Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
Miro
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:54 pm

I never asked for insurance quotes for a Spanish licence rather than a UK one, because I got my UK one back before I needed to insure a car here. I didn't bother telling Linea Directa, with who I had my Spanish car insured, that I'd changed my licence. Don't know if I should have done, but again, I was able to sell my Spanish car & buy a British one, get it registered in my name etc. all very quickly and easily, so it really wasn't an issue.
The only problem I had, if you can call it that, with insurance was that apparently Spanish insurers can legally only give a maximum of 5 years no-claims bonus, and although I'd been with LD for over 13 years without a claim, try as I might, they refused to issue a letter stating that I had any more than 5 years claim free. Aviva was the only UK insurer I could find who would accept a Spanish NCB. If I could have proved I had 13 years claim free, my premium would have been considerably less - probably more or less the same as I was paying in Spain. I was paying around €400, now I have to stump up £700 :evil:
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

elusive
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby elusive » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:30 am

Uk insurers are the same but nine years is the max. I had great difficulty getting them to give me a letter saying i had 12 (at the time) they did in the end but their reasoning is that once you get to nine years then thats the max discount. Anything over doesnt matter as you wont get any more discount anyway. Ive kept my proof of NCD from my last uk insurer.

Miro did you try morethan for a quote as they were my last insurer and at the time said they would except spanish NCD.Wonder if they have changed their policy

markwilding
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby markwilding » Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:28 pm

I haf the same problem when I came over first. Linea Directa was the only one who would recognise my no claims. A long time ago now but it made quite a difference. I think I paid under 500 fully comp whereas I was being quoted by others in the region of 1,200
Car insurance is something else which is cheaper in Spain compared to the UK especially for young drivers. Not first hand experience but I've read in the papers that young people have to pay in the thousands in the UK, I've never paid more than 500 for my son from the age of 18. I only pay around 300 fully comp for my current car, which is less than a year old.

Miro
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:58 pm

I can't remember if I tried Morethan. I tried the various comparison sites, and they turned up some outrageously expensive quotes (£2500 for example) and a long, long list of insurers who couldn't provide a quote - presumably because my NCB was earned abroad. Either way though, I would still have only been able to prove 5 years NCB.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

Miro
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Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:49 pm

FYI elusive: Just to add to my previous post - I rang Morethan, because nowhere on their website can I find anything about accepting (or not) foreign NCBs. They said yes, they would (as long as it's in English etc. etc.)
I then went back to their website to try to get a quote, and after answering everything honestly and correctly, simply got a message saying "based on the information you have provided, we are unable to offer you a quote". I seem to remember this from when I was trying to get quotes previously. I tried to ring them again to find out "why", but lost the will to live (and nearly all my monthly minutes!) while on hold waiting for a human, and gave up.
I'm guessing perhaps it's because I (truthfully) stated that I had only been resident in the UK less than 6 months. But so would most people asking for a quote using a foreign NCB, so I'm not sure why that would be an issue....
Anyway, Aviva it is until next year. Believe me, I tried ever other company I could think of, including a couple of obscure ones I found by Googling foreign NCB specialists. They either couldn't quote, or ran into 4 figures.
But please do let us know if you find any others that can help you when the time comes.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

masterob
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Location: Previously Álora but now in Milton Keynes UK

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby masterob » Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:09 pm

I was insured with Linea Directa in Spain. When I got back to the UK and bought a new car I insured it with the same Insurer (Frizzels LV) that I was with 10 years previously before moving to Spain. I never asked for a NCB certificate from Linea Directa ( never thought about it) but just told Frizzels LV that I had a claim free record since I was previously with them. They accepted that and I have a 9 year discount.
Out of interest my Spanish policy was Euros 987 per annum and my current U.K. one is £571.74, both for the same car albeit the U.K.one is a newer model. (Hyundai Santa Fe)

More generally, the only things I find more expensive in the UK are Council Tax (but then we get far more services from the Council here); alcohol,diesel and public transport fares. Don't have to drink coffee anymore as tea is always available in cafes! :lolno:

elusive
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby elusive » Thu Aug 31, 2017 9:14 am

Thanks miro.

