Specialist Car Insurance

There are many categories of car that are likely to require a specialist car insurance policy, but the most common are:

Classic car insurance

Given the specialist nature of classic cars, mainstream insurers tend to steer away from insuring them all together. That’s where specialist classic car insurers come in, often having built up many years of experience in this area, they have a good understanding of the different risks that classic cars pose, how they’re generally kept and used, values and rarity, all of which enables them to provide the right cover at the best price. You can find out more about insuring a classic car via our classic car insurance page.

4X4 Insurance

If you own a 4x4, you should be able to get quotes from mainstream insurers. However, if you drive something out of the ordinary, you have a modified 4x4 or you intend taking it off-road for fun or to compete in an event, rally, race etc., you’ll more than likely need a specialist 4x4 insurance policy.

Modified car insurance

Most insurers are willing to insure cars with basic modifications such as aftermarket alloy wheels, a vehicle wrap or window tints. However, when more complex modifications are thrown into the mix, it can significantly increase the complexity of providing a quote, but also the risks involved in insuring such a car.

That’s where specialist insurers come in. They not only gather the usual info such as name, address, make & model of car, intended use etc., but they also look at what’s been modified, what impact it has on performance, how much the modifications cost to carry out and whether or not they are road-legal. While this added work and increased complexity means mainstream insurers are likely to decline cover, it enables a specialist insurer to provide a quote based on a thorough assessment of the risks and gives you peace of mind, knowing that if your car is damaged, destroyed or stolen, you have the right cover in place.

Kit car insurance

Most mainstream insurers will simply refuse to provide quotes for kit cars. Often owned and kept as a second car, as a side-project or to attend clubs and shows, due to their home build nature they tend to have varying build qualities, and all things considered, carry completely different risks to your bog standard Ford Fiesta. Specialist kit car insurers, however, are willing to insure them and cover isn’t generally as expensive as you might think.

Custom built car insurance

If you have a custom built car, you’ll almost certainly be unable to obtain an insurer quote from a mainstream insurer. Given the fact that custom cars come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of build quality and often self-determined values, quoting and providing cover falls well within specialist territory.

For a start there isn’t a pre-determined list of makes, models and derivatives that can be used as part of the quotation process. Instead, a prospective insurer will discuss the build at length, including the power source and construction as well as intended use, they may even insist on sifting through an engineer’s report and any other paperwork you have in relation to the build.

Imported car insurance

Imported cars are treated as non-standard vehicles by most insurers, often resulting in a struggle to get a quote, never mind a good price. An import is essentially any car that you have imported from another country; this might be a Left Hand Drive (LHD) Ford Mustang or an Acura NSX, for example. They fall into two categories; grey imports and parallel imports. The first of these incorporates anything that hasn’t been EU-approved, which makes it even harder to get a quote, the latter of the two incorporates cars that are imported from other EU countries and therefore have the same or similar specification to their UK registered counterparts.

From a grey import perspective, it’s much harder for an insurance company to determine the risks posed. For example, does it meet the required safety standards for use on UK roads and if it is involved in an accident and subsequently requires replacement parts; how easy will they be to source and how much will they cost? However, specialist insurers are experienced in handling the different risks posed by imports, and often well connected when it comes to assessing the likely availability and cost of parts and are ultimately best placed to provide the right cover, at the best price.

There are many things you can do to keep the cost of insuring your classic, modified, custom or imported car down, such as:

• Use a specialist insurer – Attempting to insure a heavily-modified Mazda MX-5 with a mainstream insurer is likely to result in one of two outcomes; a refusal to quote or a disproportionately loaded price. That’s why specialist insurance exists, providing tailored cover for your Mazda MX-5 or whatever else it is you drive, and often at a better price than you’d get from the mainstream insurers who are willing to quote.
• Don't over insure – When running through a quote for your car, don’t be tempted to over value it as this will more than likely result in you paying over the top for your policy. Yes, it might be worth £50k to you because of all the blood sweet and tears you’ve poured into the build, but would it really cost that to replace it if it was written-off or stolen?
• Transfer your No Claims Discount (NCD) – Unlike mainstream car insurers, not all specialist insurers offer a NCD, this is especially true in the case of classic car insurance. However, you should ask the question and if they do, you could transfer your NCD across in order to take advantage of a reduced price. Some insurers will offer a discount of up to 70% if you have 5 or more years’ worth of NCD.