Spanish car in the uk, legal?

peter

peter

peter

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Have been trying to find out if keeping a Spanish registered lhd car is legal in the uk? Google gives contradictory answers. The car is taxed and insured in Spain but is in the uk long term. His insurance with full European cover is cheaper than getting it in the uk, road tax is half the price and it does not need an uk mot. Anyone know if this is true?
 
I was under the impression that anything longer than 6-months, and the car has to be "imported" and the DVLA notified?
 
I thought so as well but finding out one way or another is difficult, insurance did not seem to be worried when it was in an accident. I would have least thought changing the headlights would be sensible.
 
I'm sure I've heard somewhere that as long as the car returns to it's registered country every year there isn't a lot they can do.
 
I knew someone who had a French plated car (right hand drive too), he would just park on double yellows and throw all his parking tickets in the bin.

Didn't give a ####
 
Greebo said:
gov website has the answers

6 months is the maximum unless you are a student or worker in which case you can apply for custom relief however he may be tto late and will have to register it for a uk licence plate.

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports
Click to expand...

I will also add that although this is correct there is, as far as I know, no legal requirement to register the vehicle once in the UK. The problem here is that unless the dvla/vosa/police can prove that it was driven into the UK on a specific date they cannot pursue the matter. Its only if the car has been added to the system (pulled over by police, parked on double yellow lines, reported) can the date be taken into consideration. I am certain that there are a lot of people that have come to this country and have gotten away with driving an illegal car on our roads for years. Maybe its about time Vosa set up ANPR cameras on all ferry/chunnel ports to get these people as they come into the country.
 
If he still has a Spanish driving licence, ID and residence he could probably get away with it.
It's still illegal though.
 
What's the penalty if you get caught in the UK?
Probably not a lot. So could well be worth just doing it anyway.

Importing it will cost naff all as well, what's the car?
 
If you are a UK resident you can't drive a foreign registered car here unless it's leased/rented to you (from https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/overview)

Driving with a foreign registration number
UK residents aren’t allowed to use non-UK registered vehicles on UK roads. The only exceptions are if you:

work in another European Union (EU) member state and use an EU-registered company car temporarily in the UK
lease an EU-registered car and use this temporarily in the UK
Click to expand...

So no it's not allowed if he is a UK resident. If he is a Spanish resident (which presumably means he lives there for over half the year) then it's fine.
 
Sell it to one of the LHD car centres around Heathrow and get a RHD focus. Hardly a rare car, and they're peanuts as well.
 
I would also bet that the insurance he has would only cover being in the UK for 3 months a year, or any other european country except from the country he took the insurance out in, i.e. Spain
 
canman said:
I would also bet that the insurance he has would only cover being in the UK for 3 months a year, or any other european country except from the country he took the insurance out in, i.e. Spain
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. You always get the green card for travelling abroad, not like in the UK where you only get it for a few months.

That, and what's to prove you weren't just on holiday if you were to have an accident? ;)

I spent a year in Norway on Belgian plates as a student and didn't bother saying anything to my insurance company. I'm in Denmark now and until I find a job, I'm on 'holiday'. And that's for the tax office too - you have four days to re-register your car and pay 180% import tax if you move to DK :eek:
 
mjt said:
Not necessarily. You always get the green card for travelling abroad, not like in the UK where you only get it for a few months.

That, and what's to prove you weren't just on holiday if you were to have an accident? ;)

I spent a year in Norway on Belgian plates as a student and didn't bother saying anything to my insurance company. I'm in Denmark now and until I find a job, I'm on 'holiday'. And that's for the tax office too - you have four days to re-register your car and pay 180% import tax if you move to DK :eek:
Click to expand...

You are supposed to inform your insurance company of your intention to and subsequent driving of your insured vehicle in another jurisdiction. It's specified in your paperwork no doubt.

Should you have needed it your policy would have been voidable. Not an ideal situation to be in.
 
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