BRITISH REGISTERED CAR INSURANCE IN PORTUGAL - WE COVER THEM ALL.
INSURANCE THAT COVERS UK PLATED VEHICLES ALL OVER EUROPE AND PORTUGAL
BRITISH REGISTERED CAR INSURANCE IN PORTUGAL
Expats driving to Portugal from the UK are always concerned about their car insurance validity in Europe. The car insurance products we provide will cover your UK registered vehicle anywhere in Europe, including Portugal. A wide range of insurance policies are available from the basic legal requirements of 3rd party only to Fully Comprehensive cover.
Most UK insurers will only provide 3rd party liability insurance when you drive your car abroad and that can be limited to a maximum of 30, 60 or 90 days. Always check with your UK insurance company before you leave the UK as what you believe is a fully comprehensive policy will likely drop to the minimum legal requirements when driving in Europe, and you may have to pay for a green card to be added to your policy.
IS CAR INSURANCE IN PORTUGAL MORE EXPENSIVE THAN UK CAR INSURANCE?
In most cases the insurance for your UK registered car in Portugal is going to be cheaper with much better insurance cover. Fully comprehensive car insurance for British plated vehicles remains fully comprehensive when you travel anywhere in Europe and does not have any restrictions on the time you can be traveling or covered.
Extras like the breakdown recovery insurance are included as standard in Portuguese insurance policies and it is the vehicle that is insured, not the driver, so most drivers over the age of 25, or the level you set, can be accommodated on your insurance without notification as long as they have a valid driving licence.
If you do lend someone your car in Portugal, they must have a letter of consent to drive your vehicle to be legal.
GREEN CARDS IN PORTUGAL AND EUROPE.
Al of our motor insurance products come with what was known as an annual green card, which covers your vehicle anywhere in Europe and is particularly important when it comes to a breakdown or accident in another European country.
The green card scheme was a network set up to provide breakdown recovery insurance throughout Europe and also applies to recovery of vehicles that have been involved in an accident.
DO I NEED AN MOT CERTIFICATE IN PORTUGAL?
Most insurance companies insist that vehicles they insure are roadworthy to the country they are registered in. If you’re UK registered vehicle requires a valid MOT, then it should have one and be road taxed.
In the past, UK registered vehicles could obtain the equivalent of a Portuguese ITV, similar to a UK MOT and was considered acceptable. This would only be valid in Portugal, not the rest of Europe, so driving back to the UK without a valid MOT certificate could be an issue.
With Brexit, things might change, as like Spain, there may be a maximum number of days a UK registered vehicle can stay in Portugal before it has to be imported. You cannot keep your UK registered vehicle in Portugal for more than 183 days before legally having to import it. Your insurance will still be valid outside of Portugal.
FULLY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE FOR CARS OVER 10 YEARS OLD.
We can insure cars over 10 years old with fully comprehensive cover, but it is not available to the general marketplace in Portugal. The Portuguese insurance market does not allow fully comprehensive insurance for vehicles over 10 years old.
KEEPING VEHICLE REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS IN THE VEHICLE.
By law you are required to provide and keep the original vehicle documents, insurance and your driving licence within the vehicle at all times. This does seem a bit problematical in the event of your car being stolen and getting replacement original documents can be difficult and time consuming.
We recommend taking good quality copies of the documents, have them certified as copies of originals and keep your originals at home.
TOWING AND TRAILER INSURANCE IN PORTUGAL.
Our car insurance policies automatically include the towing of trailers and caravans up to a max towing capacity of 750 Kg. That includes horse boxes, garden trailers, boat trailers etc.
Be aware that the trailer or caravan to be towed, regardless of the type, must be from the country of vehicle registration. UK registered vehicles cannot legally tow a Portuguese registered trailer and vice versa.
If you need to tow a trailer over 750Kg, we can provide you with that insurance policy as an add-on to your existing policy.
INSURANCE FOR OTHER TYPES OF UK VEHICLES IN PORTUGAL.
By commercial vehicles we mean small vans, transits and transport vehicles. These can be insured in Portugal as a private vehicle for private use and are not permitted to be used for commercial businesses in Portugal.
4x4’s, Quads, Vans, Motorhome and Camper vans, Caravans, and RV’s on British plates can all be insured for private use.
IMPORTING A UK REGISTERED VEHICLE INTO PORTUGAL.
We can provide insurance for your vehicle on British plates and cover you for the period it takes to import the vehicle into Portugal. Once completed, we transfer your new Portuguese number plate to your insurance policy.
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Copyright Plegasus Europe S.L. All rights reserved Updated January 2021