UK Horsebox French reg car?

UK Horsebox French reg car?

Author
Discussion

leyorkie

Original Poster:

1,683 posts

183 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
Am buying an Ifor Williams Horsebox in the UK and taking it to France, I know it needs to be registered in France with its own Carte Gris and insurance.
My question is how am I fixed for the trip back when the trailer is not registered in France.
Anybody done this with a trailer or caravan?
I can fit a plate from my car off a small trailer for the trip from Calais to home and then register it, but will I be falling foul on insurance.
Can I register a trailer before collecting if I get the chassis number etc before the trailer is in France?

Thanks in advance for any information.

magooagain

10,806 posts

177 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
You won't be able to register it with out it having been inspected at the DRIRE.

You may get you're assurance company to insure it,if you give the make and chassis number.

Is it new? If so ,going to an Iffor Williams dealership here in France may e of some help in pre registering it.

Would it load onto a hired French plated vehicle trailor? Some have a large width.

Have a look at S J L location website.or other plant hire company's.

smifffymoto

4,771 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
In theory you can't tow a trailer that isn't French registered with a French registered car.

What weight is the trailer(max weight)?

Rushjob

1,988 posts

265 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
Contact Ifor Williams in the UK to try to get a Certificate of Conformity before you try to register it, ( NOT the French distributor who were worse than awful when a friend tried to register an IW trailer he'd brought from the UK )
If you have this and the model was sold in France with the same EU code then it will ease the registration by probably avoiding DRIRE

leyorkie

Original Poster:

1,683 posts

183 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
smifffymoto said:
In theory you can't tow a trailer that isn't French registered with a French registered car.

What weight is the trailer(max weight)?
It's over 500 kg
max load weight over 2 tonnes which is over the cars limit but it will be empty.

leyorkie

Original Poster:

1,683 posts

183 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
[quote=Rushjob]Contact Ifor Williams in the UK to try to get a Certificate of Conformity before you try to register it, ( NOT the French distributor who were worse than awful when a friend tried to register an IW trailer he'd brought from the UK )
If you have this and the model was sold in France with the same EU code then it will ease the registration by probably avoiding DRIRE[/quote

I'm hoping it is standard as it's the same spec as France so should be CoC and not require DRIRE

Frexit

33 posts

94 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
I imported an Ifor williams 505 horse box.
I have a French registered car and I just bought it back with a duplicate of the french # plate.
This is NOT the correct way to do it , but it worked.
I then requested an attestation de conformité from IW France, but they sent an attestation of partial conformity as the fog light was on the wrong side.
I went to the préfecture and when queried as to why it said 'partial' I just blagged it and said it was normal in an assertive tone.
I then got a carte grise.

Note that in France you need a driving licence with Catagory E to allow you to drive a braked trailer.
Note that the prefecture will need a written proof of purchase as they do not readily understand that trailers in the UK do not have a log book.
Good Luck

leyorkie

Original Poster:

1,683 posts

183 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
quotequote all
[quote=Rushjob]Contact Ifor Williams in the UK to try to get a Certificate of Conformity before you try to register it, ( NOT the French distributor who were worse than awful when a friend tried to register an IW trailer he'd brought from the UK )
If you have this and the model was sold in France with the same EU code then it will ease the registration by probably avoiding DRIRE[/quote

I'm hoping it is standard as it's the same spec as France so should be CoC and not require DRIRE

magooagain

10,806 posts

177 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
quotequote all
Iffor Williams will want 100 pounds min for a coc.

I would just tow it on a Sunday with a duplicate plate on the trailor,but it's not the correct way to do it.

Expatloon

216 posts

164 months

Saturday 4th February 2017
quotequote all
The only place you will stand any chance whatsoever of getting insurance for it will be with your own car insurer, you will not find any other who will cover a trailer on it's own only in conjunction with the tow vehicle, the reason for this is to avoid any possible arguments about which company was liable in case of an accident.

The insurance question is moot though because you have another more serious problem and it's a show stopper.

leyorkie said:
max load weight over 2 tonnes which is over the cars limit but it will be empty.
Whether it's empty or not if it's gross weight is above the limit for the tow vehicle then it cannot tow it - period, and for that reason alone any insurance you did secure for it would be rendered instantly invalid.

In short there is no legal way to tow such a trailer either in UK or France.

BTW as the total train weight will very likely be in excess of 3,500kg I presume you have a covering UK licence or a French one with group E ?

Expatloon

216 posts

164 months

Saturday 4th February 2017
quotequote all
Frexit said:
Note that in France you need a driving licence with Catagory E to allow you to drive a braked trailer.
That is not true, weight is the governing factor not whether a trailer has brakes or not.

Example 1: Brakes are required for trailers with a gross weight of 750kg or over, group B permits you to drive a vehicle or vehicle/trailer combo of up to 3,500kg so with a 750kg braked trailer the tow vehicle would itself have to be 2750kg gross before group E would be required.

Exampe 2: I have a French registered single axle car trailer which has a gross weight of 1300kg, with my car the train weight is under 3,500kg which means that I can drive it with my group B French licence.

It's clearly laid out here:


smifffymoto

4,771 posts

212 months

Sunday 5th February 2017
quotequote all
I had a Fautras plated at 2.7T and towed with a Pathfinder.Towing with anything other than a large 4x4 would be dangerous.

Expatloon

216 posts

164 months

Sunday 5th February 2017
quotequote all
I recently saw an unladen twin axle car trailer being towed by a Renault Clio, it overtook me and I was doing 110kph !

Frexit

33 posts

94 months

Sunday 5th February 2017
quotequote all
silly me , yes you're right Expatloon .. looks like the OP will be getting a new 4x4 in the UK as well

Expatloon

216 posts

164 months

Sunday 5th February 2017
quotequote all
If it's a new trailer then it should come with an EU CoC in which case there may be a chance to preregister it with a WW plate.

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroi...

Doesn't get over the weight issues though.

lowdrag

13,033 posts

220 months

Monday 13th February 2017
quotequote all
I have a Brian James race trailer and there is no way I can register it here. The advice given by the manufacturer is that they have tried but each one would need evaluation and probably be refused. If you finalise the purchase ensure have a ton of aspirin with because you will need them! A veritable cauchemar.

Expatloon

216 posts

164 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2017
quotequote all
Yep, sometimes what can appear to be an easy way turns out to be anything but !

There have been numerous instances where folk have bought French plated cars in UK believing it would ease the process only to end up with something which they can neither drive nor sell weeping

Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread seems apt wink