they might get a short-term policy, which again, are roughly the same kind of policy you'd get on a hire car.

Thank you for using the think....this thread is about the LAW....not what Americans on a visit visa think how the UK/British Law should apply to them....ie the REAL Law with all forum bs swept aside and to worn them about the Law, for the best advice so I'll take it back to basics with my next post, ie place the Americans aside and say what the Law is

I have read many scams and things about Americans driving in the UK, how's best to get around the Law on the internet, so lets just defog the law so you guys get a better understanding of the UK Law, then it is yours you abide by legally or stupidly risk and break....

I'm a Brit, born and bread, Anglo Saxon from the Shire's, so I dont need to scam the Law, so lets look at what I need, and take that back to basics one line of the law to simplify for you......

Now buying some banger of a death trap off Joe Bloggs out of the Auto Trader is not an example of the Law, so please dont quote so hereafter...Joe Bloggs is NOT held to account by the UK Gov...he's an idiot in the street.....so lets go back to first Registration between the importer and the Government, and the Law...(as set down by King John in 1215 )

What Evidence must I give to a vehicle dealer as a born a bread citizen??? well apart from proof of ID....ie pass port to prove who I am, I must also give PROOF of address....ie (as advised by DVLA) bank statement (American visitors cant open a UK bank account so cant do that)...or Utility bill in your name!!!! this is what is required by law....

Now I can fully see many rubbing their hands trying to get their hands on proof of address, BUT....I simple scammed letter, or using a mates address is not the same thing by a clear Shire Country Mile....the reason proof is asked for is that that's what is required, so if you dont really live there....well you're not really insured, and they wont pay out when you crash or kill someone...the onus is on you to be honest from the outset.

uninsured drivers put £50 on every one of this forums UK members policies per year.

I still say an American on a visitors visa can not legally buy/own/insure (and crash above board) in the UK, from what I can read of UK Law.

So Phil... if you have all this knowledge about the law, etc, why have you asked the question?

I'm a Brit, born and bread, Anglo Saxon from the Shire's, so I dont need to scam the Law, so lets look at what I need, and take that back to basics one line of the law to simplify for you......

You came onto a forum pretending not to know about a subject so you could later pontificate about that same subject?

You've got too much free time, Phil.

I know a Scott, whom is also my life long best friend of twenty years, 15 years ago he went through a break up and did a few months of drink driving

Why mention he was a Scott?

"I knew a Welshman once, would steal the fillings out of yer teeth, got bunged with a load of copper wire...."