Spanish insurers (1 Viewer)

[Nigel Crompton]

We're emigrating to Spain and will be taking our Hymer with us and Spanish plating it. Not the original plan but hey-ho ....
From a few minutes web-browsing I haven't found a website (with an English language option, ie ex-pat friendly) that mentions motorroams et al.

Wondering if anyone on here has any experience of insuring a m\h in Spain before I start firing off lots of e-mails

Cheers 'n' Beers

 

[9526]

Think gus-lopez might be able to give advice, assuming you are left hand drive (don’t think they will register RHD)

That’s the limit of my knowledge (Gus & RHD)

 

[Nigel Crompton]

As long as all the lights point the right way I think the steering wheel could be in the back ...

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[gus-lopez]

From a few minutes web-browsing I haven't found a website (with an English language option, ie ex-pat friendly) that mentions motorroams et al.

I doubt if you will.I've never seen one.

before I start firing off lots of e-mails

& you'll be lucky to get replies.

As long as all the lights point the right way I think the steering wheel could be in the back ...

Unfortunately not.Many regions panel van derived motorhomes that are RHD can't be re-registered. It used to be the case here yet go to Alicante & you'll find rhd spanish plated campervans? all usually done at Redovan ITV station. Normal A orC class vans I have never seen a problem with regarding re-registration.
For questions on importation bobandjanie might well help regards the replating & also what insurance companies to access.
Failing that jumar or jumartoo who have an mh also. there are quite a few others whose names escape me at the moment.

With my last MH a coach built I struggled for insurance even with specialist mH insurers as they will not offer full comp once it is over a certain age. 10 years seems to ring a bell. But the loophole there is that once it is re-registered on spanish plates it now becomes 'new' ?? Don't ask me what that is all about ?

You need to put in "seguros para autocaravanas" in google. like this;
Broken Link Removed

Another thing to bear in mind is you must do the re-registration within 30 days of becoming a resident, or even just registering on the 'padron' ( electoral roll), as that way the vehicle can be classed as part of your "good & chattels" under the current legislation & therefore there is no import tax to pay.

Re-registration import tax is based on the vehicle value according to the government declared yearly values. & yes they issue a complete list of all & every type of vehicle with it's value. & they will be far higher than UK values normally.
There is a corresponding table showing the % of tax figure for each year older up to 10 when it becomes fixed at 10% usually. I've never seen the one for motorhomes only for cars, boats, sail& powered, but it must exist somewhere.

 

[Falcon 269]

Try e-mailing the broker I've been using for the past 6 years: https://www.broker-segur.es

Staff all speak/write good English and they were recommended to me by the dealer we bought our moho from.

Very quick to respond to e-mails. Competitive prices (@500 euros fully comp for our Adria Matrix 670) with cover by Allianz.

Mention you were referred by a fellow Brit resident. Good luck.

 

[jumartoo]

We bought our Hymer here in Spain privately some years ago, but it had been German, then UK (Scottish) registered before being brought here and put on Spanish plates. It needed new headlights again, (I suppose they were already changed when it went to the UK) and quite a lot of taxes. All paid for by the previous owner ?

We insure with Allianz who have been very good, sorting us out with problems in Spain, Scotland and Norway.

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[Nigel Crompton]

Thanks both.

Guy: The guy that will do the import for me sees no problem as long as it's got EU Type Approval, which it has. Requires LH headlights which I can supply and swapping reverse & HIBL and re-programming the mux wiring. 30 day tip is wonderful, thanks.

Falcon: As Spanish car insurance incorporates breakdown cover, is it the same for m/h ?

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Is Murcia popular with ex-pat Brit m'h'ers ? That's where we're going, 20k NW from Cartagena ...

 

[gus-lopez]

Competitive prices (@500 euros fully comp for our Adria Matrix 670) with cover by Allianz.

We insure with Allianz who have been very good,

That's good to know as this new van which isn't registered as a autocarvana con vivienda yet is insured with Allianz & the insurance cover seems quite comprehensive & I saw that the breakdown cover is at least on par with adac less the mediacl repatriation though.
**To the OP you also have to remember that most policies legally have to include breakdown cover & that this is Europe wide, inc UK at the mo, & not just the spanish peninsular.

