Patzel Posted August 21, 2010 Report Share Posted August 21, 2010 long time ago I had a car insured in Britain but don't really remember the details. Here in Germany I pay for my 4 x 4 Lada Niva (model 2009) 114 € tax per year + 139 € insurance (third party + partial coverage) per year. The insurance one pays is depending on how many years you were driving without accidents. I never had any so the above mentioned 139 is the lowest possible rate. Does anybody have an idea how much this would cost me in Shetland? About taxes: what is a reminder? Who needs to be reminded that the tax is due? In Germany nobody reminds you, they just get it off your account when it's due. Did I get something wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marooned in Maywick Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 Here in Germany I pay for my 4 x 4 Lada Niva (model 2009) 114 € tax per year + 139 € insurance (third party + partial coverage) per year. The insurance one pays is depending on how many years you were driving without accidents. I never had any so the above mentioned 139 is the lowest possible rate. In the UK, insurance is compulsory if you wish to drive on the public roads.There are a huge number of factors that can affect an insurance quotation e.g. age of driver, age of vehicle, experience, type of vehicle, gender of main driver, where it will be garaged, where it will be driven and probably many, many more.There are any number of insurance companies who will give you an online quote if you can be bothered to continually fill in your details on the multitude of sites that exist. Sometimes (apparently) you can put your details into one of those compare sites but get a different quote if you go to the company's own website. Does anybody have an idea how much this would cost me in Shetland? Not me About taxes: what is a reminder? Who needs to be reminded that the tax is due? In Germany nobody reminds you, they just get it off your account when it's due. Did I get something wrong? The registered keeper of the car gets the tax reminder approximately one month before the vehicle tax is due. this seems to depend on the vehicle's emissions (as quoted by the manufacturer) and there's a sliding scale from £not much to £ouch. The agency that deals with motoring matters in the UK is the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency). Their website will probably have more comprehensive answers to your questions. But not about insurance costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filskadacat Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 The comparison websites which you see advertised are things like comparethemarket.com / moneysupermarket.com / gocompare.com / confused.com These would give you an idea, without leaving your desk, of what sort of amount it would cost you to cover all the variables that MiM has listed. They will quote you prices ranging from the very cheap (who may do everything to avoid paying out if you have an accident) to the laughably expensive who just don't want your particular business. And yes, over thet last few years while our two sons were still at home but in that critical 17- 24 age bracket, I have found that it was OK to look at comparison websites but that you did indeed get a better deal from contacting companies directly - Aviva was particularly helpful in this regard. In the UK the onus is on you to tax your car - but it is very easy to do so on the DVLA website http://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/ and the disc to put on your windscreen arrives in just a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patzel Posted August 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 I have figured out now what tax would be. Instead of paying 114 € now I would have to pay 425 GBP! I have contacted the DVLA to find out whether there are exceptions such as agricultural use, 4 x 4, or others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlossimon Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 I wouldn't rush into taxing the vehicle, wait to see if you like the place first! You will be able to drive on your German registration number/insurance and tax until you decide to make your permanent place of residence in Shetland (obviously that is open to interpretation), but I think once the vehicle has been in the UK for 12 months you are bound to register it and obtain a UK registration number. I do however see several cars about the place which in my mind have been here for over 12 months, but then again maybe they have been back and forth to the continent in that period on occasions and perhaps the 'clock is restarted' by that? Oh the German insurance may only cover for third party risks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 does the 12 month rule apply to the driving licence. your only way to avoid the road tax is by declaring it off road. this does mean you cant drive it on public roads . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patzel Posted August 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 I wouldn't rush into taxing the vehicle Of course not... but I am just sorting out the pro and con and I need to find out which costs are (in future) not avoidable. To find out about everything before moving is in my opinion absolutely important. Everything has to be taken into consideration befor making a final decision. When I moved to the Western Isles I still had my old car taxed and insured in Germany for about a year. When I moved back to Germany it was the other way round. Quite useful when you parked somewhere where one was not supposed to park... most German policemen do not speak English and would rather leave you in peace than trying to argue with a foreigner... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlossimon Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 Yes, you will not need to get a UK driving licence until your German one expires, so avoid prematurely paying the fee to exchange your licence. EU licences can be used in the UK until they expire. To PaulB - the 12 month rules applies to foreign non-eu driving licences. I have a friend in London who lives within the congestion charge zone, to date he has never paid the charge, he does however work for a Czech company who give him a firm's vehicle which is conveniently registered in Czech Republic! He does infact spend a fair amount of time on the continent so he is not required to get UK plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patzel Posted August 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 I still have my UK driving licence When I went to UK the first time I had to exchange my old German licence after having being resident for 3 months in Britain. When I returned to Germany the laws had changed and I was told I could either keep my British licence or exchange it to a German one. But luckily the authorities in Britain must have made some mistake when exchanging the licence. They obviously ticked any box available... so I am entitled to drive around with everything apart from heavy lorries because this is rather useful I did of course keep the British licence...have been controlled by the Italian police when traveling with a mid-sized lorry + trailer and there were no complaints. Not even the combination of German number plates and a British licence seemed to cause any questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlossimon Posted August 22, 2010 Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 I still have my UK driving licence When I went to UK the first time I had to exchange my old German licence after having being resident for 3 months in Britain. When I returned to Germany the laws had changed and I was told I could either keep my British licence or exchange it to a German one. But luckily the authorities in Britain must have made some mistake when exchanging the licence. They obviously ticked any box available... so I am entitled to drive around with everything apart from heavy lorries because this is rather useful I did of course keep the British licence...have been controlled by the Italian police when traveling with a mid-sized lorry + trailer and there were no complaints. Not even the combination of German number plates and a British licence seemed to cause any questions. That is a good one Patzel! The only thing to watch would be if you are returning to the UK and only have the UK licence you will be under an obligation (as I read the regulations) to notify the DVLA in Swansea of your current UK address, this will mean getting a replacement licence (all the new ones have a photocard section). Probably though the re-issued UK licence will just be a formality and no further checks will be made allowing your to retain you present category entitlements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patzel Posted August 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2010 this will mean getting a replacement licence (all the new ones have a photocard section) oh no, a photo! When I needed a new passport last year I've handed in a photo which was about 25 years old. They issued the passport allright, but when I came to collect it, the clerk was a bit sceptical whether it was really me... but I got my passport.I still have some spare photos of those old ones...should do for the replacement licence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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