Navigating the Maze: My Experience with Young Person Classic Car Insurance
For many young car enthusiasts, owning a classic car as a first vehicle is the ultimate dream. However, securing affordable Young Person Classic Car Insurance can feel like an insurmountable hurdle, often shattering those dreams before they even get rolling. This isn’t a definitive ‘how-to’ guide, but rather my personal experience of navigating the bizarre and often frustrating world of classic car insurance as a 19-year-old driver in the UK.
The Dream vs. The Insurance Reality
Like most young petrolheads, years before I could legally drive, I spent hours browsing classifieds for classic cars under £2,000. Back then, I naively assumed the only costs were the purchase price and fuel – oh, how wrong I was! The reality of car insurance hadn’t yet sunk in.
When I turned 17 and started seriously looking for my first car, my heart was still set on a classic – something unique that none of my friends would have. I vividly remember finding what seemed like the perfect car: a 1.4 Honda Civic EF hatchback. With only 44,000 miles from new, it looked immaculate, a genuine bargain at £2,200. My excitement quickly faded when I started generating insurance quotes. The cheapest annual premium was more than the cost of the car itself. Confused, I called several insurance companies. They explained that the car was too old for a telematics device, or “black box,” which many insurers require to monitor driving habits and potentially lower premiums for young drivers. Without the black box option, the risk was deemed too high, resulting in astronomical quotes.
A Temporary Detour: The First Car
At that point, the classic car dream seemed out of reach. I reluctantly shifted my focus towards finding a car that could be fitted with a black box to make insurance feasible. After much searching, I settled on a Mk7 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S. It proved to be an excellent first car – fun to drive, reasonably affordable to insure for a young driver, and it continues to serve me well.
The Classic Car Arrives: Round Two with Insurance
Despite having a sensible daily driver, the classic car itch persisted. In May 2019, I made an impromptu purchase: a 1990 Volkswagen Corrado 1.8 16v. Trying to get insured on this classic beauty having held my license for less than a year, and having only just turned 18, was practically impossible unless I was prepared to pay upwards of £2,500 per year. That simply wasn’t viable. The temporary solution was to insure the Corrado under my parents’ names, allowing them to drive it occasionally and keep it running, for a modest £90 annual premium. We decided I would try again to get insured on it myself once I turned 19 and had more driving experience under my belt.
Cracking the Code: Finding Affordable Young Person Classic Car Insurance
Fast forward to May 2020. My 19th birthday was approaching, and I’d held my full driving license for just over 18 months. It was time to tackle the classic car insurance challenge again. My requirements were clear: fully comprehensive cover, myself as the primary driver, and all modifications declared.
I started by gathering quotes from various comparison websites. The results were initially discouraging, with the cheapest quotes hovering around £1,500. It felt like I might have to wait another year. However, I persisted, trying different comparison platforms. Eventually, one site returned a quote for £850 from Hastings Direct. This quote included fully comprehensive cover, me as the main driver, declared modifications, and a policy limited to 1,000 miles per year. Finally, a price that seemed potentially achievable!
Classic silver 1990 VW Corrado parked on gravel, subject of young person classic car insurance quest
Fine-Tuning the Quote: Unexpected Savings
My journey wasn’t over yet. To double-check the quote’s accuracy, I went directly to the Hastings Direct website and entered the exact same details I’d used on the comparison site. To my surprise, the direct quote came back slightly cheaper at £800.
Seeing this reduction prompted me to experiment further. The initial quote was for only 1,000 annual miles. Curious about the cost implications of more mileage, I increased it to 2,000 miles. Unexpectedly, the price dropped by another £40 to £760. I eventually settled on 2,500 annual miles, as this only increased the premium by a few pounds.
With the price around £760, I decided to test one more variable: the policy start date. Initially, I had set the start date for my birthday, May 26th. However, when I pushed the start date back just five days to May 31st, the price dropped again. Research suggests it’s common practice for insurers to increase premiums for policies starting very close to the quote date. Therefore, a crucial tip is to get your insurance quotes well in advance of when you actually need the cover to begin!
My persistence paid off. My insurance cover for the Corrado started on May 31st: fully comprehensive, modifications declared, a 2,500-mile annual limit, with myself as the primary driver, all for a final price of £700.24!
Car insurance pricing, especially for young drivers seeking classic car cover, often defies logic. Based on my experience, the best advice I can offer any young person looking to get insured on a classic is to be persistent. Try the tips mentioned here: use comparison sites but always check direct with the insurer, experiment with different aspects of your quote like mileage limits and start dates (within reason), and crucially, get your quotes early. Always ensure every detail you provide is completely truthful and accurate – providing false information can invalidate your policy entirely. I’m now happily driving my classic VW, and hopefully, sharing my experience helps other young enthusiasts get behind the wheel of their dream classic too.