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[jumartoo]

As Spanish car insurance incorporates breakdown cover, is it the same for m/h ?

Yes. We were taken on a transporter in Norway and Granada. All part of the insurance and includes a green card.

 

[jumartoo]

Is Murcia popular with ex-pat Brit m'h'ers ? That's where we're going, 20k NW from Cartagena ...

We're near Alhama de Murcia.
gus-lopez is near Lorca
There are other Funsters at Mazarron. So all in the Murcia region.

Where exactly 20km n/w of Cartagena? That's getting near to us.

 

[gus-lopez]

Is Murcia popular with ex-pat Brit m'h'ers ? That's where we're going, 20k NW from Cartagena ...

Sort of Fuente Alamo/Las Palas way?
Both myself & jumar/ jumartoo live in Murcia. There is also another whose name escapes me, Mickey ? something in Alhama .
There is someone else ,pickles ? in Mazarron but not sure if they live there?

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[gus-lopez]

and includes a green card.

For the whole year.

 

[jumartoo]

That's good to know as this new van which isn't registered as a autocarvana con vivienda yet is insured with Allianz & the insurance cover seems quite comprehensive & I saw that the breakdown cover is at least on par with adac less the mediacl repatriation though.
**To the OP you also have to remember that most policies legally have to include breakdown cover & that this is Europe wide, inc UK at the mo, & not just the spanish peninsular.

Forgot about the medical cover bit. We were brought back from Zaragoza on the motorhome insurance in a private ambulance with nurse. Didn't even have to prove we were away in the motorhome at the time.

They'd have brought the motorhome back as well but a friend drove it home.

 

[Burgo]

Guy: The guy that will do the import for me sees no problem as long as it's got EU Type Approval, which it has

Not true. We couldn't matriculate a mitsubushi L200 even though it was eu type approved (only 18 months old) as it was rhd.

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[Burgo]

See also https://www.citizensadvice.org.es/faq/importing-non-spanish-plated-vehicle/

 

[gus-lopez]

Not true. We couldn't matriculate a mitsubushi L200 even though it was eu type approved (only 18 months old) as it was rhd.

Yes you definitely wouldn't get anything like that re-registered as it is classed a commercial & being right jadn drive falls foul of the "limited visibility" get out.

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Errr ...

" In general if motorhomes are factory built and registered new as a camper then RHD or LHD should make no difference. Anything that was converted outside of Spain is not possible to re-matriculate"

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[bobandjanie]

Hi, we had a Rapido panel van conversion RHD, the gestor we used said no problem putting it on Spanish plates, but we decided that it was better to have LHD so went to Germany and got one, so no need to do anything to it, motorhomes in Spain are expensive, insurance is more expensive than the UK, but our road tax is cheaper, but that varied depending where you live, but then it covers the vehicle so anyone over 25, and a green card to cover all other countries. ?
It pays to get anything like that, nie residency licence done for you, if you do your residency, do the vehicle at the same time, you can then put it down as personal belongings and avoid import tax, but then your gestor should tell you all that. ? Bob.

 

[DP+JAY]

Nigel Crompton have you seen this?

Spanish Number Plates - The Spanish re-registration professionals

Spanish Number plates are the professionals in number plate re-registration for UK, Irish, American and number plates form many countries to Spanish.

www.spanish-number-plates.com

DP

 

[Burgo]

Dpjay post reminded me that our L200 was refused due to a code in the registration book. Looking at the faqs on his post link it says its n1 ( http://www.spanish-number-plates.com/index.php?pg=5) which may be an issue https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/vehicletype/definition-of-vehicle-categories.asp

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[rosalan]

One Spanish company that have offices everywhere are Mapfre, They have been rated as the best Spanish Insurers in 2020

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Thanks, folks, for all the advice...

Gus-lopez said: "To the OP you also have to remember that most policies legally have to include breakdown cover & that this is Europe wide, inc UK at the mo, & not just the spanish peninsular."

I knew this, but I wondered if the insurers took note of the size of the vehicle for recovery purposes. Heard so many tales over the years of inadequate recovery vehicles

Jumartoo: we will be between Los Puertos and Cuesta Blanca

bobandjanie: Yes, this was Plan A for us too, but we didn't get back to the UK soon enough to sell the van before lockdown. May still try, but buying in Be/Nl/D poses problems in itself - like arranging insurance for the drive back to Spain. Too much else going on to think about that now; path of least resistance

DP+JAY: Yes, that's the guy I've been dealing with.

 

[bobandjanie]

We went with the view, that a RHD is devalued here, and although I have been driving here for years it's not as safe when your on your own, so taking it back it made good money, and buying in Germany was a lot cheaper than buying here, and of course when we sell it probably get a better price and a large market to achieve it. ?

Insurance the policy is for Spain, but there is no charge for green cards, and there is only one or maybe two countries it doesn't cover, our car is 2002 so never bothered with a green card, but it would be free if we so wished. ?

We have changed all our insurance to Liberty Seguros , one reason is we are on our 3rd broker, this one we like and they get us the best quotes, because in Spain if you want to cancel insurance you have to give one months notice, and things cannot be not insured.
Our health insurance has stayed with the same company we have used the whole time, again like the deal we got and like the girl we deal with, we get good advice and great service. ? Bob.

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[Nigel Crompton]

Thanks Bob ... How difficult was it, as a Spanish resident, to insure a German registered vehicle for the drive home ?

 

[gus-lopez]

Thanks Bob ... How difficult was it, as a Spanish resident, to insure a German registered vehicle for the drive home ?

In Germany the number plates are assigned to the person.So when you buy the vehicle it has no number. You have to apply for 'export' plates which requires insurance. most dealers will assist you with that & it allows the vehicle to be driven back to wherever.
Liberty seguros would usually insure on foreign plates. they use to have an affilaite company for UK vehicles.

 

[jumartoo]

Thanks, folks, for all the advice...

Gus-lopez said: "To the OP you also have to remember that most policies legally have to include breakdown cover & that this is Europe wide, inc UK at the mo, & not just the spanish peninsular."

I knew this, but I wondered if the insurers took note of the size of the vehicle for recovery purposes. Heard so many tales over the years of inadequate recovery vehicles

Jumartoo: we will be between Los Puertos and Cuesta Blanca

bobandjanie: Yes, this was Plan A for us too, but we didn't get back to the UK soon enough to sell the van before lockdown. May still try, but buying in Be/Nl/D poses problems in itself - like arranging insurance for the drive back to Spain. Too much else going on to think about that now; path of least resistance

DP+JAY: Yes, that's the guy I've been dealing with.

Not too far from us then. We've been meeting friends at Los Olivos Camperstop and exploring the area. I can ride there in less than two hours.

Might meet you sometime ??

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[Nigel Crompton]

..... Los Olivos Camperstop and exploring the area.......
Might meet you sometime ??

We're next door, how we found the place !
Pop in for a fig/grape/olive/orange according to season ..

 

[bobandjanie]

Yes as Richard said, you get export plates that includes basic insurance, I have read you can get fully comp, once home we met our gestor at the itv station she sorted all paperwork, we emailed all information before leaving Germany making sure all our paperwork was correct and it has to have your name on it as the owner because that could cost about €800 more in tax, the down side is not owning it for 6 months we couldn't bring it in as personal belongings, and if you buy secondhand it must be over 6 months old and more than 6000km on the clock, but it goes straight through the test without having to do anything, can't think what it all cost, but still less than we would have paid here if we could have found what we wanted, we started looking at buying new but they would not sell us the Van's they showed us, that was the demonstrator ? if we sell you that we can't sell anymore, ? order one in any colour be ready in 6 months time, ? so the one we got was 11 months old so a large saving on what we would have spent. ? Bob.

 

[Nigel Crompton]

I've spent the last 18months, when we've been at home, modifying* it, and as I had the cam-belt done at Xmas thats another reason not to change ..
* 2 new leisure batteries, Blutooth Victron MPPT controller & battery monitor, B2B to top up the starter, thermostatic fan in battery/Truma compartments, 2.4a usb sockets on dash, double DIN Pioneer, twin lens rear camera, inverter, TV cabinet converted to dedicated laptop/phone/ipad/kindle charging station, custom build bike rack in garage .... it just needs another solar panel some LEDs in cupboards and it's finished !!

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