[Sarun]

Hello friends,
I am planning to relocate to the UK by next year beginning. Right now I am based in Kuwait. I have a Chevrolet Traverse Premier 2019 Model. I really love this car and would like to take it with me. But I have few concerns and I really would appreciate it if anyone could give me some guidance.
1. Mine is a left hand drive car, so will that be a matter of concern to drive in the UK?
2. I believe, chevrolet has stopped their distribution in the UK so how well we can maintain and service the car?
3. Through Chevrolet site I came to know about a dealer near to Manchester, how genuine they are?
4. Also please share your feedback of owning a Chevy in the UK?

 

[Aussie Ed]

Hi Sarun,
1. Left hand drive is possible on UK roads with care. You need to bear in mind that UK roads are not as wide as those in Kuwait and vision for overtaking means much more of your vehicle has to move into the oncoming lane before you can 'see'.
2. Correct. There is no dealership support in UK/Europe for Chevrolet after GM withdrew in 2015. Basic servicing would be possible but obtaining parts even for the models which were marketed here in UK is becoming increasingly difficult. (The Forums are full of owners struggling to obtain replacement parts).
The Traverse model was never marketed here so parts are likely to be very problematic.
3. There are only two 'dealers' in UK and their role is to support the Camaro & Corvette owners. Anything else forget it !
Locations are at Parts USA at Stockport, and Ian Allen Motors at Virginia Water (Surrey).
4. I owned a Chevrolet Captiva for 8 years. It was a nice vehicle and suited my need at the time. It was not without problems but I took out Extended Warranty so my costs were limited and contained. Without extended warranty it would have been an expensive vehicle. I sold it 18 months ago.

General comments. Parts and support will be very problematic. Fuel is very expensive here compared to Kuwait/UAE/Oman etc. (I've just checked and it is over four times as expensive). UK doesnt cater for larger American sized vehicles in parking bays! When it comes to selling it in UK- you'll virtually have to give it away because few people will want it for reasons of :- 'wrong hand', cost of running it and insuring it, cost/frustration of parts availability.
The Cost of shipping it here has to be considered as a 'loss'. I fear it will simply be an expensive 'money pit'. In a few words - Dont bother bringing it here to UK. Sell it in Kuwait where you stand a better chance of finding a buyer who will pay a good market price for it.

I have been based in various locations around the World including the Middle East so these comments are made with past experience.

 

[Sarun]

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation, very informative.

 

[Metro1000]

In addition to the comments from Ed, I would add:

Don't underestimate the difficulty In getting an IVA for the car. Use the search box and search "Spark LHD" to see how a forum member failed to get IVA for a M400 Spark. Your car was not engineered for RHD so may well need bespoke headlight modifications to even be allowed to be used here.

US cars made for non-US markets may not be capable of equivalence with safety requirements. IVA notes actually singles out cars made for middle Eastern markets as being probable candidates for this.

Typical US (gasoline) vehicles are generally seen as crass, oversized and wasteful in the UK. I work in Cambridgeshire which has a fairly large amount due to them being here temporarily with the USAF. F150's barely fit the width of our roads, and a typical RAM 1500 requires 4 supermarket parking bays- your car would be similar. In truth, the larger US cars just look ridiculous in Europe
Also when some of them do escape into the wild and end up here permanently, they mostly get converted to LPG just to make the running cost reasonable. As of today, gasoline in the UK is just under 5 x the price in Kuwait, and is rising.

If you want to fit in here, rather than stick out, sell the car in Kuwait and when you get here, buy a Diesel Q7/Q8 or X5/X7 or local product like a Discovery/Defender.

 

[Sarun]

Thanks a lot.

I would really appreciate both of you for taking time and effort to share your thoughts.

God bless you guys