UK registered vehicles are rarely seen now

UK registered vehicles are now a rarity. Have just returned from a camping car trip around the Vendee departments 16 and 17 before returning to department 24.
In the 8 days we have been travelling we haven’t seen 1 uk registered vehicle!!
Of course Covid restrictions play a big part in this as no holiday makers but I think Brexit has finally flushed out those who couldn’t be bothered to play by the rules so there are positives, or perhaps this is the only one?

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I hope you are right, but not convinced. Just been down to the Drome, quite a few UK reg on the road.

I was out and about (Aubusson area) yesterday and saw at least 4 UK plated cars, one I recognised as being a local holiday home owner.

Very few the otherside of the Tarn, Mark, but there again I haven’t been over to Cordes and around for a while, that’s where they usually are!

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I see one outside my house every day…

And another in the garden

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I think a there’s a small minority who’ve been living here and driving U.K. registered vehicles for years as no-one’s been checking up on them.

They’re in for a shock.

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Plenty of UK registered vehicles around the Confolens, Chabanais, Roumazières-Loubert area.
Some of these have been here for years.

I recently heard that someone outside the Hope Charity shop in Confolens checked the UK registration numbers against the DVLA database, and most were showing as SORNed.

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There are certainly plenty round here (Manche). Some are probably visitors but most have rather obviously been here for years!

Which usually means they’re not insured in the U.K. nor in France.

Alas, until they get pulled over by the Gendarmes or, even worse, cause an accident, they’ll carry on driving their precious RHD cars.

I think the day is not far away when the authorities will come down hard on such people.

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I hope they do. If you’re going to be resident in France, live by French rules.

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In the spirit of full disclosure :wink: we do have a RHD car in the "fleet :joy: " for the occasional long trips to RHD land. Though, she’s on French plates of course.

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The Elgrand is insured and owned by my garage in the UK, is taxed and mot’d and goes back to the UK every 2-3 months, Gendarmes were not bothered last month when they checked it’s paperwork at a road check :thinking:.
I know a few British who have been over here for 15-25 years and still drive RHD cars, if that’s what your comfortable with I am not sanctimonious enough to berrate them for it.

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We still do, but only because too bloody expensive to change it. We would loose a lot of money selling ours (even in UK) and buying the same age/model in LHD. (Edit…it is French reg, but so long ago that only cost price of new plates)

Like Jane i have kept my RHD drive car due to not wanting to lose any more money on it than it has already. Of course I have registered it onto French plates so am complying with the law, unlike the many i see in the supermarket car parks week after week over the last two years.

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I have no axe to grind with anyone who has a right hand drive car and lives here, I ran one for 9 years before going fully left hand. It was of course French registered.
What does annoy me is when the right hand drive is on UK plates being owned and driven by a French resident.
Obviously there are a few UK registered vehicles here currently owned by late arrivals who are in the process of getting French immatriculation but soon that process will have run its course and then the net will tighten.

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I have never had the spare 1100 & something euros necessary to change to French reg.
My vehicle has always been insured, CT 'ed, & maintained.
I’m not a retiree with a wonderful pension plan, either.
I’ve spent 19 years here, & have owned lhd french reg vehicles…in fact, I still have one…
But when finances are strained, keeping a roof over your head, & eating every day very often take priority, over simple compliance with rules.
Please be careful not to over generalise…individual circumstances may differ.
We’re not all living under the radar…some of us are just getting by, day to day; week to week.

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As for me right hand drive on FR plates, but i dont careless what others do they make the choice nowtto do with me.

I think some people consider all RHD cars are UK registered…

There are two in my local village on UK plates belonging to the same house.

The car’s not been insured since 2019, no MOT cert since 2020, SORNed and no export marker.
Their van hasn’t been insured or MOTd since 2011. No export marker.

No French insurance or CT vignette in the windscreen either.

I really don’t understand how people can be happy driving an illegal vehicle with no insurance.

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