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Car Insurance to cover vehicle in Spain & UK

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:01pm
24 replies471 views8 members subscribed
colin4457

Posts: 62

17 helpful points

Location: Pedreguer

Joined: 3 Jun 2018

My wife and I are in the process of obtaining residencia so we can retain as many of our pre-Brexit EU rights & privileges as possible. Although we have owned a property near Denia for 5 years, we have, to date, spent most of our time in the UK. However, this is likely to swing more and more in favour of Spain.

When we travel, we generally use my UK registered and insured car as we have a dog. I have been advised by my current insurer that they will only insure UK residents. My son works for a specialist insurance company and believes there is little chance of a UK company insuring my car when it spends equal amounts of time in the UK & Spain and I will be a Spanish resident!

His company's recommendation is to get it insured in Spain as they are likely to be more accommodating.

Has anyone had a similar issue and, if so, how have you dealt with it?

Thanks in advance!

Colin

dinnerout

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:59am

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2180

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:59am

Hi Colin, when  I moved to Spain permanently in 2016 I drove down in my UK car. I insured it with IBEX before coming down. However 9 months later a Madrid driver cut me up and although it wasnt my fault IBEX did everything they could to avoid paying out, they were shocking to deal with. 

Just before my renewal was up I had put the car onto Spanish plates and was able to take out my second year with Liberty Seguros which was done through a broker called Jennifer Cunningham in Javea.

http://www.jennifercunningham.net/contact-us/

It might be worth giving them a call to discuss your insurance. I've found them very helpful. You'll have to transfer your car registration in any case if you intend to become resident in Spain. There's a UK company down towards Elche that does this and has been used by many on the Forum - a guy called Graham - but I used a local Gestor up here and it was very easy.

Kind regards, Steve

colin4457

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:58am

colin4457

Original Poster

Posts: 62

17 helpful points

Location: Pedreguer

Joined: 3 Jun 2018

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:58am

dinnerout wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:59am:

Hi Colin, when  I moved to Spain permanently in 2016 I drove down in my UK car. I insured it with IBEX before coming down. However 9 months later a Madrid driver cut me up and although it wasnt my fault IBEX did everything they could to avoid paying out, they were shocking to deal with. 

Just before my renewal was up I had put the car onto Spanish plates and was able to take out my second year with Liberty Seguros which was done through a broker called Jennifer Cunningham in Javea....

...

http://www.jennifercunningham.net/contact-us/

It might be worth giving them a call to discuss your insurance. I've found them very helpful. You'll have to transfer your car registration in any case if you intend to become resident in Spain. There's a UK company down towards Elche that does this and has been used by many on the Forum - a guy called Graham - but I used a local Gestor up here and it was very easy.

Kind regards, Steve

Many thanks Steve, very helpful! I will get in touch with Jennifer Cunningham as you suggest.

My main concern is spending roughly equal amounts of time in both countries when residency in either seems to exclude either insurance or registration! Thank you Brexit!!!

Best regards,

Colin

GCfromVC

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:34am

GCfromVC

Very helpful member

Posts: 798

520 helpful points

Location: La Marina

Joined: 18 Jan 2018

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:34am

dinnerout wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:59am:

Hi Colin, when  I moved to Spain permanently in 2016 I drove down in my UK car. I insured it with IBEX before coming down. However 9 months later a Madrid driver cut me up and although it wasnt my fault IBEX did everything they could to avoid paying out, they were shocking to deal with. 

Just before my renewal was up I had put the car onto Spanish plates and was able to take out my second year with Liberty Seguros which was done through a broker called Jennifer Cunningham in Javea....

...

http://www.jennifercunningham.net/contact-us/

It might be worth giving them a call to discuss your insurance. I've found them very helpful. You'll have to transfer your car registration in any case if you intend to become resident in Spain. There's a UK company down towards Elche that does this and has been used by many on the Forum - a guy called Graham - but I used a local Gestor up here and it was very easy.

Kind regards, Steve

I concur with this post.

I have been using Jennifer Cunningham with Liberty Seguros for about 8 years and always found them to be helpful and always on the ball.

My branch is in La Marina.

colin4457

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:02pm

colin4457

Original Poster

Posts: 62

17 helpful points

Location: Pedreguer

Joined: 3 Jun 2018

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:02pm

GCfromVC wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:34am:

I concur with this post.

I have been using Jennifer Cunningham with Liberty Seguros for about 8 years and always found them to be helpful and always on the ball.

My branch is in La Marina.

Many thanks for your coroboration!

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Kelvin1960

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:55pm

Kelvin1960

Super helpful member

Posts: 1488

1767 helpful points

Joined: 5 Mar 2017

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:55pm

Liberty Seguros will insure a UK-registered car.

The bigger issue ... after you get Spanish Residency, you must switch to a Spanish driving licence.

Once you have a Spanish licence, you are allowed to drive your UK-plated car in the UK, but you CANNOT drive your UK-plated car in Spain.

