Is it legal for a UK car insurance company not allowing discount for no claims bonus from EU (SPAIN) car insurance companies. Thanks.

Hello there and welcome to CAG.

I think the forum experts may need some more information from you in order to answer your query.

Please could you tell us a bit more about the problem?

My best, HB

Ive earned No-Claim Discount in Spain the last few years and have now returned to the UK expecting to pay a reduced premium for my car insurance using the spanish no claim bonus. However, so far several UK car insurance companies refuse to accept the spanish NCD.

I would like to know if i can challenge them under EU law as UK car insurance companies NCD's have always been acceptable in Spain so why not vice versa.

I doubt you have a case

There's no legality in a NCD, it's a discount offered by the individual supplier and nothing else. If they don't want to iffer the discount, they don't have to. The situation could change if you could prove an insurer was taking someone on with a EU NCD and not you, that would be discrimination.

This is of course only my opinion.

My understanding of discrimination in the EU coomon market is:

if a driver has 3 years NCB from UK

and another have 3 Years NCB in Germany

if insurer give discount to one driver but do not discount the other -- this is discrimination -- the insurance companies activates in a common market and therefore it should be equivalent.

At the moment I have a similar issue with some UK insurers: I have an EU driving licence, and eventhough there are no valid reasons some insurars do not provide me with a quote (as I do not have an UK driving licence).

Anyway, I am reaserching right not, and as far as I could get, for my case is that they are faulting EU laws, by indirect discrimination (I sought legal advice from EU commions on this issue)

you can contact the EU commision to ask for your own case, but in my opinion if they fail to aknologe your NCB they are discriminating

hope this helps

It's a interesting point being raised here, please let us kow how you get on, good or bad.

I am in the same situation as you with a UK insurer, they say they can't accept my No Claim Bonus from an Italian insurer. Therefore they want to charge me double the amount. This really sounds like discrimination against Eu regulations.

Have you got anywhere with your inquiries with the European commission? Does anyone else have any advice in regards to this? Thanks

Direct Line, Churchill and the other RBS Insurance brands accept European NCD provided it is in English showing the number of years entitlement.

To my knowledge most Insurers do, provided they can see what your entitlement was.

thank you very much. I hope I can sort it out. Will keep you posted

thank you very much. I hope I can sort it out. Will keep you posted

Did you get anywhere?

We have just returned for Germany. Neither Churchill nor Morethan will accept the standard european letter which has each sentence in French, German, English and Spanish. We are getting very frustrated - German insurers accepted the english letter from Churchill 13 years ago. If this doesn't work what on earth is EU about??

Provided the standard European letter contains the necessary information, there is no reason why it would not be accepted.

Suggest that you go back to clarify why it has been rejected.

Provided the standard European letter contains the necessary information, there is no reason why it would not be accepted.

 

Suggest that you go back to clarify why it has been rejected.

thanks for this. We have asked them - they want a letter that is ONLY in english, and not one line by line. Asking for clarification from either Churchill or Morethan is fruitless. We have not been able to access the individual who agreed the NC letter was ok. We have been unable to reach anyone in authority. We have now gone to a broker, and asked to try a more european orientated company such as Zurich.

As someone who is not overly enthusiastic about europe, having lived in Germany for 13 years, and now returning, it seems the whole idea of a single market is a complete fallicy (Pensions, bank transfers, "imports" are just a few examples).

Back to the car. We will try through the broker and let you know what happens. The german insurers (BBV) insist the letter is standard and "must" (German thinking) be accepted here. Would be interesting to see a UK insurer producing a NC letter in German, French or Spanish....

The letter is standard and the Insurers probably receive them most days. I suspect that they had the office newbie or someone half asleep to check the letter and they rejected it.

The staff the check the no claims proof are not those that you speak to on the phone. You need to make a complaint with a team leader or customer relations. Ask them to dig out the letter you sent them to check that it contains the information they need in English. If it does, then I suspect that all will be ok.

