Insurance and other req's for driving in Europe as an American

Hello! I am a citizen of the USA who owns a Ferrari California 2010. I am going to ship the car to the UK and drive the car throughout Europe from June through September.

I am having a very difficult time finding information on how to insure the car while I'm driving it in Europe. What companies do this?

While I'm driving in Europe, is it okay to have my car registered only in the USA?

Also, what else is needed to do this drive? Do I need an International Driving Permit? Anything else?

Any information you can provide would be very helpful! Thanks in advance for your time!

 

I only rent while in Europe so can't answer all the other questions but the International Driving Permit will make your life super easy if/when you get stopped by the police. You don't need it but trust me they will appreciate being able to read it and I think eliminate lots of questions.

 

Check the SCM (Sports Car Market) website and article archive since SCM has a very good legal column and this type of question has been addressed in regards to shipping and insuring cars for rallies such ad the Mille Miglia.

 

You won't need an IDP if you are only going to be in the UK. The main reason for the IDP is to translate your license into different languages. On second thought, you may need it to translate American into the King's English!

 

I live in Italy and although I can't answer all your questions I can give you some hints. You absolutely need an IDP if you come to Italy. It's not a license, simply a translation of your VALID U.S. License, so carry both documents. You can drive in Italy for one year on your U.S. tags. I don't know about insurance, but I will say that my U.S. company can write insurance through an Italian company. Check with yours too, but make sure you have the proper documents including the green international sheet which shows in which countries you're covered. I would suggest you look into getting insurance with European coverage in the country where you unload your car. You will need a CERTIFIED reflective vest. It must be accessible, so carry it in the passenger compartment. If anyone else gets out of the car, they need a vest too. You also need a proper reflective triangle to set up in case of a breakdown or accident. You can buy vests and triangles at any auto parts store and most supermarkets. Carry cash in case you get caught speeding. Some countries require foreigners to pay on the spot and if you can't do that immediately, the rest of your day and perhaps the evening will be ruined. Don't speed in France or Switzerland and watch out for speed cameras everywhere. Don't have the locations of speed cameras loaded into your GPS in France; it's not legal there but it's OK in Italy. Don't even think about having a radar jamming device. Make SURE you have all the proper documentation for your vehicle unless you like twiddling your thumbs in the local police station for LONG periods of time.

Much (but not all) of what you need for driving in Italy will apply to other European countries; however, there are bound to be other requirements in some countries so spend some time doing research. A Google check on "Driving in (fill in the country name)" will usually turn up an ExPats forum where you can find a list of requirements.

Do NOT be casual about these requirements because if you are, you stand a good chance of wrecking what should be a great vacation. Get your ducks in a row well ahead of time so that you can relax and really enjoy your visit.

 

Wise, wise words from Mozella indeed:

DO NOT SPEED IN FRANCE.
DO NOT EVEN THINK OF IT.

Remember the Police now has on-board radars in some "banalized", "plain vanilla" cars, and that speeding tickets are simply falling like leaves in Autumn.

Rgds

 

Your car will probably be coming in as a temporary import so no reregistration should be required for under six months

IDP is sensible

Insurance is always a struggle for trans-Atlantic visitors both ways and you should probably start with your own insurers - at the very least if they are part of a larger group they might have suggestions - don't forget unlike (I believe) some US states insurance is obligatory - I believe in the US for example Clements & GEICO (& maybe AIG) have dedicated sections for overseas cover

And in the UK we drive on the wrong side of the road.....

Don't forget to specifically register your car for Ferrari's free 'Con Te' / 'With You' breakdown cover

Let us know how you get on and other queries

 

You will need to sort out the insurance in the US / with your current insurer.

You would only be able to obtain insurance in Europe if you are resident (and 99.9% of the time only with insurance companies in your country of residence - but the insurances are usually valid for travel across Europe up to 90 days, extensible).

No need to register your car in Europe, you can drive up to a year on foreign plates.

But might be worst checking the cost and efforts of insurance, shipping and risk vs renting.
You would also need to consider what happens if you have a crash, how/where/when the car will be fixed (some insurance would only fix the car after repatriation, other insist on the car fixed locally, usually depending on type of work to be done), will you be able to take the time to travel back to Europe, or have someone you trust if your car stay behind you, etc...

 

There's a list of compulsory equipment you must have in the link below:

AA Shop | Driving in Europe checklist

 

Unfortunately some of the data in the link is either out of date, doesn't apply to the OP, or is otherwise just plain wrong.

 

International Driving permit is a must. Having the car registered in the USA won't be a problem for this time. Make sure you have the following.

- High visibility vest under the driver's seat.
- 2 Breathalysers in France.
- Spare bulbs set.
- Insurance documents (once you have them).
- Ownership documents (in case the car is impounded).


Hope that helps

 

I've driven all around Europe and never needed or had an IDP. Only one ticket, that was a photo ticket between Lyon and Nice. So yes, watch out in France...but I did do quite a lot of speeding there.

Of course, I was in a VW Passat or a Peugeot 306 or 308....oh, and a BMW 535xi picked up new in Munich. Certainly not a California which would attract more attention.

 

Never needed an IDP, rental agencies never cared about it. But they cost next to nothing and aren't much of a pain to get, it's quite cheap prophylactic paperwork to save bureaucratic pain.

If you plan to drive in Austria or Switzerland on the highways you need a "vignette" for the country, a sticker that you affix to the windshield showing you've paid the highway tax. Relatively cheap ($40-50 or so), available at border gas stations.

 

Don't take a chance on not having an IDP and ignore anyone who says you don't need one. It takes a little bit of paperwork to get one before you leave, but it could very well be be worth it. Here's why.

Yes, you can "drive all over Europe" without needing an IDP IF YOU NEVER GET STOPPED!

But here in Italy, cops of various types stop cars all the time (unlike the U.S., they don't need any legal excuse), especially if you're driving a Ferrari if for no other reason than to have a look at your nice car. In addition, there are our Financial Police, who have a directive to stop fancy cars and perform a mini-tax-audit right there on the side of the road. I get stopped by these guys on average 3 times a year and by the Carabinieri about 5 times each year. They will always ask to see your driving license.

Of course, if you don't have an IDP the cop could just let you go, but since very few cops speak English, they may take you to the nearest station while you try to convince someone (who doesn't speak English either) that you're who you say you are. Driving without a valid license in Italy is a serious violation of the law. You are very unlikely to be in any real trouble long term, but is it really worth it to you to spend 8 hours arguing about it? Remember, for people like you having an IDP in Italy is not just a suggestion, it's the law.

 

the guys above have covered everything. dont skip any of the steps.

but i got on here to emphasize one of the points - do not speed in switzerland. if you do not think you can restrain yourself, then do not come into the country at all - its just not worth it. the tolerance over the limit is barely a sneeze, and then the fines are enormous and they will literally throw you in jail and confiscate your car. the penalties for speeding in some cantons are more harsh than for drunk driving, drug dealing, assault, robbery etc... no i am not exaggerating. somewhere along the line, the swiss lost their reasoning.

 

I think the OP changed his mind about this plan......
After reading all this, I would of.......

 

We are thinking of doing this with our 360 next year. Reading this it doesn't seem so bad!

Shipping Your Car to Europe

 

Thanks.