Breakdown cover - 5 months trip

[zanuck]

Not sure if this should be here or in Cars, Bikes and Motoring.

What have other UK residents who come out for their "let's see if Spain is right for us" 5 or 6 month trip done about roadside breakdown (and maybe recovery) cover on their UK plated and insured car?

I've looked at Green Flag, RAC and AA and all seem to only offer up to a maximum trip length of 90 days cover when out of the UK; we expect to be out of the UK for not quite double that period, driving from Bilbao to CdS and returning via France and Eurotunnel.

Thanks - Z

[Enrique]

Hi zanuk,
I use Saga for insurance and breakdown cover.....need to be over 50 ..........

[detourer]

You might like to try ADAC, the German based recovery company. Top class service and also include re-pat and medical on their premium cover. They are also much cheaper than the UK lot.

There was a slight issue some months ago when they stopped taking UK reg'd vehicles, following a dispute with the AA/RAC, but it may have been resolved by now.

There are some very helpful English speaking staff, so ask and persevere.

They also cover counties outside the EU, Morocco for example, where I have had a number of client issues resolved with no problem.

[zanuck]

Hi zanuk,
I use Saga for insurance and breakdown cover.....need to be over 50 ..........

Enrique,
I've successfully convinced one or two people at work that I'm well preserved and only 42, however, my wife has seen my birth certificate...

[zanuck]

You might like to try ADAC, the German based recovery company. Top class service and also include re-pat and medical on their premium cover. They are also much cheaper than the UK lot.

There was a slight issue some months ago when they stopped taking UK reg'd vehicles, following a dispute with the AA/RAC, but it may have been resolved by now.

There are some very helpful English speaking staff, so ask and persevere.

They also cover counties outside the EU, Morocco for example, where I have had a number of client issues resolved with no problem.

Thanks detourer, I'll check them out.
Regards - Z

[El Cid]

Try Abbeygate insurance. They do breakdown insurance.

Some years ago I was spending 4 months in Spain and had no difficulty getting breakdown insurance on a UK car. The car was UK insured and I didn't have a time limit but it didn't include breakdown insurance.

Sid

[zanuck]

Try Abbeygate insurance. They do breakdown insurance.
Sid

Thanks Sid, I was wondering about insuring in Spain, but that will mean I have two insurances running in parallel (mine in the UK expires early Dec 14).

Whilst sitting in 20 degrees in the back garden in Hampshire this afternoon, with a glass or three of Rioja, it came to me that the main time that I want the breakdown cover is the drive from Bilbao to Canillas and then from Canillas to Calais and I figured "why not just take out two short term breakdown covers of say five days each?"; one for the drive down and one for the drive back.

I don't think that the AA/RAC/Greenflag are concerned about where the journey starts and ends, just which countries one is driving in.

But of course, if someone knows different, please let me know.

Thanks - Z

[Jon Burns]

Hi,

I'd like to add my view on continental breakdown cover. There are two main reasons for looking for alternatives to the AA/RAC offerings. First the cost. Most UK based insurance schemes are very expensive particularly if you are driving an older vehicle. It seems that the cost for a year of European Cover with the AA costs between £250 ish to £320 ish depending on age of vehicle. A comparable policy with the ADAC costs this year (2014) Euro 114.00 with no penalty for an older vehicle. The second and perhaps most important reason for not using the AA/RAC et al is that as far as I am aware all the UK based companies will only recover your vehicle back to the UK if the value of your vehicle is greater than the cost of the repatriation. So if you are travelling in a car worth less than about £3000 you are likely not to get it back to the UK if it breaks down. Seems like a bit of a con if you ask me. Caveat emptor, as they say. The ADAC have no such policy, if you break down and the vehicle cannot be repaired it gets repatriated irrespective of it's value. They also have no limit to the amount of time you spend out of the UK or how many times you travel. That's why I have been using the ADAC for the last 30 plus years. Their roadside assistance is second to none and their peripheral benefits (Air Ambulance back to UK if taken ill or injured etc) make them a real alternative, in my opinion. I have no other connection to or interest in the ADAC apart from being a very satisfied member for many years.

Hope this helps.


Jon

[peteroldracer]

I think if I had serious concerns about breaking down on such a relatively short trip I would be changing my car, or my service garage, or both!

[zanuck]

I think if I had serious concerns about breaking down on such a relatively short trip I would be changing my car, or my service garage, or both!

POR
I hope the car won't break down, in a similar way that I expect you hope no-one will burgle your house, but if they do, it's useful to have an insurance policy to help with the expense and repairs.

In the UK I have breakdown and recovery cover, just in case; don't you have it on your vehicle in Spain?

[Enrique]

Hi,
Its normally included in Spanish car insurance, as you're not allowed to tow.

With the complexity of modern vehicles the fixing(with some hand tools) at the roadside is a thing of the past.

I suspect there are many members who have sat at the road side cleaning the jets from the carburettor before proceeding on with their journey. Alas those days are over...........

[Julie]

I use www.startrescue.co.uk

[gus-lopez]

Not sure if this should be here or in Cars, Bikes and Motoring.

What have other UK residents who come out for their "let's see if Spain is right for us" 5 or 6 month trip done about roadside breakdown (and maybe recovery) cover on their UK plated and insured car?

