Illegal UK plated cars

[AmyHarper1]

Ok so we all know its illegal to drive a uk plated car if you are a resident in Spain but what are the repercussions? The reason I ask is that there are at least 2 illegal cars in my urbanizacion and I wonder how they manage to escape the Guardia. What would they be looking at if they were caught?

[donz]

I have heard of them being seized completely (which ultimately can mean them being crushed).

They have been sitting outside the local school waiting for the parents to come and drop their kids off = they intend on staying here longer than the 'tourist' excuse.

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by donz

I have heard of them being seized completely (which ultimately can mean them being crushed).

They have been sitting outside the local school waiting for the parents to come and drop their kids off = they intend on staying here longer than the 'tourist' excuse.

yes, they do that around here too

somehow or other one family (now returned to the UK after being here 5 years) managed to get away with it though - I could never understand how - their car wasn't the usual run of the mill car & it had very memorable numberplates

[jojo]

Yes, they do the school thing around here too. Its also worth noting that if the car is here illegally then inspite of what the insurance companies tell you. If you need to make a claim, then the vehicle is illegal and they wont pay up - so therefore its uninsured, unless you can prove its only here temporarily

Jo xxx

[youngagepensioner]

There was a lady in my village (left now), who, despite having an illegal car, stood as a councillor for the mayor's political party. No-one cared about the car.

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by jojo

Yes, they do the school thing around here too. Its also worth noting that if the car is here illegally then inspite of what the insurance companies tell you. If you need to make a claim, then the vehicle is illegal and they wont pay up - so therefore its uninsured, unless you can prove its only here temporarily

Jo xxx

We've been through this before, Jo. It is the driver that is illegal. When I had a (legal) UK -plated car -it was nearly new and therefore in no need of MOT but was taxed - I worried about what would happen were I to keep it here until the tax ran out. I discussed this with the insurance company and received confirmation in writing that I would be insured even if any MOT and tax ran out. As it happened my son drove it back to the UK and sold it. I sold another UK plated car to an Anglo-Spanish couple who swore they would put it on Spanish plates. That was two years ago and it is still being driven round here on UK plates with presumably no tax or MOT.

There are in the UK very few instances where your vehicle will be without insurance. You can drive without MOT, tax and still have valid insurance.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 clearly states when an insurance company has no legal obligation to pay up. Lack of vehicle licensing tax and /or MOT are not listed conditions. Driving whilst disqualified is, though...hence the levy on insurance companies to cover payouts for those involved in accidents with non-insured disqualified drivers.

Whilst it is true that in Spain it is illegal to drive a UK plated car after a certain period and if you are resident, that fact in itself is a good reason for not doing so.

An insurance company may fail to pay up after an accident for a variety of reasons: failing to have the required medical check-up after a certain age, perhaps?

If non-possession of an ITV or proof of tax paid were sufficient cause to render the insurance on a Spanish-plated vehicle invalid, I fear an alarmingly high number of vehicles would be uninsured.

I often wonder why the police don't focus on LHD cars with UK plates....they are obvious candidates for non-compliance. Loads of them round here, mainly high-end vehicles...

[zilly]

The Guardia threatened to crush my car when they pulled me for driving on UK plates--- luckily I was in the process and had a letter from my lawyer to show the Guardia if I did get stopped-so I was ok.
Apparently UK plated cars around here are being stopped-- but there still seem to be lots of them around..........................

[jojo]

Originally Posted by mrypg9

We've been through this before, Jo. It is the driver that is illegal. When I had a (legal) UK -plated car -it was nearly new and therefore in no need of MOT but was taxed - I worried about what would happen were I to keep it here until the tax ran out. I discussed this with the insurance company and received confirmation in writing that I would be insured even if any MOT and tax ran out. As it happened my son drove it back to the UK and sold it. I sold another UK plated car to an Anglo-Spanish couple who swore they would put it on Spanish plates. That was two years ago and it is still being driven round here on UK plates with presumably no tax or MOT.

There are in the UK very few instances where your vehicle will be without insurance. You can drive without MOT, tax and still have valid insurance.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 clearly states when an insurance company has no legal obligation to pay up. Lack of vehicle licensing tax and /or MOT are not listed conditions. Driving whilst disqualified is, though...hence the levy on insurance companies to cover payouts for those involved in accidents with non-insured disqualified drivers.

Whilst it is true that in Spain it is illegal to drive a UK plated car after a certain period and if you are resident, that fact in itself is a good reason for not doing so.

An insurance company may fail to pay up after an accident for a variety of reasons: failing to have the required medical check-up after a certain age, perhaps?

If non-possession of an ITV or proof of tax paid were sufficient cause to render the insurance on a Spanish-plated vehicle invalid, I fear an alarmingly high number of vehicles would be uninsured.

I often wonder why the police don't focus on LHD cars with UK plates....they are obvious candidates for non-compliance. Loads of them round here, mainly high-end vehicles...

Yeah, yeah, yeah and you know I know someone who's car was stolen and the insurance company wouldnt pay out cos it was on UK plates

Jo xxx

[snikpoh]

The reason that I was given by Trafico (not the Guardia actually, but a different dept.), is that it would cost too much to store them prior to them being matriculated or crushed.


The reason that the local and national police do nothing about it is that it was not in their jurisdiction - I am told that it is now part of the National Police's remit.


Does seem strange though as I'm sure it could be a money spinner - but only if people came forward to pay the fines!

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by jojo

Yeah, yeah, yeah and you know I know someone who's car was stolen and the insurance company wouldnt pay out cos it was on UK plates

Jo xxx

You have to know ALL the circumstances surrounding insurance claims before deciding why a company won't pay out.

In the CR, for instance, I didn't bother to insure my car against theft. I just had the basic third-party cover.

We dealt with a lot of insurance jobs in our UK business and the facts of a claim can often not coincide with the insured party's perception!

Does everyone have the required medical certificate to accompany their UK licence if using it in Spain as required by a 2009 law? If not, surely there's ample ground for an insurance company refusing a claim...More so than not having a Road Tax I would have thought.
Just asking...