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Antique and Collectible Car Insurance Tips

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Written by Sam Davidson

Thursday, 01 May 2008

by SamDavidson

If you drive a classic car, you know you are required to have car insurance, but the insurance needs for your classic car are not the same as for your every day car. For your classic car, you will want specialty insurance. Just as your classic car is different from your daily car, specialty insurance differs from stand insurance in some critical ways.

Specialty insurance is available for a wide variety of collectible cars, from antique autos to restored muscle cars to custom cars. While traditional insurance is required for every car on the road, custom cars aren't required to have to have specialty insurance, even though the car may not be fully covered under a standard policy.

Antique car insurance covers cars that may have gaps in standard coverage, but not every car that is antique or modified will qualify for specialty insurance. Standard insurance is available for all cars, but cars must meet certain criteria to be covered by specialty insurance. Cars that are over 25 years old used to be considered collectible, but that is not the case now. Just because your car is 30 years old doesn't mean that it will qualify for specialty insurance.

To qualify for antique car insurance a car must have certain specific characteristics. Some of the characteristics are unique body shapes, muscle cars, foreign sports cars, convertibles and big block V8 engines. To qualify as a "classic car" by law the vehicle must be at least 25 years old. Your local BMV can help you determine your car's eligibility.

Other vehicles that may qualify for antique car insurance coverage are older trucks, older fire trucks and other commercial vehicles and hot rod cars that have been fitted with hydraulic suspension systems. Collectible motorcycles like the Indian Chief and the older Harley Davidsons can also be insured with a specialty policy.

If you determine that your car qualifies for antique car insurance, there are some restrictions and differences from traditional insurance that you should know about. Regular insurance is designed to protect cars that are daily drivers and are often put in situations where damage can occur. Antique car insurance often places restrictions on the use of the collectible cars to limit the chance that the car will be damaged.

Some specialty insurance policies won't cover daily driving of the car. Vintage car insurance policies also usually state that the cars must be garage kept at all times. These measures lower the risk that an rare antique car will be involved in an accident. These measures help keep premiums for specialty insurance 80% lower than typical insurance costs.

One difference from standard insurance and classic car insurance is the types of policies you can purchase. In standard insurance, vehicles that have been in an accident will either be repaired or will be deemed "totaled" and a check will be issued to the owner for the actual cash value. Classic car insurance policies can be assigned an "Agreed Value." An agreed value policy ensures car owners that they will receive a prior agreed upon amount in the event of an accident. An agreed value policy does not depreciate a car's value in contrast to actual cash value policies and stated value policies.

About the Author:

The author has written several articles on Antique Insurance Reviews and is a known insurance expert who also writes articles on VIN numbers for Decode This! He has several other vehicle related web sites.

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