I've looked at Green Flag, RAC and AA and all seem to only offer up to a maximum trip length of 90 days cover when out of the UK; we expect to be out of the UK for not quite double that period, driving from Bilbao to CdS and returning via France and Eurotunnel.

Thanks - Z

That's because you cannot legally drive it in Spain for that period of time as after 90 days you are required to become a 'resident' ,irrespective of whether you want to or not , & then cannot legally drive a foreign registered vehicle. Only way to start to be legal is to obtain a certificate of
non -residency at the start.

[zanuck]

Hi gus-lopez
Well that's a new slant on it that no-one else has picked up on. Where does one start with the certificate of non-residency?
If it makes any odds, we have a house, are on the padron, pay our IBI and non-resident taxes, and have non-resident bank accounts.
Your guidance is appreciated.
Thanks.

[Enrique]

Hi zanuck,
It used to be that should you wish to stay more than 90 days , the infamous Green form was required.

"Certificado De Registro De Ciudadano De La Unión"

So you're then registered with the Policía........Then every Juan would want to see this instead of the NIE form.

As a tourist you're on the padrón ............thought that was a no no......

It all very confusing.................

[El Cid]

That's because you cannot legally drive it in Spain for that period of time as after 90 days you are required to become a 'resident' ,irrespective of whether you want to or not , & then cannot legally drive a foreign registered vehicle. Only way to start to be legal is to obtain a certificate of
non -residency at the start.

After 90 days you are obliged to sign on the register of EU foreigners.

That does not make you a "resident" - it just gives you the right to stay in Spain for more than 90 consecutive days -prior to that you are allowed to be in Spain as a tourist. I really do wish people would stop suggesting that after 90 days you are a "resident" -you are not.

The only legal form of "residency" is fiscal or tax residency which you are deemed to have after 183 days in Spain in one calendar year.

It is entirely possible to spend 360 days in Spain, in periods of less than 90 days and not be required to sign on the register, but because you have stayed for more than 183 days in total you would be tax resident.

You are entitled to drive your UK reg car (assuming it is street legal in the UK) for up to 6 months in one calendar year as you are not tax resident.

If you arrive in Spain after the end of June then you could legally drive it until the end of June in the following year.

As for the padron, the law says that only people who have their habitual home in the locality are allowed to sign on the Padron, so if you do not live there for the majority of the year it is not your habitual home so you are not entitled to be on the padron.

That said, most Ayuntamientos will encourage foreigners, who have a holiday home, to sign on the padron as this gives them more money from central government but they are acting illegally by allowing you to sign on the padron.

Sid

[zanuck]

Sid
Many thanks for the clarification.
Our car is street legal!
We will be there for 5 months, specifically to ensure that we do not hit the 183 days period.
Best regards - Zanuck

[gus-lopez]

That's because you cannot legally drive it in Spain for that period of time as after 90 days you are required to become a 'resident' ,irrespective of whether you want to or not , & then cannot legally drive a foreign registered vehicle. Only way to start to be legal is to obtain a certificate of
non -residency at the start.

After 90 days you are obliged to sign on the register of EU foreigners.

That does not make you a "resident" - it just gives you the right to stay in Spain for more than 90 consecutive days -prior to that you are allowed to be in Spain as a tourist. I really do wish people would stop suggesting that after 90 days you are a "resident" -you are not.

The only legal form of "residency" is fiscal or tax residency which you are deemed to have after 183 days in Spain in one calendar year.

It is entirely possible to spend 360 days in Spain, in periods of less than 90 days and not be required to sign on the register, but because you have stayed for more than 183 days in total you would be tax resident.

You are entitled to drive your UK reg car (assuming it is street legal in the UK) for up to 6 months in one calendar year as you are not tax resident.

If you arrive in Spain after the end of June then you could legally drive it until the end of June in the following year.

As for the padron, the law says that only people who have their habitual home in the locality are allowed to sign on the Padron, so if you do not live there for the majority of the year it is not your habitual home so you are not entitled to be on the padron.

That said, most Ayuntamientos will encourage foreigners, who have a holiday home, to sign on the padron as this gives them more money from central government but they are acting illegally by allowing you to sign on the padron.

Sid

"After 90 days you are obliged to sign on the register of EU foreigners."
Which specifically states
"como residente comunitario en España " ,or
" como residente comunitario con carácter permanente en España"

( I'm reading it off them at the moment )
which means you are a resident. The first is one under 5 years residency & 2nd over 5 years.
If you hold this certificate you are a resident full stop. According to the GC it makes you a resident, According to EU it makes you resident. Holding one registered before April 24th 2012 makes you resident & entitles you to healthcare.
Having one woith " con caracter permanente" means you are a spaniard all bar the passport under EU rules.
You can be a fiscal resident without actually being a ( physical ) resident & a resident , without being a fiscal resident.

To get a certificate of non-residency you apply to the National Police/ foreigners office.

[El Cid]

So you are saying that a habitual resident of the UK who spends 91 days in Spain is a Spanish resident?

That is certainly not my interpretation of it - your views clearly differ from mine and I have no intention of arguing about it.

My passport gives me the right to reside in the UK, but it doesn't make me a UK resident.

Sid

[gus-lopez]

Unfortunately ,& although it is nonsensical , that is how it is all written under the EU legislation. Nothing has been thought about with how it works with people who move around.
I returned at the weekend from 2 months in the UK, due to my wife being ill, & had to take advice as to how long I could actually stay there.