Why is it difficult to insure imported vehicles?
Over the past few years, because of the high cost of UK vehicles, many cars were bought abroad and imported. This practice is now dying out as the cost of UK cars drops in relative terms, but in some specialised areas, such as 4×4, vehicles are still imported in high numbers. You may find that these vehicles are difficult to insure and companies will often refuse insurance. This is usually because the vehicles are the so called ‘grey imports’ which are not intended for the UK market and as such not to UK specification. This means that they may use different internal and external parts, so in the event of a repair being needed it would be much more costly to obtain the spare parts – this extra cost means that the insurer does not feel it worth while to offer the insurance. You should always bear this in mind when considering buying an imported vehicle.
