Buying, registering, insuring motorhome in Germany (1 Viewer)

[Fulltiming Felines]

UK insurance is turning into an obstacle for my girlfriend and me. We want to full-time in it, and very few UK insurers will do this, or it's double or triple the cost of a standard policy. I only have a USA license, so then I have to take the UK driving exam, and will have zero driving history, which insurers also don't like.

Germany is looking more promising. I can exchange my USA (Texas) license for a German one, so no need to take a driving exam. Insurers seem to be fine with full-timing (still need a German address, which we do have). I'm looking on mobile.de, and once I line up a few viewings, will be flying out to Germany.

The plan is to buy in Germany, keep it registered in Germany, insure from German company, then drive it back to the UK, stay for a few months to wrap up some business, then tour around the continent next year.

Any tips for this process, especially the bureaucratic bits of registering and insurance?

Which insurer to use? I contacted an Allianz agent, and they said they can offer liability insurance for any vehicle, but comprehensive insurance only for around 10 years or younger (he wasn't sure exactly about the age limit). I'm looking at 20-30 year old Hymers and would prefer to have comprehensive insurance.

Resources I've found so far: Has anyone purchased a motorhome privately in Germany?

Any good inspection companies that can inspect both the automotive bits and the motorhome bits? Someone mentioned DEKRA.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

This thread about ADAC seems to highly in praise of it for breakdown coverage. Perhaps we could get that and whatever insurance we end up with.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Just bought a 1991 Hymer 534 for €5500.

Registration
In order to get insurance from a German insurer, the vehicle probably needs to be registered in Germany. Maybe there's an insurer that doesn't require it, but I haven't found one.

Vehicle registration in Germany is a somewhat complicated process. First you need a residence registration (Anmeldung aka Meldebescheinigung). This guide explains how it works. The most difficult aspects are getting a rental contract, and going in person to the office. Though you can also send a representative to go for you with your original passport. Perhaps you could rent a cheap shed for a month, or get a friend to write a sublet contract for you. We fortunately have a house in Germany.

Then you'll have to do the vehicle registration.

Insurance
I got a great rate from a German insurer, HUK24. If you use that link (or my code e7cj5a), I get a referral bonus.

Motor vehicle liability with € 100 million insured amount without protection letter. 384.48 €
Fully comprehensive 150€/0€ deductible 432,21 €
Driver protection - important if the driver is injured 20,00 €
Foreign claims insurance - assistance with international accidents 12,00 €
Total 848.69 €/year

I chose all the most expensive options available for the insurance, including reducing the comprehensive coverage deductible to as low as possible. The insurers base their rates on the average person that use their motorhome a few weeks a year. Since we're full-timing in it, we'd be using it far more than the average, so we'd be getting a lot more value of that insurance.

If you just want liability insurance, it would be 384.48 €, but I've gotten quotes as low as €150 from other insurers.

HUK is online only, with no phone customer support number, but I was able to email them and get replies in under 30 minutes. This is ideal as you can just copy paste your queries through Google Translate.

I asked them the following questions, which also seem to be true for other German insurers.

Are there limits to how long I can go on trips? Can I drive it around Europe for an entire year?

No limits. Every single insurer I spoke to said there were no limits, though one said you could only be in Morocco for one month. You do need a German address so they can contact you. Several UK insurers have limits of 60 day trips.

We bought the vehicle for €5,500 but will add €3,000 in upgrades. Can we get comprehensive for total value of €8,500?

HUK wrote (Google Translate): Please first enter the 5.500 € as the vehicle value. Please inform us about the new vehicle value after the reconstruction and send us a copy of the invoices.

Additional drivers

HUK asks if you'll have any additional drivers: spouse, common living partner, children, other people. The price didn't increase with additional drivers.

Is USA/Texas driving licence ok?

Every German insurer I spoke to said they don't care about this, as long as it's legal. So if you have an EU licence, it's definitely legal. If you have a non-EU one, German law says that if you're resident for more than 6 months in Germany, it becomes invalid, at which point you must get a German licence. I plan to exchange my licence for a German one (Texas has full reciprocity with Germany).

If you're unable to exchange your licence and you don't want to do a German driving exam, you could possibly drive your motorhome outside of Germany once you reach 6 months, that becomes your new residence, and then drive back into Germany. I'm not sure of the legalities of that; this is just an idea.

Older vehicles

Most German insurers will not offer comprehensive coverage to older vehicles. Barmenia only covers 20 years, Accura 20 years, RMV 25 years.

Other insurers want the new price and will base the comprehensive rate on that. A new 2018 Hymer 534 is 85.990,- € so ESV Schwenger wanted to charge 1,084.37 € for the comprehensive coverage plus liability for 421,20 €.

See German language Broken Link Removed (use Chrome auto translate). HUK24 seems to be the most popular option there.

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[scotjimland]

Are there limits to how long I can go on trips? Can I drive it around Europe for an entire year?

No limits. Every single insurer I spoke to said there were no limits, though one said you could only be in Morocco for one month. You do need a German address so they can contact you. Several UK insurers have limits of 60 day trips.

"No limits" or 365 day cover is not the same as "full timing".. several motorhome insurers offer 365 days coverage..

I use Comfort, 365 days abroad .. but that does not cover living in it full-time.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Yes, that's true. Comfort's wording:

Long Term Touring & Full Timing
14. This policy is subject to the following conditions:
Policyholders must maintain a full UK residence, either through ownership or long term rental
agreement (of at least 9 months) unless a full-timing rate has been agreed and paid.
The address shown on the policy schedule must be the one at which the policyholder is on the electoral
roll, (unless a full-timing rate has been agreed and paid) and also the one that appears on the driving
licence and vehicle documentation.
Your motor caravan must at all times have a valid MOT certificate (unless not required due to age of
the vehicle) and current UK Road Fund Licence.
Should a copy of a utility bill (as evidence of residence at the address) be requested at any time
(inception, mid-term, renewal, in the event of a claim) then one must be provided.

Fortunately HUK24 doesn't have such a clause. I haven't scrutinized the terms & conditions of the other German insurers.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

TÜV/AU/HU—German equivalent of MOT
You will need to have a not-expired TÜV certificate before you can register your vehicle.

One advantage is that it only needs to be done every 2 years, instead of every year like the MOT. It can only be done in Germany (just like MOT can only be done in UK), which I find to be a little more convenient as Germany is centrally located in Europe and you don't have to take a ferry or tunnel to get there.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to check TÜV history online like you can with the MOT, which is very useful to determine how well kept the vehicle has been. Most sellers only keep the most recent TÜV report. TÜV does show advisories like MOT, but I'm not sure if it is as specific as MOT.

More explanation of TÜV in this Settle in Berlin article.

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[Fulltiming Felines]

Inspection before purchase

According to one person on Broken Link Removed:

DEKRA inspects motorhomes, but not at every location. Where exactly can find out on their homepage or with a call to the service.
I had mine tested this way, even though it had been inspected, TÜV, gas six months ago.
It took almost 3 hours and cost € 400.-.

It may be worthwhile to pay DEKRA €400 to inspect the vehicle before you fly out to Germany to visit it. It's pretty expensive so I didn't do it and flew out there myself and brought my damp meter.

Breakdown assistance

There is a strong consensus that the ADAC breakdown assistance is the best. Insurance companies also often include breakdown assistance but most people on Broken Link Removed say that it's not as good as ADAC.

You will need a German address since they recently stopped accepting customers from outside Germany.

You'll want the ADAC Plus membership as the basic membership only covers you in Germany, while Plus extends it to Europe wide. €84/year plus €25 for a partner. Coverage is based on the person, not the vehicle, so you can use it in rental cars and other people's cars.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Vehicle tax

The Finance Ministry has a simple calculator. For my 1991 Hymer it's €460 per year. Vehicles with better emissions would pay less.

Once it reaches 30 years old, it becomes an 'oldtimer' and the tax drops to €191. Oldtimers are also free to drive through German LEZs, though the LEZs are fairly small in each city so they're not much of an obstacle anyway.

When registering your vehicle, you have to give them your bank account details and they debit it automatically every year. They debited me about six weeks after I registered it, so make sure you have enough money in your account.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Gasprüfung gas test

Camper Style (German website) says:

The gas test is a prerequisite for the main inspection (HU), often called "TÜV". Without passed gas test, there is no MOT on the motorhome. Many camping sites or pitches require a valid gas test in their conditions.

For your own safety and that of your family, you should regularly have the gas test repeated. Thus, you can be sure that your gas system is in good condition. Because escaping gas can cause suffocation or explosions.

If there is a fire caused by a gas appliance in your motorhome and the fire spreads to other vehicles or buildings, insurance may fail to pay if the gas test is not available.

