There appears to be some confusion over vehicle insurance recently, so the following information may clarify matters. It is pretty boring, but may be worth putting in the Resource Forum to save wasting time on it again. One German was killed recently in a mini-bus accident when doing his visa-run from Pattaya, so it is worth knowing where you stand in the event of an accident.



Licences.

The only licences valid in Thailand, as in most countries, are national (Thai) and International licences. International licences are valid for 90 days from the date of entry (eg OK for a 30/60/90 day visa). Some licences from neighbouring countries can be used for a limited period in border areas where border crossing by vehicle is allowed, such as Malaysia. Licences from other countries may be accepted by some (many!) car/motorcycle renters, even police, but they are not legally valid and could invalidate any insurance claim. Any separate medical insurance claim could also be invalidated if you are involved in an accident and driving without insurance as technically you are committing an illegal act.



Car / Motorcycle Insurance.

3 levels of vehicle insurance are optionally available in addition to Government insurance, which is mandatory, although it can be difficult to obtain the additional cover for motorcycles.



Government Insurance.

Without Government insurance a vehicle cannot be taxed, and tax and government insurance must run concurrently. It costs around B400 for a motorcycle and B1,000 for a car; coverage is minimal and limited to personal injury/death of a third party (anyone you hit). If at fault in an accident you are still liable for the costs of all damage, most hospital costs, etc and this could prove very expensive.



Class 3 Insurance (Third Party).

This is the minimum you need if you are to avoid paying medical costs and vehicle/material/personal damage caused to a third party (anyone you hit) excluding those in your car/on your motorcycle if you are at fault. Cost is from B5,000 up; there are limits to all claims but these are usually sufficient unless you are unfortunate to cause a multiple pile-up of a convoy of Mercedes. The damage to the other vehicle is the responsibility of the insurance company to repair, not you, so you need not worry if the repairs are sub-standard - which they almost certainly will be as the insurance company will send the vehicle to be repaired at their own garage which will do the cheapest job possible, unless the car is under 6 months old in which case it will normaly go to a registered dealer.



Class 2 Insurance (Third Party Fire & Theft).

In addition to Class 3, Class 2 covers total loss of the car due to fire or theft. This is normally limited to 80% of the book value of the car, which is stated on the policy - this can vary considerably from insurer to insurer and can even be negotiated, within reason, so shop around. Cost is from around B7,000 up, depending on the value of the car.



Class 1 Insurance (Fully Comprehensive).

In addition to Class 2, Class 1 insurance covers any vehicle/material/personal damage to you, your car and your passengers, hospital costs, etc. Cost is from B13,000 up, again depending on the value of the car, and is normally not available for cars over 10 years old. The same caveat applies to repair policy as with Class 3, namely that it will be at the lowest cost possible, does not necessarily mean original (or even similar!) parts, etc. I know of one case recently where one man had Class 1 insurance and paid an additional B5,000 premium per year to ensure his car was repaired at an authorised dealer; following an accident (not his fault, but the other driver had no licence, insurance, money, etc) the insurers refused to honour the contract and the car was repaired so badly that it is undriveable and unsafe and is now only saleable as scrap/spare parts (albeit with a nice cosmetic spray job!)



No Claims Bonus.

The No Claims Bonus you build up if you do not make any claims (up to 40% discount) is tied to the vehicle not the owner/driver, so when you sell your car the discount goes with it; it is transferable from owner to owner, not vehicle to vehicle.



Rental Cars.

Cars used for "hire and reward", specifically cars you rent to drive yourself or with a driver you supply, should be covered by Rental insurance. This will be insisted on by most reputable companies, who may want the driver to be named, but not by all; without it you are only covered by Government insurance (effectively nothing). If renting a car check any exclusions in the policy and any damage excess (often the first B5,000). Very few rented motorcycles are covered, especially large ones, although it is available and can be obtained separately.



Taxi-Meters.

Taxis, as they are known to most westerners, are called taxi-meters here. They need a specific licence to pick-up and put down passengers, are metered, and recognisable by a yellow licence plate. Those painted yellow and green are owner-drivers, those painted any other colour are owned by companies (shown by the colour) and rented to a licenced driver. They need the equivalent of Class 1 insurance to be licenced.



Limousines / Taxis.

