# Insurance for RV on US license



## 104302 (May 6, 2007)

I've been calling round about insurance for our (hopefully) soon to arrive RV, I found four places on the directory here and three have so far got back to me. Here's what they say:

Insured by me with Darling Hubby as named driver - £600 and somthing quid, but he has to have a UK licence and has a greater excess.
No UK licence, no insurance

You think that's bad, try

Insured by me with DH as named driver eventually - £600 and somthing quid, and a top-of-the-range immobiliser and he has to have a UK licence FOR A YEAR and only then will they think about insuring him

You think that's bad, try

Insured by me only - £1000 and somthing quid, and a top-of-the-range immobiliser and they don't care whether or not DH has a UK licence - they won't touch him with a barge pole because he's US military

Something of an irony here - a Yank can't drive a Yank vehicle 'cos he's got a Yank license.

I've just emailed and told him this - he's not going to be a happy little bunny! :evil: 

We have come accross this problem before - some places not liking Yank licences, but not so bad - Yes, I know what you're going to say, why doesn't he just get a UK licence - 


Ahem...

Well...

 
Don't let on you know this ...
but...
errrm...
he has tried...




 
And failed
 



I don't really want to be the only driver - I'd rather knit in the back with the squids.
Anybody have any experience of this, or know any insurers who like RVs and Yank licences?

Thanks
Fay


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## zaskar (Jun 6, 2005)

I've heard this before. Why DO military people get hammered this way? There must be a reason?
I know for a fact that cos I work in the aircraft industry, my premiums are loaded! Why?


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## 88927 (May 10, 2005)

Hi Fay
Have you tried These guys, we have our RV insured with them and they seem to be very flexible and competitive.

Keith


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## 103356 (Mar 11, 2007)

I had a colleague who was in the US Forces stationed over here for 4 years (now returned to the US, so I can't ask him directly). I'm sure he drove all his vehicles on his US plates, with his US Licence. Why can't the RV be registered in your husbands name, on US plates, before you ship it over? I am sure you could get insurance from one of the companies that insures the US military's personal vehicles, and you would'nt have any hastles with tax & VAT, etc, unless you subsequently sold the vehicle in the UK. Is the problem that then you wouldn't be able to drive it? I always thought the US Military had got good agreements in place in respect of their forces personnel over here.


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## 95633 (Jul 4, 2005)

Hi Fay

When we went to tour the US, we got hit VERY hard for Insurance - it's just the way it is !!

Get him to take the UK test again - if only so you can share with us his secret should he fail again.

I believe all US servicemen are able to fill their fuel tanks on the bases and pay US gas prices - can you do that with the RV (form an orderly line behind me please gentlemen !!).

If so, then you can afford to pay whatever Insurance premium they ask for.  

Paul


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## 97993 (Mar 5, 2006)

Fay tell them DH is hovering above them in a B52 and ask them to re concider :lol: 
Good Luck Geo
PS would US Insurer cover him for European use ?


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## RAH (Apr 22, 2007)

If your husband is US military, they probably have military-approved companies for insurance if licensed on US Armed Forces plates.

Alternatively, you may want to keep it on USA stateside plates and insure with a company for Europe. We use Thum Insurance, their New York office. They are very expensive for full coverage and breakdown, but you can also just elect liability insurance if the coach is in your name and not with a lender.

Thum arranged ours with a German broker to issue the Green Card for up to one year. The advantage is not having to register a vehicle in Europe with all the restrictions, but you need to export back within a specified time.


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## 104302 (May 6, 2007)

Ah you wonderful people yet again!

Yes, there is a military US insurance company which DH has used in the past, but our cars are insured with UK companies now as this is better and cheaper for cars, also avoids hassle of my UK licence. I've no idea if they do RVs. We'll look into that - thanks

As for keeping the US plates (it will have to be registered in the US as Court will be driving it from the mid-west to the port of embarkation), I think one may only do this on temporary imports. We are permanently resident here (as far as I know), so we have to get it Brit registered, I think.

You're right, Chrisdy, there generally are very good arrangements for US military stationed here, but the forces are not generally expected to be permanent (They're afraid that service people will 'go native'; marry the locals, buy houses, send their kids to Brit schools and the like. Even - perish the thought - start saying ...

but no, I cayn't bring myself to write it - it's too horrible, too awful ...

I must .. I must steel myself ...
 
Start saying ... things like ...


Gulp ...

tomAHto )

And yes, DH DOES drink tea. In fact, that's the first thing my Mum (Mom) asked me when I said I was bringing a Yank around to meet her.

(Blathering? Who said blathering? Cheek!)

As for fuel, yes, we can get some gas at US prices     
but it's supposed to be for commuting (since the military would otherwise provide DH with lodging and transport to place of work if he lived on base). I'm not sure if one is allowed to fill up an RV, but we're working on that too. Not that we intend to do loads of miles in this, (but not many miles still = loads of galleons)  

It might well be the simplest long-term solution to get DH to retake the Brit test, but I'll still need to take some training (want to anyway) and I'll be driving from Southampton I think (eek!)

Keith - THANKS   
The bods you recommended took my details and didn't flinch even once over the foreign licence. I even took pains to point it out to them and check they understood that it was some funny, inkjet-printed, noddy licence, not a proper, cast-in-sterling-silver PROPER licence like mine. They didn't turn a hair. You wonderful person, Keith. Let me make you a cup of tea sometime.

(My normal expression of thanks would be to ofer to marry the person concerned, but I'm not sure what the rules are here on flirting with complete strangers. Also, I'm not sure it's really that good a deal for the thankee. A cup of tea is probably more beneficial.)

Argghh late again. I need more sleep than this. six and a half hours before Littlest One awakes, and a couple of gettings up in between, probably. Silly me

thanks again you-all

Fay


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