Thanks, Huckster.

M

M

Try Direct Line by giving them a phone call. It depends on which country your previous licence was issued by. If you explain the circumstances, see if they will take into account your full driving experience.

If no joy getting a decent quote with DL, go to a good local Insurance broker (not Swinton) and they should be able to help find you a competitively priced policy. Find broker using BIBA http://www.biba.org.uk/ConsumerHome.aspx or check your local yellow pages.

Huckster

I moved to the UK in Jan 08. I am 34, married, work for a Telecommunications company, and live in (as far as I can judge) a reasonably safe suburb of London. I have held a (non-European) driving license since 1998, and have been driving since then. I passed my UK driving test in March 09. I have never had any serious traffic accident, have never made a car insurance claim.

I bought a car in Sep 08 (I was allowed to drive on my native driving license for the first 12 months) - a BMW 3 series with a 04 plate, and bought comprehensive insurance from Aviva for £682. (£320 excess). They sent me a renewal quote for £838. Quite bewildering, considering the fact that (a) I have a full UK driving license - when I bought the insurance I was driving on an international license, and (b) no insurance claims in the (almost over) year.

All the premiums quoted so far have been exorbitant, and in my understanding, because

(a) I have been a UK resident for a relatively short period - but then there is nothing I can do about it

(b) "duration license held for" - I've had my UK license for a very short time, but I do have a 11 year old trouble free driving record. I also have a letter from an Insurance company from my home country which states that I was insured with them from June 04 to mid 09, and never claimed.

Essentially, I guess the heart of the matter is that my driving experience before coming to the UK is not given any weightage, which is a really hefty penalty for me.

I know I am not alone in this situation. Given the fact that this is standard problem, I guess there must be standard approaches to tackle it as well.

Any pointers will be appreciated.

M