In the uk sometimes they didnt ask me for proof. But the problems comes/came when you decide to move to another insurer and they ask for proof. I ended up having to chase previous years insurers to get it

elusive
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby elusive » Thu Aug 31, 2017 9:16 am

Liverpool victoria L.V?

masterob
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby masterob » Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:10 am

Yes. Liverpool Victoria took over Frizzels who offer insurance policies for Civil Servants (including retirees) as well as other Public Service employees.

Miro
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:10 pm

LV would not accept my Spanish NCB either. Before I left the UK over 20 years ago I had company cars for years. I can't remember who I last insured a car with, and even if I could I very much doubt they'd still have a record of it anyway.
I'm surprised how much you paid for car insurance in Spain, Masterob.

Wrong thread to discuss it here, I know, but I'm also surprised at your findings on relative costs; council tax is the obvious one (although we don't pay €100 a month community fees anymore!), alcohol as you say, but water rates seem to be almost double what we paid in Spain, also eating out is way more expensive, even for junk food / take aways, and apart from the odd thing like parsnips, most things we buy in the supermarkets seem dearer. Maybe Álora is dearer than Torremolinos and MK cheaper than Southport? I don't drink tea, but a cup of tea in most cafes around here is the same as a cup of coffee: on average, at least £2.00 :shock:
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

masterob
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Posts: 2165
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:08 pm
Location: Previously Álora but now in Milton Keynes UK

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby masterob » Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:55 pm

Miro, yes I was surprised by car insurance in Spain even if it included breakdown cover.

Water rates are higher here I agree but then we get an uninterrupted supply that you can drink from the tap so, a price well worth paying! Eating out is something we chose not to do regularly here, we do it only on special occasions. We didn't eat out that much in Spain. We always avoided "menu del dia" as we found them to be invariably of poor quality and even in more up-market places we found it difficult to avoid such things are stewed vegetables! Maybe we are fussy eaters and are too wedded to the belief that eating at home is nicer than eating someone else's mass produced food!

Anyway this is way off topic!

Miro
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Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:05 pm

Uninterrupted water supply? Is Álora that backward still that you had water cut-offs?! Fair enough, we do get adequate drainage included here (which can definitely not be said of Torremolinos). Drinking water I always got from the fountain (Manantiales) up the road from us in Torrie, but yes, here I drink from the tap, so I suppose that's a bonus. Quite agree about eating out v home cooking, but we did have a few once-a-month favourites in Torrie such as the excellent Kathmandu & a couple of popular local Spanish places (Lanjarrón, La Barraca). Haven't found anything here that can match them for value. Even just a daytime snack - in Spain you can always get a bocadillo in any cafe for 2 or 3 euros, but there's precious little to match that here.

Anyhoo, back to driving licences, or at least motoring related issues (Sorry again, mods :wave: )

Elusive: I tried Morethan again today and used their online chat facility. Turns out that although they accept Spanish NCB, you have to have been resident in the UK for at least one year - which makes absolutely no sense when you think about it. Anyway, I did an online quote again and lied, saying I'd been resident in the UK since birth. Their premium came to almost £100 more than (!!) what Aviva charged me, so I suggest you get a comparison quote before you plump for them.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

elusive
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Location: East of Malaga

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby elusive » Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:45 pm

Cheers miro. How bizarre re being a resident for a year. So you basically cant buy a car for a year inorder to use them .buy a car and after a year you are back to having a uk NCD anyway. What was that about spanish red tape lol

Out of intrest i looked at aviva as i remember you said you were with them and they were about 100 more than morethan.

Miro
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Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
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Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby Miro » Thu Aug 31, 2017 3:36 pm

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to UK car insurance. When I thought we were going to be living in PR8, I got a quote for insuring the car. Our first house fell through & we actually ended up just down the road, but in a different postcode, PR9; the quote went up about £250 :evil:
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

elusive
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Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Changing Spanish license to a UK one

Postby elusive » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:49 pm

Sometimes goes on the crime rate when theres differences like that


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