Imported Car Insurance
Importing a car can be a smart money saving idea – on the continent and further afield pre-tax prices tend to be much lower than here in the UK. In particular, Japanese imports are popular, such as the Toyota Estima, the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Eunos Roadster, because they are cheaper than official UK imports and often have better specification levels.
However, finding cheap imported car insurance, including Japanese imported car insurance, can be a difficult task as the vehicles are not necessarily built to European standard.
How does being imported affect insuring a vehicle?
Insurance for an imported car can be more expensive as insurers do not necessarily know what they are taking on. Parts may be rarer, repairs could be more difficult and the vehicles may not be well-suited to UK roads. As a result some insurers will refuse to offer cover altogether.
The chance of finding cheap imported car insurance depends largely on the type of vehicle you're looking to cover. Broadly there are two types of vehicle imports:
- Grey imports: These are vehicles not built to European standard and not EU approved. As a result you will need to shop around for car import insurance and it may be worth obtaining quotes before you buy. The insurer will usually require very detailed information about the vehicle.
- Parallel imports: These vehicles are right-hand drive and are bought outside the UK. They are generally imported from Europe, are built to EU type approval and are compatible with UK specifications. Consequently, import car insurance for these vehicles should be easier to find.
How can you get cheap insurance for an imported vehicle?
If you want to find the most competitive insurance for an imported car, it's crucial to obtain as many quotes as you can. Use a comparison website and consider specialist insurers. There are several providers that specialise in import car insurance but don't assume they are always the cheapest – you should always shop around.
Some insurers will cover left-hand drive cars for the same premium as right-hand drive vehicles as long as there are no additional changes. If your import is modified it will be difficult to insure so limit the changes you make.
Security is also a key factor in determining the premiums for imported car insurance. Consider fitting a Thatcham security device to your car as this could earn you a sizeable discount.
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