Driving a UK plated motorhome

[Rds559]

Anyone know if I can drive my sons motorhome on uk plates which is insured in Spain I have a Spanish driving license
It’s under 3500kg.

 

[David and Sally]

So long as your license and insurance are valid for you in the country you are driving in. I'd say yes.

May be different next year as IDPs may be needed.

 

[Puddleduck]

I may well be wrong but I thought a vehicle had to be insured in the county in which it is registered?

(Google search threw up this but I have no idea if it is accurate or not)

While driving your UK registered vehicle in Spain, it must be fully insured in the UK and have a valid UK MOT and road tax. This applies to any vehicle in Europe. It must be legal on the roads of the originating country regardless of it being driven in another country.


There are UK Insurance companies with branches in Spain that specialise in the ex-pat market so one can buy insurance in Spain but it is UK insurance for UK registered vehicles if that makes sense.

 

[Bolti]

In which country is the vehicle located and where do you when to drive it?
If on UK plates it must have valid MOT and tax as to whether the Spanish insurance is valid I wouldn't like to have a bump to find out.
They will sell you anything in Spain whether it's worth the paper it's written on who can tell.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Anyone know if I can drive my sons motorhome on uk plates which is insured in Spain I have a Spanish driving license
It’s under 3500kg.

Are you a Spanish or UK resident?

gus-lopez is very knowledgable on these matters ( I hope you don't mid me highlighting that Gus-Lopez).

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[frogijock]

As far as I’m aware a vehicle must be insured in country of registration, with regards to you driving vehicle, a resident of country cannot drive a vehicle not registered in said country, so I would say as you are a Spanish (holding Spanish DL) resident you therefor are not legally allowed to drive said vehicle, of course I could be entirely wrong

 

[Sundowners]

I am inclined to agree but not 100% sure!!----- best to find out before a problem arises!!

 

[The Coops]

As far as I’m aware a vehicle must be insured in country of registration, with regards to you driving vehicle, a resident of country cannot drive a vehicle not registered in said country, so I would say as you are a Spanish (holding Spanish DL) resident you therefor are not legally allowed to drive said vehicle, of course I could be entirely wrong

What about hire cars? Until we leave the EU the driving licence is okay for up to 6 months to drive in the country being visited then you must look at changing it to one from that country unless you leave the country, i,e went shopping in France and return then another six months but an IDP from Jan 2021 would be valid for the time stated on the IDP so it was three years no idea about the new ones yet

 

[Puddleduck]

In which country is the vehicle located and where do you when to drive it?
If on UK plates it must have valid MOT and tax as to whether the Spanish insurance is valid I wouldn't like to have a bump to find out.
They will sell you anything in Spain whether it's worth the paper it's written on who can tell.

A vehicle has to be legal in the country of origin so UK insurance tax and MOT (if MOT required). It is possible to buy UK insurance in Spain through agents of UK insurance companies.

Also as frogijock says a Spanish resident can not drive a vehicle in Spain that is registered in a non-Spanish country.

We had similar discussions with family members when they lived in Italy - I am assuming the rules are similar in both countries.

 

[Puddleduck]

What about hire cars? Until we leave the EU the driving licence is okay for up to 6 months to drive in the country being visited then you must look at changing it to one from that country unless you leave the country, i,e went shopping in France and return then another six months but an IDP from Jan 2021 would be valid for the time stated on the IDP so it was three years no idea about the new ones yet

A resident of one country can drive a car registered in another country but not within their country of residence. So a UK resident can hire and drive a car registered in Spain in Spain but, unless the rules for hire cars are different, could not drive the same car in the UK.

What will happen in the next few weeks regarding licences I don't know as I have no plans to go outside the UK - and I will find out if I need to.

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[spitfire]

M’y kids can drive our french registration car here in France . I can drive it in the U.K. but son can’t drive it in the U.K. . I have french licence .
Can’t say what the situation is in other countries except vehicle must be taxed and MOT and insured in country of residence .

 

[Puddleduck]

M’y kids can drive our french registration car here in France . I can drive it in the U.K. but son can’t drive it in the U.K. . I have french licence .
Can’t say what the situation is in other countries except vehicle must be taxed and MOT and insured in country of residence .

I think that is the same for most European countries - and much better said than I tried to say it!

 

[gus-lopez]

Anyone know if I can drive my sons motorhome on uk plates which is insured in Spain I have a Spanish driving license
It’s under 3500kg.

As others have said you can drive it in any country except Spain. Due to it being UK registered.

To others the vehicle is insured in the UK using a non-uk company that has affiliates in the UK .All perfectly legal & unfortunate that UK insurers refuse to do it.

 

[denisejoe]

You see plenty of British hire vans in Calais

 

[GWAYGWAY]

A car was crushed by Kent Police after the owner came back from his new home in France to collect some residue of possessions , he had got fully valid New French insurance, but it was taken as not showing on the MIB records for insured vehicles, and the policy was disregarded as not valid because his reregistration was still going through. It is illegal to drive a foreign vehicle in the UK if you are a citizen, other than a hire car from France or EU.

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[Bolti]

A car was crushed by Kent Police after the owner came back from his new home in France to collect some residue of possessions , he had got fully valid New French insurance, but it was taken as not showing on the MIB records for insured vehicles, and the policy was disregarded as not valid because his reregistration was still going through. It is illegal to drive a foreign vehicle in the UK if you are a citizen, other than a hire car from France or EU.