So this means that you need to re-register your UK car in Spain, or sell it and buy a Spanish-plated car.

And .... if you leave a UK-plated car in the UK (to drive while you are there), some UK insurers will not cover you if you have Spanish Residency/a Spanish licence. We are Spanish-resident with Spanish licences, and we brought cars from the UK. We insured them with Liberty Seguros while they were still on UK-plates. We also left a car in the UK. We have retained a UK address. The UK car was insured with Admiral before we obtained Spanish Residency and licences. We explained our situation to them, and they continue to insure the UK car, but they issued a change notification, recognising the change of licences.   

colin4457

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:29pm

colin4457

Original Poster

Posts: 62

17 helpful points

Location: Pedreguer

Joined: 3 Jun 2018

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:29pm

Kelvin1960 wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:55pm:

Liberty Seguros will insure a UK-registered car.

The bigger issue ... after you get Spanish Residency, you must switch to a Spanish driving licence.

Once you have a Spanish licence, you are allowed to drive your UK-plated car in the UK, but you CANNOT drive your UK-plated car in Spain.

So this means that you need to re-register your UK car in Spain, or sell it and buy a Spanish-plated car.

And .... if you leave a UK-plated car in the UK (to drive while you are there), some UK insurers will not cover you if you have Spanish Residency/a Spanish licence. We are Spanish-resident with Spanish licences, and we brought cars from the UK. We insured them with Liberty Seguros while they were still on UK-plates. We also left a car in the UK. We have retained a UK address. The UK car was insured with Admiral before we obtained Spanish Residency and licences. We explained our situation to them, and they continue to insure the UK car, but they issued a change notification, recognising the change of licences.   

Many thanks for the additional information!

I have just spoken to Maria Cairns who is representing Liberty Seguros and she has assured me that they can cover our UK registered car in Spain and for unlimited use in the UK. She also confirmed that they don't mind if we have a UK or a Spanish licence. However, we are in the process of exchanging our UK licences for Spanish licences to coincide with obtaining residencia.

Thanks for the heads-up about re-registering our car in Spain - something else to investigate (and be thankful to Brexit for!!). We travel backwards & forwards with our car so it needs to be legal in both countries.

dinnerout

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:53pm

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2180

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:53pm

colin4457 wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:29pm:

Many thanks for the additional information!

I have just spoken to Maria Cairns who is representing Liberty Seguros and she has assured me that they can cover our UK registered car in Spain and for unlimited use in the UK. She also confirmed that they don't mind if we have a UK or a Spanish licence. However, we are in the process of exchang...

...ing our UK licences for Spanish licences to coincide with obtaining residencia.

Thanks for the heads-up about re-registering our car in Spain - something else to investigate (and be thankful to Brexit for!!). We travel backwards & forwards with our car so it needs to be legal in both countries.

Brexit is to blame for a lot of things but not this. It's always been the case that you have to register a vehicle off UK plates and onto Spanish ones after 6 months residency. There are countless Brits who have not bothered to do so despite occasional reports of owners being caught out by the police. It will be interesting to see if the overall position remains the same after we exit the Transition Period.

Ditto, the number of Brits who will overstay the 90 day rule for Residency applications.

Kind regards, Steve

colin4457

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:48pm

colin4457

Original Poster

Posts: 62

17 helpful points

Location: Pedreguer

Joined: 3 Jun 2018

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:48pm

dinnerout wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:53pm:

Brexit is to blame for a lot of things but not this. It's always been the case that you have to register a vehicle off UK plates and onto Spanish ones after 6 months residency. There are countless Brits who have not bothered to do so despite occasional reports of owners being caught out by the po...

...lice. It will be interesting to see if the overall position remains the same after we exit the Transition Period.

Ditto, the number of Brits who will overstay the 90 day rule for Residency applications.

Kind regards, Steve

I take your point Steve, thanks. However, we wouldn't be doing this now if it weren't for Brexit. Having bought our house near Pedreguer in 2015, it was always our plan to move permanently once parental caring is no longer required. The key issue is that we want to spend roughly equal amounts of time in both countries which we could do easily when the UK was part of the EU. Very sadly, this is no longer a simple fact of life!

Cheers, Colin

Kelvin1960

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:00pm

Kelvin1960

Super helpful member

Posts: 1488

1767 helpful points

Joined: 5 Mar 2017

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:00pm

colin4457 wrote on Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:48pm:

I take your point Steve, thanks. However, we wouldn't be doing this now if it weren't for Brexit. Having bought our house near Pedreguer in 2015, it was always our plan to move permanently once parental caring is no longer required. The key issue is that we want to spend roughly equal amounts of ...

...time in both countries which we could do easily when the UK was part of the EU. Very sadly, this is no longer a simple fact of life!

Cheers, Colin

You are not alone in this.

The end of Transition is pushing people to go for Residency earlier than they would otherwise have done.

Similarly, some folks are packing up and returning to the UK. 

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