Classic car insurance

Yes, you can get classic car insurance if your car has modifications. But, the price of your insurance might be higher than usual, as your insurer could view your modification as an additional risk.

Your insurance company might see modifications, such as a high-quality re-spray or a flashier upholstery, as an attraction for thieves. Any anything that increases your classic car's performance could mean a more expensive repair bill after an accident.

If you’re going to make modifications to your car, always tell your insurer what modifications you have made. Not doing so means you’ll be in danger of invalidating any future claims.

A car has to be over 15 years old and worth £15,000 or more to be considered a classic car, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Yes, you can get classic car insurance if you’re under 25. However, there may be restrictions related to:

• The type of car your drive
• How and where you drive the car

Most under 25 classic car insurance providers only agree to insure you if you've had a driving licence for at least a year. There are many things you can do to help you lower the cost of classic car insurance like:

• Complete a Pass Plus driving course
• Buy a used or older classic car
• Avoid buying a car with modifications

Classic cars are usually viewed by insurance companies as for recreational use and not for commuting. Some policies also have a cap on annual mileage, for example, 2,500 miles per year.

There are policies that allow you to use your classic car for commuting but the price of your insurance is likely to go up. It's worth checking the price of a policy for commuting against social use only to see if it's worth upgrading your cover.

An agreed valuation is the amount your insurer agrees to pay if your car is written off after a crash.

To get an agreed value, you must let your insurer know how much your car is worth. Hopefully, your classic car insurer then agrees to this amount or negotiates an alternative amount. This is the sum you get if your car is seriously damaged in an accident.

Getting an ‘agreed valuation’ for your classic car offers peace of mind if your car is written off.

If you don’t have agreed value, any claim is settled at the market value of your car the at time of the claim. This means you could lose money against its value when you took out the policy.

A substantial change refers to any vehicle alterations that have changed the technical characteristics of the main features of the car. This only includes vehicle alterations from within the last 30 years.

For example, replacing the chassis, body, axles or engine to change the way the vehicle works.

Substantial changes, like modifications, have the potential to significantly increase your car insurance costs. If you're thinking about making changes to your classic car, talk to your insurer first.

You can compare classic American car insurance quotes with Confused.com.

When you start your car insurance quote, either enter your reg number or search by manufacturer, model year of manufacture.

Depending on the age of the car, you might see fewer quotes than with a more modern car. But you can still compare classic car insurance quotes for your prized Cadillac or Chevy in no time.

Getting classic car insurance when you're 17 years old might be a little trickier than for older drivers. You would have to run a quote to see if you were offered any results from our panel. But remember as we don't offer specific classic car insurance, always check with the insurance company on any limitations, or extras you might need before agreeing to proceed.

Usually, classic car insurance is only available for drivers who are at least 18 years old. This is because many policies ask for the policyholder to have held their driving licence for at least a year.

But if you can find specialist classic car insurance for 17 year old's elsewhere, there might be extra requirements such as:

• Belonging to a classic car owners' club
• Limits on the age of the car e.g. no older than 30 years
• Annual mileage caps
• Clean driving history

Classic car clubs could have several benefits for you:

• Tapping into the experience of fellow members for expert advice
• Potential discounts on services and related merchandise
• Depending on the insurance provider, being a member of a classic car club could give you a discount on your policy
• The joy of socialising with like-minded and passionate owners

You can find classic car owners' clubs at a local and national level, and you can be as involved as you want. If you're passionate about your classic car, it could be worth considering signing up.

Classic car insurance tends to be cheaper than standard insurance policies. This is because classic cars aren't out on the road all that often. Classic cars tend to be looked after by their owners, and those who drive classic cars tend to do so with greater care.

All this combined tends to make classic cars a lower risk to insure than more modern cars for everyday use. So you might find when comparing classic car insurance policies that the prices you see are more favourable.