Registering a Swiss car in the UK

Hi Egon

This may help.

No problem at all with the car being a leftie! and you don't need to change lights odometer etc...

Thanks for your reply! I found this guide as well that says modifications need to be done...


I checked that link before but it doesn't specify any potential costs. I'm gonna give HMRC a call to have more guidance as well (at the moment it's impossible to get through the line).

Egon

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

The UK Government have a website with all the details of the things you need to do; this link will take you straight there.

With regards to lights, it depends.  When I last imported a left-hand drive car into the UK, I did have to change the headlight units because they dip the wrong way.  However, more modern cars (like my current car), you can adjust the dipping motion from within the car, so it would not be necessary.

With regards to it being a leftie.  It very much depends on you; if you are one of those drivers that are in a hurry to get around and like to overtake the slow car in front of you, you are going to get very frustrated, but apart from that, no problem.

The other thing to consider is that it will have virtually no value in the UK when you come to change it for your next car.  A few dealers have joined together to create an export pool of desirable left-hand drive cars that are worth paying the shipping costs of re-exporting them, but they don't pay much.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for your reply!

My car is an "old" Peugeot 206 and I have been driving in the UK already for quite some time. I was more concerned for insurance considering I have a leftie? Do you know if I would have to change my odometer to MPH? Mine is currently in Kph only. The lights are fixed so I would need to get them changed.

Egon

Hi again.

When I imported our Toyota Starlet, I just stuck a sticker with the miles/km conversions on the dash; I didn't change my speedometer, it's not hard, 50 km is 30 miles ish, if you see a lampost, the speed limit is 50 km unless it says otherwise.

Lights  - yep - think you'll need new ones.

Shame about Berlin, I lived there for 2 years - great place.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for your reply, again!

So was it fine for the MOT to just have a sticker? I've been driving in the UK for some time and I got used to the conversion, I'm just wondering if it would be ok for the law too.

Egon

A few links that may help.

https://www.dvla-contact-number.co.uk/i … to-the-uk/https://www.carimportsolutions.co.uk/re … -cars.htmlhttps://www.confused.com/on-the-road/dr … -in-the-uk

Kletten wrote:

Thanks for your reply, again!

So was it fine for the MOT to just have a sticker? I've been driving in the UK for some time and I got used to the conversion, I'm just wondering if it would be ok for the law too.

Egon

That poster from an Insurer does mention the odometer being changed; we didn't have to when we did ours, but it was a few years back now; check out the local scrap yards for a replacement.

So was it fine for the MOT to just have a sticker? I've been driving in the UK for some time and I got used to the conversion, I'm just wondering if it would be ok for the law too.

That's what I did 25 years ago, our speedometer didn't have a mile converter on it, so I had no choice but to use a sticker.  My advice today - ask at the MOT station; this link will take you to the UK Gov sebsite that lists all of them.