Adopting a Twingo

Registering a Twingo

Insuring a Twingo

Sales

Insuring Your Twingo

As anybody who has already imported a Twingo will tell you, insurance is a thorny subject. Those who have bought more recently will tell you just how thorny it is. You wouldn't imagine that something so cute could be scary, but because Twingo isn't officially available in Britain, most insurance companies are absolutely terrified of her. If you had a left-hand-drive Clio, you might expect a 10-20% extra lump on your annual premium; but Twingo seems to be tarred with the same brush as Japenese 'Grey' imports and American gas-guzzlers. This does not mean that you cannot get a reasonable deal.

Before we continue, there is one additional problem when importing your car. This is that many insurers will not cover your car until it is registered in the UK, but you cannot register your car in the UK without a valid insurance certifcate or cover note; so you have to shop around to find one of the few remaining who is prepared to insure your vehicle on its VIN (Vehicle Identifcation Number, or chassis number). This is not, as insurance companies would have you believe, due to 'new' European legislation. The relevant EC directives causing this confusion are not new, but only recently brought to the attention of insurers, and basically state that insurance should be issued in the country in which a car is registered, and this regulation (allegedly) even applies to cars wearing Transit Plates.

When seeking insurance quotes, pay full attention to the way the sales representative asks you for information about your car, and what exactly they ask. Some, Tesco Personal Finance for example, treat Twingo just as any other car in Britain - they have all range details on file, and know each model as well as the difference between Twingo (1992-1998) and Twingo2 (1998-present). Many do not seem to acknowledge different Twingo models, which could mean that owners of the base models pay too much or that Initiale owners do not receive the level of cover that a model of that specification deserves.

Some brokers even quote on the basis of LHD Renault5 or Clio models, which is potentially dodgy: in the event of a claim, the insurance inspector who finds a Twingo where he expected to find a Clio may well advise the insurance company that the quote is invalid because the car does not match its description. In any dispute between broker and insurer, it would be the Twingo owner who lost out.

Twingo Club GB recommends the following insurers:

• Tesco Personal Finance (0845 300 44 00 - on-line service does not currently accept Twingo)
• Privilege (0113 243 9988)
• Footman James (0121 561 6208).

Norwich Union, Hill House Hammond and Direct Line are all also know to quote for insurance on the Twingo for sleceted drivers.

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