Yes as the vehicle had not completed registration it would still be on UK plates, so require a MOT tax and UK insurance.

 

[Lenny HB]

other than a hire car from France or EU.

Nope even applies to hire cars.
When we broke down in a car in France we had to change the hire car we were supplied with to a UK registered one at Calais otherwise we would have been driving ilegaly in the UK.

 

[Rds559]

Yes as the vehicle had not completed registration it would still be on UK plates, so require a MOT tax and UK insurance.

I know someone who leaves his motorhome in Spain it’s on UK plates taxed MOT but he as Spanish insurance he drives it with a UK license.

 

[gus-lopez]

Nope even applies to hire cars.
When we broke down in a car in France we had to change the hire car we were supplied with to a UK registered one at Calais otherwise we would have been driving ilegaly in the UK.

Didn't apply to me coming back with a French vehicle last year ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Didn't apply to me coming back with a French vehicle last year ?

If to UK you would be OK as a Spainish resident.

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[Bolti]

I know someone who leaves his motorhome in Spain it’s on UK plates taxed MOT but he as Spanish insurance he drives it with a UK license.

The Spanish brokers who insure UK plated vehicles are UK based. The insured vehicle is registered on the UK data base.

 

[Sapper520]

I know someone who leaves his motorhome in Spain it’s on UK plates taxed MOT but he as Spanish insurance he drives it with a UK license.

How does that work when he brings the vehicle back for a UK MOT?

The vehicle, if pinged by ANPR in the UK, will show no insurance. They may be UK based company, but Spanish Insurance won’t show on the UK system.

 

[gus-lopez]

If to UK you would be OK as a Spainish resident.

It was back to spain from France with me a spanish licence holder. Cross border car hire has a different set of rules for employee's that have to collect them as well. otherwise the hire companies wouldn't be able to hire them to you . I still had to pay a 450€ cross border return fee, or adac did.

I think the change they made you do was more to do with car return across the channel than anything else.

The vehicle, if pinged by ANPR in the UK, will show no insurance. They may be UK based company, but Spanish Insurance won’t show on the UK system.

usually they have a UK based affiliate company which means that the vehicle gets registered on the Motor insurers data base.
Liberty Seguros here actually advertise that any UK vehicle that they insure is notified to the MID & DVLA each Tuesday & Friday so that when you drive in the UK it is on the data base & doesn't set off the cameras

 

[Clipgate]

Interesting case vehicles having MOTs renewed in Spain not long ago. The vehicles never left Spain.
The culprits have an interesting holiday unplanned.
It was in the press so no secret.

 

[Lenny HB]

I think the change they made you do was more to do with car return across the channel than anything else.

Maybe but it would still have been illegal to for me to drive the Frence registered car in the UK as it was for you driving a French registered car in Spain.

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[Rds559]

The Spanish brokers who insure UK plated vehicles are UK based. The insured vehicle is registered on the UK data base.

Wrong they are Spanish based

 

[Rds559]

A car was crushed by Kent Police after the owner came back from his new home in France to collect some residue of possessions , he had got fully valid New French insurance, but it was taken as not showing on the MIB records for insured vehicles, and the policy was disregarded as not valid because his reregistration was still going through. It is illegal to drive a foreign vehicle in the UK if you are a citizen, other than a hire car from France or EU.

Don’t understand that if he’s tax mot and insured

 

[Nigel P]

What about hire cars? Until we leave the EU the driving licence is okay for up to 6 months to drive in the country being visited then you must look at changing it to one from that country unless you leave the country, i,e went shopping in France and return then another six months but an IDP from Jan 2021 would be valid for the time stated on the IDP so it was three years no idea about the new ones yet

There is no limit to the duration that any EU issued licence can be used in the EU, if you become resident in an EU country there is no requirement to exchange a GB licence for one issued in the new country. It only becomes an issue at renewal where DVLA will not issue to non UK residents. As for vehicle registrations, it is possible for someone from the EU to bring their vehicle here to the UK and drive it on the originating country's plates whilst resident here providing they are resident only for a defined period ( fixed work contract, student etc)

 

[Markman]

There is no limit to the duration that any EU issued licence can be used in the EU, if you become resident in an EU country there is no requirement to exchange a GB licence for one issued in the new country. It only becomes an issue at renewal where DVLA will not issue to non UK residents. As for vehicle registrations, it is possible for someone from the EU to bring their vehicle here to the UK and drive it on the originating country's plates whilst resident here providing they are resident only for a defined period ( fixed work contract, student etc)

I disagree. In late 90s I moved from The Netherlands to France. I had to exchange my Dutch drivers license to a French license (within a year I think it was).
When I moved from France to the UK I brought my LHD car with me. Got it registered in the UK (Main changes I remember doing were new headlamps and moving the rear, red fog lamp from left to right). Also exchanged my French to UK license.

 

[bobandjanie]

Wrong they are Spanish based

Unless they have a branch
in the UK.

Broken Link Removed

I know when we enquired about insurance on our UK motorhome here in Javea, we could insure it, but being non resident would only get a 90 day green card.

They will insure anything here, but they think your going to register it on Spanish plates, I think you need to give the insurance company the whole story, because it might be misleading and costs will be high when things go wrong.
Have I missed the answer of where your a resident ? Bob.

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