If you want to have your gas system tested, you can drive to Germany and easily find a workshop to do it, even if your vehicle is not registered in Germany. I paid €28 for the gas test, and another €109.90 for HU and AU, which together are all the tests you need for the German equivalent of the MOT.

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[Rugeley Tim]

If you bring a vehicle over 3500kg outside of Germany and need to Register it you will need a Certificate of Conformity, went through this 'pain' when we were posted there and brought our MH from UK. If you don't have one you can ask the manufactures or get one from a registered German garage although it can cost anything from 750 - 1000 Euros. You will need this to Register and subsequently for insurance.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Refillable LPG

If you have a refillable LPG system, e.g. Gaslow, GAS-IT, Alugas, many Gasprüfung inspectors will not approve it, which will then prevent you from getting your TÜV. Germany has some very strict regulations about gas systems.

We're currently researching how to do this. Lots of threads on wohnmobilforum.de

 

[Riverbankannie]

Really informative thread for anyone considering the same although not many will have your unusual circumstances of having Texas licence and a house in Germany.
Not to mention 4 cats
I hope you get your gas certificate and are soon on your travels and I look forward to reading about them.

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[jollyrodger]

Much easier coming from the other direction Germany-UK over 10yrs old.
Personally bought and imported a few over the years ,but having a Full UK driving licence and address helps.
Always asked re service history some have some not a lot.
Temp export plate and insurance £100 approx .All done in the same building including supplying the plates.
Registered with HMRC so do an online nova form.within 14 days.
UK MOT used to be on its vin number ,but last one from France on its French plate.
Various UK insurers will give temp insurance on vin until registered then swap over onto UK reg number.
Register using form v5/55 from DVLA you can order form/pack online ,but hast to be filled out and go by snail mail also sending payment for registration and tax
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/new-registrations-fee

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-a-used-vehicle-for-the-first-time-v555
Which can be quick or take a few weeks,quickest I've had is just over a week longest near on a month. There are a few numpties working for dvlc ,much better when there were local DVLA offices.
I've been with ADAC plus for a number of years ,so until they pull the plug completely it's ongoing.
You could go for just the local gas bottle and retrofit a gasit or gaslow refillable but retain you Herman bottle for future tuv?
I went for the twin 11kg kit from Gasit under £400 fitted including fuel to pick it up.
Good luck on you travels ,you never know we could bump into each other in a field somewhere
Appologies in advance for any typos (spell chucker on this phone)
Cheers

 

[robert09]

One more for you knowledgeable people. If I import a nearly new motorhome when do the conditions of older than 6 months and more than 6000km apply. Is this:-

1) At point of purchase from the dealer
2) At point of import to the UK
3) At the time the forms are filled in to send off for re-registration

And I suppose my question is two fold. What is the legal position and what is actually provided to HMRC as proof of age and mileage?

 

[robert09]

One more for you knowledgeable people. If I import a nearly new motorhome when do the conditions of older than 6 months and more than 6000km apply. Is this:-

1) At point of purchase from the dealer
2) At point of import to the UK
3) At the time the forms are filled in to send off for re-registration

And I suppose my question is two fold. What is the legal position and what is actually provided to HMRC as proof of age and mileage?

Oops I may have posted this in the wrong thread. I was looking for advice importing from Germany to the UK

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[Fulltiming Felines]

Refillable LPG

If you have a refillable LPG system, e.g. Gaslow, GAS-IT, Alugas, many Gasprüfung inspectors will not approve it, which will then prevent you from getting your TÜV. Germany has some very strict regulations about gas systems.

We're currently researching how to do this. Lots of threads on wohnmobilforum.de

No longer a problem!

The Gasprüfung is no longer a requirement (or maybe it never was?) for the vehicle inspection (aka TÜV). I just got my inspection through DEKRA and they didn't require it.

I've read that some German campsites require a valid Gasprüfung sticker, but I hardly ever use campsites, so I haven't looked into this.

 

[Olly_Isaeva]

Hey!
And did you register your car as a campervan?

I am trying to find information about the process of changing the docs from the van to motorhome.

No longer a problem!

The Gasprüfung is no longer a requirement (or maybe it never was?) for the vehicle inspection (aka TÜV). I just got my inspection through DEKRA and they didn't require it.

I've read that some German campsites require a valid Gasprüfung sticker, but I hardly ever use campsites, so I haven't looked into this.

 

[Fulltiming Felines]

Hey!
And did you register your car as a campervan?

I am trying to find information about the process of changing the docs from the van to motorhome.

It was already registered as a motorhome. I didn't need to change it.

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