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Your Career• 3 Min read

1st September 2020

Buying A Car In England – What You Need To Know

The UK has a fantastic public transport system in many inner-city areas, but if you are teaching in rural areas, transport links can be sporadic at best! It may help you to have the use of a car while you work in the UK, this blog post covers the ins and outs of obtaining and legally driving a vehicle on UK roads.

Can South African License Holders Drive In The UK?

South Africa is a ‘designated country’ within the UK, which means you are legally allowed to drive for up to 12 months if you hold a valid South African driving license. After that, you’ll have to exchange your South African driving license for a UK one. Find out more information about driving license for South African’s here. The UK drives on the left-hand side of the road and the national speed limit is 60mph, up to 70mph on motorways.

Read more about rules of the road in the UK here

Purchasing A Car In The UK

Choosing to purchase a new or used car in the UK gives you a wide variety of options. Car dealerships will happily sell you a brand-new vehicle, and used car dealerships are a treasure trove of cars that often have a low mileage and lots of life left in them. You can also buy a car from a huge variety of online marketplaces, but always make sure you view and test a vehicle before paying out any money – it’s not usual in the UK for people selling used cars to ask for a deposit before it’s viewed.  Download a used car checklist before viewing a vehicle or take someone knowledgeable about car maintenance with you.

Leasing A Car In The UK

Leasing is a popular route to car ownership in the UK although it’s not the cheapest option. When leasing a car, you won’t own it, but you’ll pay a monthly rental fee for a fixed amount of time, after which you’ll return the car or pay a one-off fee to purchase the car outright. It’s a great way to drive a higher-end vehicle than you might want to purchase, but you will end up paying more for the vehicle if you choose to buy it at the end of your contract.  Many firms offer packages specifically for people coming to work in the UK from designated countries so it’s worth shopping around. It’s likely that you will have to provide proof of income to lease a car in the UK.

If you are looking for more info about the costs associated with moving to the UK, there’s a great summary here.

When Should You Start Looking For A Car?

Unless you are buying straight off the production line, it makes sense to wait until to get to the UK before making a purchase. You can hire a car through a car hire company for a short duration if you need one in the first few days of your visit – you’ll have to pay a deposit, stick to a certain mileage and ensure your return the car with a full tank of petrol as many companies will charge over the odds for fuel refilling if you don’t!

Having a car in England will give you access to some wonderful places to visit and explore! There are lots of great reasons to come and teach in the UK – find out more about all aspects of relocating in our article, How To Become A Teacher In The UK.

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