Private Car Insurance

Yes. For this reason when you receive your proposal form and Insurance Schedule it is important that you check the details carefully, sign the proposal form and return it.

To avoid potential problems with the police it is particularly important that you check that the registration number of your car is noted correctly.  If the registration number is wrong the police may fine you for driving an uninsured vehicle.  Fines can be up to €1,500.  It is your responsibility to ensure that the registration number on your policy schedule matches your vehicle documents and your plates.

To avoid future problems, check the whole form including that your name, address and date of birth are correct.

If you notice any errors, you should contact the Ibex office or agent that sold you the policy in order that the details can be corrected immediately.

Portuguese and Spanish Law is similar to the road traffic laws in other countries throughout member states of the European Union.ºAll vehicles using the roads must be insured for third party liability risks. All Ibex Motor policies fully comply with the Regulations of all EU territories. Ibex is able to insure UK, Portuguese and Spanish registered vehicles owned by expatriates in Portugal and Spain, as the insurer is QIC Europe Limited. QIC Europe Limited is allowed, under the EU "Freedom of Services" Directive, to cross border service from the UK and Gibraltar and thus can insure UK registered cars driven in Portugal and Spain. Equally QIC Europe Limited is "established" in Portugal and Spain through the regulatory authorities and therefore can also insure Portuguese registered vehicles owned by expatriates living in Portugal and Spanish registered vehicles owned by expatriates living in Spain.

Yes, you can bring your UK or any EU registered vehicle with you when you come to Spain but the new traffic act that came into force in Spain on 9th May 2014 requires all foreign vehicles that are kept in Spain to be re matriculated to Spanish plates within 30 days of importation.

* Please click here to find a summarised re matriculation quick guide.

We do not request sight of an MOT (or Portuguese and Spanish equivalents, IPO and ITV) before we insure you but there is a strict policy requirement that your vehicle is roadworthy at all times and you should also comply with the law of the country in which your vehicle is being used. Any breach of this could invalidate your insurance cover and failure to produce a certificate of roadworthiness may render you liable to prosecution and /or a fine by the authorities. You should remember the IPO or ITV certificate will only demonstrate that the vehicle is roadworthy and it does not constitute an MOT certificate as required by UK law, so if you are stopped by the police it could lead to problems. So be sure you comply with the law and keep your vehicle in a roadworthy condition.

Whilst driving your car on the road in Spain we would recommend to have the following documents with you.

• Driving Licence

• The car's Ficha Técnica (showing the technical details of the car) or Log Book if UK registered

• All your insurance documents - certificate of insurance (for UK vehicles), Green Card and copy of the receipt
  
  

If your vehicle is stolen and the documents have gone with it the situation can become problematical. So, although slightly inconvenient, we at Ibex recommend that whenever you leave your vehicle unattended that you take the documents with you. However if you don't you will have to arrange to replace them before your claim can be settled.

An accident may not only affect your vehicle and the no claims discount under your policy, but it can leave you out of pocket. Costs such as the payment of your policy excess, hire car charges, additional travelling expenses, and the inability to work and claim earnings are all known as Uninsured Losses. In the UK when the accident is not your fault there is a strong chance that such costs can be recovered if you have opted to add legal assistance cover to your policy, however, in Spain things are slightly different and you are only likely to receive reimbursement of your policy excess. Spanish insurers are unlikely to consider anything else.

If you have earned no claims bonus in an EU country this can be used towards your Ibex policy in Portugal, Spain or Gibraltar and Ibex will accept written proof from your previous insurer.

Yes if they are not being used for commercial purposes and measure 10 meters or less in total whilst being towed, including the length of your vehicle. You must declare that you will be towing a trailer or caravan and a small additional premium may be charged. Your policy will provide cover for legal liabilities while you are towing, but it does not provide cover for damage to the trailer itself or the items being towed, nor does it provide cover for the trailer whilst it is detached from your vehicle. We recommend that you arrange separate cover for these risks.

No. You must ensure that if you are driving a vehicle that does not belong to you that the owner of that vehicle has arranged for you to drive under the terms of their Insurance policy.

f you are travelling abroad especially to the UK for a period longer than a month please tell us how long you are travelling for. Your policy provides free foreign cover for temporary visits to:

• Any country that is a member of the European Union
• The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
• Finland, Norway and Switzerland

* If you are intending to visit any country not listed above you must contact us prior to departure.

* If you intend to stay in any EEA country outside the Iberian Peninsula for longer than 90 days you should arrange a new policy locally. When you return your Certificate of Insurance & Green Card a return premium will be due based on the unexpired period of cover, subjects to no claims having arisen.

Your current schedule/certificate of Insurance shows who is covered to drive your vehicle. If you need to add any further drivers you need to call Ibex. In certain cases an additional premium may be charged and we may need to issue a new policy.

The purpose of CCS is to indemnify, by way of compensation and on the basis of a policy taken out with any private insurer, for losses caused by specific extraordinary events that occur in Spain and cause personal damage or injury to property within Spanish territory.  The income of the CCS is derived from surcharges paid by the policyholder as part of their insurance premium and which the insurer passes to the CCS. Please click here to see an overview of the Compensation Consortium (Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros).