a year in France - with/without UK car?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Sun 18 Aug 2002 21:29
a year in France - with/without UK car? - MB
I have a problem. Planning to go and live in France for a year and wonder what to do with our car. Ideally I want to keep it for the next three years. It is a Toyota Avensis Estate R reg 80K worth £4k? and it does everything I want from a car.

Do I?
Sell it and buy a local banger and buy another when I return.

Leave it here and the above.

Go to France and register it with French plates

Go in it and keep it UK registered.

The problem with the last option is that it will incure huge insurance premiums - can you register a car European wide? I know French policies load premuims for non French registeed cars.

Does anyone out there have any experiences/advice to offer?

My preference is to go for option 3 - if I were going for longer I would just sell it - but I would take a big hit in depreciation on a car I don't need to sell.

Thanks

MB
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 19 Aug 2002 09:21
a year in France - with/without UK car? - CM
I lived in France for 2½ years and took my UK car with me. I never bothered registering it. Why do you think that it is necessary to put French plates on?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 19 Aug 2002 09:36
a year in France - with/without UK car? - MB
I understood it was very difficult to insure a UK registered car in France - how did you manage it? The other fear is that it will keep getting broken into.

MB
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 19 Aug 2002 10:40
a year in France - with/without UK car? - CM
IIRC the insurance company categorised France/me as being a high risk so up-ed the premium. I was 19 so they probably had a point but think that I was paying about £700 a year fully comp for a Volvo 340 (1.4).

As far as being broken into all I can say is that it never happened to me. I spent all my tie working in SW France which I think is probably less troublesome than other areas and also not having a flash car probably made a difference.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Aug 2002 22:33
a year in France - with/without UK car? - smokie
September's Caravan Club magazine (members only I think) has an article about someone's personal experiences with registering their car and caravan in France.

It would take me too long to retype here, or at least I'll only do it if someone really needs it.

Shout if you do.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Aug 2002 23:08
a year in France - with/without UK car? - The Watcher
You mean in France you have to register a caravan!? Who said being in the EU didn't have some good points? If that and the roads of France come to the UK as part of handing over control to Brussels, BRING IT ON!!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?