Looking for Japanese Imported Car Insurance?
If you’ve spotted a great deal on a Japanese grey import car, then it’s good advice to look into Japanese imported car insurance before you buy.
Japanese imported cars are often the savvy car buyers choice, offering reliability and performance, with low mileage and a great price. Just sometimes though, savings can be offset by an increased cost in Japanese car insurance. This quick guides looks at the pros and cons of Japanese imported car insurance.
Are Japanese imported cars expensive to insure?
It can certainly be harder work to find competitive Japanese imported car insurance on grey imports. Insurers can be uneasy around cars not built to UK specifications and that don’t fit neatly within the ABI’s Group Ratings.
Japanese manufacturers have a reputation for building to high, reliable standards. This is one of the many reasons Japanese imported cars are so attractive to UK drivers, but sadly when it comes to insurance, standard insurers prefer to deal with known entities.
In addition to this:
Insurance for modified Japanese imported cars
Modifications are synonymous with Japanese cars. Enthusiasts relish the opportunities the Japanese car market gives them to customise their vehicles and there’s an established culture for Japanese modifications.
Sadly UK insurers are not great fans of modifications, especially any that effect performance or appearance. The faster and better looking the car, the greater the risk and the greater the cost to insure.
Security modifications such as installed tracking, enhanced alarms or upgraded immobilisers can actually reduce premiums.
Look for like-for-like insurance for all your modifications or you may only receive UK equivalent market value in the event of a claim.
Tips for saving on Japanese imported car insurance
Second-hand Japanese imported cars very often have lower mileage than similar vehicles available in the UK. They also have a reputation to deliver luxury car performance on a family car budget. Whatever your reason for buying a Japanese imported car, there a few things that never change when it comes to insuring a vehicle in the UK.
Insurers love customers with a record of not costing them money
Keeping your Japanese imported car in a secure garage helps to lower premiums
If you have more than one vehicle, second car or multi vehicle policies offer value for money, since shared mileage equals shared risk
Investing in an advanced driver qualification is often rewarded by insurers
If you are a member of a owners, manufacturers or enthusiasts club look for good deals from affiliated or recommended insurers
If your Japanese imported car is a classic, then classic car insurance lets you reap the benefits of limited mileage and recognises the care you take of your vehicle
Japanese Imported Car Insurance – Useful FAQs
It depends on your car. The Japanese drive on the left the same as in the UK, so the majority of their exports are right-hand drive. However, left-hand drives are considered higher status cars in Japan, so if you are looking at a performance model it may well be left-hand drive. Many UK insurers don’t discriminate between LHD and RHD.
Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota – these are all household names in the UK so why buy a Japanese grey import car? Many enthusiasts believe that Japanese cars made for the Japanese market are better than Japanese exports. There is also a school of thought that maintains that secondhand Japanese imported cars are better looked after by respectful owners than UK cars.
Popular examples of higher-end Japanese imported cars to reach our shores include the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the Toyota Supra and the Mazda MX5 and Eunos Roadster.
Imported Japanese campervans are very popular in the UK and so there are plenty of insurers specialising in campervan insurance that can help you.