Import Car Insurance Guide Insuring your Japanese vehicle Cars that are imported from Japan offer real value for money and can also be a great way to get a pre-owned car from a manufacturer such as Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Honda. This type of purchasing can usually result in you receiving a car which is right hand drive and very often in better condition with lower mileage and a higher specification than a comparable UK car. Before investing your money in a Japanese import you should consider your three main options: Standard Japanese Imports This category of import is usually similar to a UK model but with a generally higher specification, air conditioning for example is standard on all Japanese cars. Insuring a car that falls into the standard Japanese import category should be relatively straightforward, but you will need to declare anything that is included that would be over and above that of the UK spec of the same model. You will usually find that many of the available insurance companies will have little problem offering you cover for this type of vehicle and using a car insurance comparison site to shop around will help you get the best deal. Japanese sports car imports Importing a Japanese sports car gives you the opportunity to drive cars that are otherwise hard to find in the UK, such as the Toyota Soarer or the Nissan 350Z automatic. These are typically high performance cars and because they are also imports, you may find insurers a little more cautious about offering cover because of the higher risk they present. The rarer cars will tend to cost more to insure than many others because parts will be harder to source, and may need to be imported which will often result in a longer repair time, and will likely require specialist fitting. This category of car will commonly be best to insure with a specialist insurer and will likely need a little more leg work to find the best deal. Modified Japanese imports Imported Japanese cars with modifications to the performance, styling or audio equipment can be difficult to insure; it will usually vary depending on the individual modifications but a minor alteration to the cars styling will likely be easier to insure than a complete customisation of the car’s bodywork for example. Any modifications to the performance or handling of the car will almost certainly require a specialist policy. Finding the best deal for a Japanese import Determining the right insurance for your car should not be based solely on the price of the policy – the level of insurance offered by the policy should be held as an important consideration, this is especially important if your car belongs to the sports car or modified categories above, or if it is a high specification model. While it is always worth using a comparison website to check car insurance prices it is certainly also worth checking the specialist insurers who will occasionally offer unique policies for grey imports. Examples of options can include: Agreed valuations that may reflect that ‘market value’ does not necessarily represent the vehicle’s true worth Cover for taking part in events such as a rally or car show. Discounts for advanced driving qualifications, such as the Pass Plus and Max Driver schemes. Like-for-like cover for any modifications made. Limited mileage discounts Owners club / car club membership discounts. The list of specialist insurers available includes Adrian Flux, Footman James, Lifesure, Performance Direct, Privilege and many more. How you can save money on insurance for Japanese imports As well as shopping around and going the extra mile to cut your premium and put money back in your pocket you could: Improve security Discuss suitable security devices with your insurer (such as GPS trackers, immobilisers or alarms) that will lower your premium No-claims discounts Careful driving and no convictions could save you as much as 60% on your premium over five years Park in a garage at night Keep your Japanese import safely under lock and key to prevent theft of the car or its parts, and vandalism. Remember when you are deciding which insurance policy to buy for your Japanese import its worth getting car insurance quotes before you buy so you can factor in all costs and budget appropriately.