Hi all,
I am looking for Car Insurance cover for my UK spec/registered car for use here in Switzerland for the summer (6months). The Swiss insurers will only cover it if I have Swiss plates but I do not want to import the car here as it is quite old and was originally an import from Japan (so I think it will be too costly/timely to import).

The car isn't worth much and I just want to be able to collect it from UK, drive it over here to use and then return it at the end of the summer. It has UK MOT/tax.

Most UK insurers will only cover for UK residents, of which I am not longer one of these, does anyone know of a UK based Car Insurance firm that would cover me?

Thanks
Andy

I used Stuart Collins in the UK, no hassel, plus you can get full European breakdown cover, you just need a UK address for the insurance

Hi Andy,

Stuart Collins are the only ones that can do this legally at a reasonable price: we use them for such clients.

http://www.stuartcollins.com/

I thought all EU insurers were compelled to give the minimium cover in CH by law.

Yes 90 or 120 days depending on company, but only to residents of the country providing the cover, UK in this case...

Had this example exactly on Saturday. I was speaking to some poor bugger who had flown back to the UK with his family and he tried to extend his outside cover whilst in Blighty; they cancelled his policy on the spot and his car was sitting then at Basel airport uninsured....

Nice!

Is the 90-120 days inclusive per year or per trip? What's to stop him staying in CH for 90 days, then "travelling back to the uk for a day or two", then returning for another 90 days?

One other thing for the OP to consider - do you still have a UK driving licence? If you've chopped it in for a Swiss one, your plan could well fall apart as you won't be allowed to drive a foreign-registered car on a Swiss driving licence

Hey SB

Hope you're well mate!

Strictly per year on an EU policy ie say 90 days for all outside UK cover to insure trips on holiday and visits, but the crux is you are still a UK resident as soon as the domicle is changed to abroad the cover is void.

I am just in the process of changing it over. Are there rules governing what the CH license allows? The form only had class of vehicle?

Andy

In your first year it is allowed if you have declaired the car when comming over the border.

I presume that means if you are importing the car. If you are not and you have a Swiss driving licence you may be in schtook

Will they do it for 6 months only?

I read their website seems to be Annual, their office closed today.

thanks

Surely a UK green card would cover you for less than a year. Just tell your insurers you are touring. Indeed, why not, you'll probably go shopping over the border.

However, I'm assuming that perhaps the rules have changed since I brought my car here from the UK in 2002.
I was able to get a quote via comparis.ch, and insured it through Winterthur. Was pretty expensive, or so i thought. CHF 1500 and payable in 2 x 6 monthly instalments. But I was also able to renew it.
At one point I was out of work for a while, and assumed I would have to go back to the UK, but as I found I was entitled to benefits, I stayed, and reinsured it.
Wasn't until after around 5 years they were bugging me to get it registered here, although I had officially imported it, and had it prepped for a Strassenverkehrsamt test a couple of times, plus had the Swiss exhaust test.
In fact, the only time i was stopped, I showed them my Swiss licence, and they asked me to produce the exhaust certificate, and no insurance. Probably because of the Big Brother scenario they have here that they knew I was insured

Er, why not??

You can only drive cars registered in the home country when in your home country. Same throughout the Eu , it's very plainly spelt out in English on the DVLA site .

The rules did change a Swiss insurer cannot cover an EU registered car. Without specific underwiting also a UK company wont insure you if you are no longer a UK resident.

Because in most cases it is not legal for a Swiss resident to drive a foriegn plated car in Switzerland...

Ahhhhh a crossed post!LOL hello mate

I'll spell it here also: http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

That is utter nonsense, and needs qualification.

So how come I could hire a rental car in Germany, on my Swiss driving licence, and bring it to Switzerland, my main residence, for the weekend?

And what is to prevent someone driving a foreign registered car provided it is adequately insured, but not yet registered. Like I said earlier, I switched my licence within 12 months, and continued to drive my UK registered car here long after that, on Swiss insurance. BTW. I paid import duty.

I've done both, and been checked by the police

Also, Switzerland is not EU, so there is little point quoting the DVLA

Granted it's one of the stranger rules - but the law's the law. You are even prohibited from driving a relative's car in an emergency.

From the link Saint7UK posted:

So I imagine that is possible. Also a hire car is not a private vehicle, and the link states the rule applies to foreign private vehicles.

Also from the same link:

Rule *do* change - what applied to you ten years in 2002 ago won't necessarily apply to someone moving here in 2012. See Saint7UK's post above.

Heaven forbid!

Exactly what eng_ch said above...