Mini-cabs, as they are known to most westerners, are called taxis or limousines here - those calling themselves limousines are generally newer, better quality cars. Genuine limousines (either a "stretch" or a town car) are available here, but generally only in Bangkok. Taxis/limousines need a specific licence and are recognisable by a green licence plate; again, they have to have the equivalent of Class 1 insurance to be licenced. Any other car, pick-up, etc, is not licenced, is technically not covered by the correct insurance legally required and any other insurance could be invalidated in the event of an accident.



Uninsurable Vehicles.

Any vehicle which has been illegally modified (and technically very few modifications are legal here) is technically uninsured. This definitely includes "Pattaya Jeeps" which, although they may appear to be registered, taxed and insured, are not insured as they are no longer the car from which they were made (and still registered). You drive these enirely at your own risk.

Any vehicle under 80cc, such as the many "Pops"/ small scooters in Pattaya, cannot be registered so cannot be insured. It is technically illegal to drive these on any road, although their use on small sois is normally ignored by the police.

No electric vehicles can be registered/ insured here, so their use on the road is again technically illegal but normally ignored by the police (particularly if a golf cart has a pair of crutches in the back!). This may changesoon due to pressure from producers / potential users of electric vehicles and rising fuel costs.



Road Tests and Tax.

After 7 years for a car and 3 years for a motorcycle they have to be tested (lights, emissions, noise, etc) by a registered test centre before they can be taxed. The payment of a small "fee" (B100 - 300) can circumvent this!



Recommendations.

Car insurance. My own cars are insured with Liberty Insurance on Class 2 insurance as they are the cheapest I found but offered the highest stated value in the event of Fire or Theft. Their repair standards are abysmal - a friend's car hit while stationary by a car insured with them took 2 months to repair when it should have taken a week, plus supervision by me - but in the event of an accident that is not my affair. I would not accept the repair standards offered by insurance companies here for any repair involving structural damage, so Class 1 insurance would be wasted.

Insurance Agents. I used to do all my insurance (car/motorcycle/house/medical/life) through one agent (an MLIA, recommended recently by one poster on this board) whom I had used for a number of years until I noticed a number of costly / potentially costly mistakes. First he advised me to keep up the extra insurance on one car I no longer drove and was selling so that I would not lose my No Claims Bonus; I only found out later that the Bonus was not transferable to another car, so I had paid for nothing. Secondly, he "negotiated" a discount of 20% for me on a quotation for insuring four cars - when I read the policy I had in detail for one of the cars, with the same company, I saw that I was automatically entitled to a 30% discount if I insured 3 cars or more with them. Thirdly, and finally, following a visit to my house he recommended a specific insurance policy for the house, which I bought; on checking the full policy in detail on receipt it was immediately clear that the policy was invalid due to the construction of the house. needless to say he no longer does any of my insurance. I know of no other good insurance broker in Pattaya so I go instead direct to the insurance companies - not generally recommended as a good broker can sometimes negotiate / pull strings for you, but at least I can be sure of exactly what I am getting.

Taxis. Unless they are licenced, with a green plate, no "taxi" is licenced and properly insured and any insurance they have could technically be invalidated; this is only one of many factors, however. How good is the driver? What hours does he work - has he slept? Has the car been serviced regularly and properly? Is the car owned by the company / individual renting it and, if not, do they know its service history? Is it comfortable? How reliable is their timekeeping? Are there any hidden extras (toll fees,etc)? How much is it??  I only use taxis for going to / from the airport; i have used Image, who are very good but pricey (I would prefer their drivers not to be dressed like vaudeville waiters, but that is by the by!) and I have used cheaper owner drivers; it depends on the circumstances. I do not like Thai Airways, as the attitude of the staff in the Pattaya office is surly to the point of rudeness, but often they are the simplest choice when returning from the airport. Pay your money and make your choice.



Travel Insurance.

Some time ago one poster asked about insurance for a relative visiting him who was interested in various "extreme sports", such as bungee jumping. I can unreservedly recommend Travel and Activity Insurance from the British Mountaineering Council (www.thebmc.co.uk) who offer various levels of insurance for virtually any activity up to and including a solo ascent of K2! Depending on what you need covered, and for how long, their rates are surprisingly cheap and their coverage very comprehensive indeed.



Is anyone still awake?? Again, I suggest this is moved to the Resource Forum so that none of it has to be repeated!