Many of us choose to import cars because retail prices nationally are so high. However, the money saved on buying a car from overseas can quickly be negated by high car insurance costs unless you are careful.
Imported cars such as the Toyota Estima, Eunos Roadster and Mitsubishi Pajero are often deemed more of a risk to insurers because the car insurance companies are not necessarily familiar with the vehicles in question. Their parts may be more difficult to find, repair costs may be higher and they may not be well-suited to UK roads. All of this mounts up to more risk for the insurer and higher premiums for the consumer.
High car insurance costs particularly apply to grey imports. These are vehicles that have not been built to European standard and are not EU approved. As such it's normally worth finding a car insurance quote before you buy the vehicle outright as costs can be derisory. Parallel imports - vehicles with right-hand drive that are bought outside the UK - carry less risk as they are normally built to UK standards and finding car insurance cover should be more straightforward.
So how can you find cheap car insurance for grey imports and parallel imports?
The first step is to ensure you're getting a thorough overview of the market. Several mainstream insurers offer specialist imported car coverage so use a comparison website to compare deals. Also shop around on the web for specialist insurers that may offer unique policy options that are better suited to your vehicle type.
Make sure the modifications to the vehicle are limited. If you simply want a cheaper car from overseas then pick a right-hand drive car with no additional changes - the more modifications that are made, the higher your premiums are likely to be.
Ask a prospective car insurance provider about discounts too. Security is often seen as a crucial feature for imported cars and you may enjoy cheap car insurance if you can fit a Thatcham security device or other approved alarm or tracker system to the vehicle.
