UK to Iran by car - insurance question

Question

My husband and I are Australians who want to buy a car in the UK and drive it to Iran through Europe (incl. Eastern Europe), Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan etc. We want to leave ASAP once we have the practicalities sorted.

Our plan is to then drive back to the UK by Christmas and sell the car there (this way we don't have to pay for export etc).

It has been much more difficult than expected finding out about insurance for this, and I was hoping someone might be able to help us. Most importantly, we want to have third party liability insurance for the entire trip.

So, our questions are:

1. Has anyone else done this trip?

2. Did you buy international insurance? A few insurance companies (including Clements that I read about on a Horizons Unlimited thread) have said they will cover us for Europe and Turkey, but not Iran (or the 'Stans' area).

3. If you did manage to buy international insurance that covered Iran etc, who did you go through and how much did it cost (roughly)?

4. The other option we are considering is buying insurance for Europe and Turkey, then buying insurance at the border for these other countries (eg Iran). Does anyone know if this is possible, or have you done it? Is it easy enough to do?

5. Any other tips on sorting out the practicalities for such a trip, especially around insurance, would be very much appreciated.

P.S. We are buying the car in the UK instead of continental Europe because as Australians on a tourist visa we can't buy a car in Europe without residency. We know that they drive on the other side in the UK, so are looking for a left-hand vehicle there (and if that's not possible, we'll just have to cope!)

Answer 1

I haven't done the trip but I know some who did it as part of the Mongol Rally. I checked with them - being Australians, they bought their insurance through 1Cover so they definitely covered the whole trip including driving from Europe (London) through to Iran and beyond. The Rally itself suggests Campbell Irvine, which suggests they will also cover that scenario.

The participants also suggest that, based off their research, if you're not in the rally any insurance company should be fine as long as you have the right licenses and drive appropriately.

Answer 2

This is too long to post in a comment, not the answer to your question, but needed to know for Azerbaijan and Armenia. There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, largely due to the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

From U.S Department of State Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements section.

• Law enforcement officials have at times detained individuals from Armenia or with Armenian surnames for questioning or denied them entry into the country.
• Please be aware that traveling to the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories via Armenia could make you ineligible to travel to Azerbaijan in the future.

from Wikitravel Get in section.

• Entry will be refused to citizens of Armenia, citizens of Armenian ancestry, and anyone carrying products made in Armenia or with
  Armenian labelling. You may also be refused entry depending on how
  many trips you have made to Armenia in the past so do stay alert.
• Anybody showing proof of entry to Nagorno-Karabakh without prior consent from the Azerbaijani government will either be deported or
  arrested by the immigration authorities and will then be permanently
  banned from entering the country. Should anybody enter the separatist territory by accident, it is strongly recommended that they clear the situation with their local Azerbaijani consultate since the local
  justice system will do absolutely nothing to support your case.
• Any foreign national having a visa to visit Armenia may expect to be hassled/harassed by border patrol.