The paradox of Polish drivers getting car insurance in the UK

My Polish girlfriend moved to the UK in October 2008.

I have phoned a couple of insurance companies about getting car insurance for her but they're not interested until she's been in the UK for 12 months.

I rang my own car insurance company and they said the same thing but admitted once she'd been in the UK for twelve months then they would be happy to insure her as she'd be less of a risk as she would have got more used to driving on the left hand side of the road. God knows how she can get used to driving over here if nobody will insure her.

Try tesco or adrian flux,

to be honest you can't blame them as the quality of driving tuition in Poland is horrific

That makes no sense unless they're condoning someone driving uninsured.

I had the same problem in the UK when I passed my test as a 17 year old male. It was either ridiculously expensive or some companies just laughed at me and said to try again when I was 23 or had 4 years driving experience...it's ridiculous!

I passed my test at 17 in 1991 in the days of the hot-hatchback and joy-riding and my 950cc Fiat Panda that cost less than £100 to buy was almost £500 to insure.

I had to suffer because of a few daft tw@ts that stole cars and just happened to be about my age. I just had deal with it to get some no claims bonuses. Unfortunately, sometimes in life you just have to get on with it.

That's very strange, spiritus. It's like the same crap with jobs. Sorry, not enough exp. Well, I need exp to get more exp you daft twat.

She'll be worse after 12 months as she hasn't had steady practice on the roads. They maybe don't see foreigners as a safe bet as many come and go rather easily. That's more likely to be the truth.

I actually passed my licence in UK and was here for over 2 when i did it but still it was very expensice to insure my little car.

Now after no claim discount is not that bad.
My suggestion - insure that car in your name and just add her as a second driver. Yes it will be slightly more expensive but nothing like she would pay on her own. Plus she can start getting her own no claim during that period..

Good luck

Try Tesco, they'll insure anyone.

Here's a whacky idea, why not get her insured as a second driver! Crazy idea I know but it might just work, also if you get your car insured for anyone to drive (another crazy idea I know), if she is over 24 then she can drive it...I must be out of my mind suggesting such things, but who knows it might just work!

I've tried that but they won't add her to my insurance until she's been here for twelve months.

Thanks for the sarcasm though, it was very productive.

I paid £400 to insure my 205 gti when i passed my test, Living out in the sticks has some advantages, Now at 24 with a 7 series BMW i pay less than £300 with european cover through tesco, Giving the polish police your insurance document from tesco raises some eyebrows though as they told me that tesco was a supermarket :D

Have you tried insuring online through confused.com or insuresupermarket.com?

What type of car are you trying to insure? If your girlfriend is over 21 adrian flux would be a good bet as they specialise in specialist policies.

Now now, the quality of the driving tuition is decent, just the inability for people to practice outside of formal lessons combined with nearly **** all enforcement of bad driving is what causes a lot of the trouble here.

Oh, and the fact that Polish men are still REAL MEN who have to prove their worth.

I might spend every waking moment in the gym to get "tuned", walk like i've shat myself, black out the windows on my car and tailgate other road users then overtake in stupid places putting many people at risk just so I can stop 5 miles up the road to retrieve my CB aerial as it blew off.

Would that make me a real man? remind you of anyone :D?

What is the polish attitude that women are all bad drivers all about? They don't seem to have the ridiculous point to prove when driving that the males over here have. I would much rather get in a car driven by a polish female than a polish male.

By the amount of drink driving offenses that poles are prosecuted for, no wonder no one will insure them. Maybe if they could put down the vodka bottle for two minutes.

Oh, and the Scots are parragons of virtue, right?

I agree with dnz, I'd far sooner get in a car with a Polish female. My fiancee, for example, is a textbook driver who is as safe as houses. Rythmical and slick :)