Under FSA rules, in Insurance offices, staff are managed by a team leader, who normally supervises a team of up to 12 full time equivalent people. They have to have a supervisor or manager available at all times, partly for compliance reasons, but also for health and safety reasons. So there should always be a team leader or manager to speak to.

thanks for that, its useful information. We will perservere, but do seem to be up against a brick wall of beauocracy - much more so than we ever came across in 13 years in Germany !

The letter is standard and the Insurers probably receive them most days. I suspect that they had the office newbie or someone half asleep to check the letter and they rejected it.

 

The staff the check the no claims proof are not those that you speak to on the phone. You need to make a complaint with a team leader or customer relations. Ask them to dig out the letter you sent them to check that it contains the information they need in English. If it does, then I suspect that all will be ok.

 

Under FSA rules, in Insurance offices, staff are managed by a team leader, who normally supervises a team of up to 12 full time equivalent people. They have to have a supervisor or manager available at all times, partly for compliance reasons, but also for health and safety reasons. So there should always be a team leader or manager to speak to.

The UK Insurance industry has gone down hill in the last 10 years or so. I would say that most provide a pretty poor service. This is partly why we have seen high street brokers increase their sales in recent years. People get fed up of dealing with call centres !!! Some of the companies have even outsourced or off-shored some of the work. I think some of the admin work for some companies is sent to India.

Hi,

I'm interested in this, too. I'm Italian and I'm gonna ask my insurance to provide me with the NCD in English (hope they will).

I want to buy and insure a motorcycle, but no company seems to accept my 8 year full Italian license and NCD to make me pay "human reasonable" prices. A company asked me £1200, two refused to insure me.

If the thing went any further in your experience, can you suggest me any company?

Thanks.

Are you applying with an Italian EEC driving licence? If so try running a quote through with a recently received UK motorcycle licence as it might be cheaper if so go through the process of obtaining a UK licence

Are you applying with an Italian EEC driving licence? If so try running a quote through with a recently received UK motorcycle licence as it might be cheaper if so go through the process of obtaining a UK licence

I tried all the chances, from new UK licence no NCD to long experienced EU licence with NCD, the prices seems to vary just from 120 to 500 on MCN, and it's quiet fine, but it doesn't always work on the companies' website. I was asking for a suggestion of a company to try as well. If anyone knows.

Having tried this the opposite way round, the NCD is a ''discreationary benefit'' not and obligatory one!!

Having tried this the opposite way round, the NCD is a ''discreationary benefit'' not and obligatory one!!

By: "from ... to" I meant all the combinations!

Hi,

 

I'm interested in this, too. I'm Italian and I'm gonna ask my insurance to provide me with the NCD in English (hope they will).

 

I want to buy and insure a motorcycle, but no company seems to accept my 8 year full Italian license and NCD to make me pay "human reasonable" prices. A company asked me £1200, two refused to insure me.

 

If the thing went any further in your experience, can you suggest me any company?

 

Thanks.

MCE, they recognised my Irish NCB & Irish licence.

MCE, they recognised my Irish NCB & Irish licence.

Thanks, I'll try with them, but it's probably harder for me because the NCB will be in another language and it's not called even NCB!

If it's in another language you have virtually nil chance of an Insurer accepting it.

The only chance I can think of is if you find a broker sited in an area with a large percentage of that countries nationals living there who might be able to persuade an Insurer

Actually as it's Spainish bonus, try a broker in Spain such as Neil Rowley who specialise in Ex Pats, they may have a connection with a UK broker they can recommend for you

Actually as it's Spainish bonus, try a broker in Spain such as Neil Rowley who specialise in Ex Pats, they may have a connection with a UK broker they can recommend for you

Actually, I was going to ask to my insurance company in Italy to provide me with an English version or, at least, sign one translated by me... Hope it will be enough for the UK insurer....