Acceptance

Companies have different underwriting requirements for vintage car insurance. These mainly relate to the use and type of vehicle. Below we have described the acceptance criteria for each company.

• All companies
• Explanation of research criteria

[table id=27 /]

[table id=28 /]

The vehicle must be in 'The priceless classic'

Polisdirect: The vehicle must always be in 'The priceless classic'.
Turien: The vehicle must always be in 'The priceless classic'.

SCM Alarmeis

ASR

• On a per application basis, it may be determined to include an alarmer on the policy schedule

Avero

• Appraised value from €20,000 to €35,000: SCM class 1
• Appraised value from € 35,000: SCM class 3

For the following brands, a class 3 is required when WA extra or WA cash code coverage is chosen and the appraised value is €5,000.00 or higher:

• Ferrari
• Maserati
• BMW
• Mercedes
• Aston Martin
• Porsche
• De Tomaso
• Lotus
• Lamborghini
• Chevrolet
• Corvette/Camaro

Europeesche

• Appraised value of € 25,000 - € 50,000: SCM class 1
• Appraised value of € 50,000 - € 100,000: SCM class 3
• Above an appraised value of €100,000: SCM class 3 + Vehicle tracking system

IAK

• Appraised value from € 20,000 to € 37,500: SCM/VbV class 1
• Appraised value from € 37,500 to € 50,000: SCM/VbV class 3

For passenger cars younger than 35 years, of which there is already a brand club and which can be regarded as a collector's item or are included in the yearbooks "The priceless classic car" and/or "The oldtimer catalog", the following brands and all types - regardless of the insured value - are subject to an obligation to install an SCM/VbV class 4 system:

• Alfa Romeo
• Corvette
• Maserati
• Aston Martin
• De Tomaso
• Mercedes
• BMW
• Ferrari
• Porsche
• Lamborghini
• Chevrolet
• Camaro
• Lotus

KNAC

• Vehicles with an insured value of € 37,500 to € 50,000: SCM/VbV class 3.

Meeus

• An SCM class alarm must be present

Nedasco

• Appraised value from €20,000 to €35,000: SCM class 1
• Appraised value from € 35,000: SCM class 3

A Class 3 is required for the following brands, when WA extra or WA cash code coverage is chosen and the appraised value is €5,000.00 or higher:

• Ferrari
• Maserati
• BMW
• Mercedes
• Aston Martin
• Porsche
• De Tomaso
• Lotus
• Lamborghini
• Chevrolet
• Corvette/Camaro

Unigarant

• If the Acceptance Department has agreed to insure a vintage car with an appraisal value higher than €50,000, the car is required to have a Track-and-Trace system.
  If the vehicle has a (partially) open roof, damage to the interior due to precipitation - because the roof was not closed in time - is excluded.
  In the case of a soft-top hood, damage to the roof due to (attempted) theft, burglary or vandalism is excluded from coverage.

Univé

• Above €15,000, SCM/TNO approved mechanical protection is mandatory.

Verzekeruzelf

• Per application, the insurer determines whether an alarm system is required.

Excluded brands

Europeesche: Mercedes 190 E
Polisdirect: Volkswagen, BMW
Unigarant: Bentley, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, GMC, Hanomag, Lincoln, Lotus, Maserati, Mercury, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Pontiac

Is there a stalling requirement?

Verzekeruzelf: Yes, if clause 52 ("Theft prevention") is included.

What is the purpose of this clause?
Because some cars pose a greater risk, the insurer wants you to be more careful with the car. For this purpose, they have included additional rules:
- At your home address, you must park the car in a locked room between sunset and sunrise. If you do not do this, you are not insured for (attempted) theft or vandalism.
- Are you not using the car at your home address, for example because you are visiting or on vacation, and the car cannot be stored in a locked space? Then the car may be stored outside.

First car required/lease car as first car allowed

Virtually all vintage car insurers now require that, in addition to the vintage car, the customer have a first car for daily use that - regardless of the circumstances - is always at his or her disposal. Rides with a regularity character such as commuting, shopping and taking the children to school are therefore excluded from coverage, because these must be done with the first car. The vintage car may only be used on a hobby basis. If an insurance company allows a lease car as the first car, then the advantage for the classic car enthusiast is that it is not necessary to have a separate first car.
Over 75% of the providers in the survey allow a lease car as a first car.

Some companies require that the first car be insured with the same insurer as the vintage car. FEHAC states that in that case there is a tie-in with the daily car. If one wants to insure the vintage car with Unigarant, for example, the first car will also have to be insured there. It is nicer for the customer to have a free choice in this. After all, the insurer offering the old-timer insurance does not have to be a good provider for regular car insurance. Moreover, if you are satisfied with the insurer of the first car, then you most likely have no need to switch to another insurer. The providers in the survey that require the first car to be covered by the insurer of the vintage car are: Unigarant, ANWB, Univé, ZLM and Gio (fixed).

When is a vehicle a vintage car?

Although many vintage cars are 25 years or older, it is often mistakenly thought that a 25-year-old car is by definition a classic and exempt from road tax and insurance requirements. As far as the motor vehicle tax exemption is concerned, these are turbulent times and there is still much uncertainty about the future. You can read more about this in this article.

In terms of insurance, each company applies its own conditions to determine whether or not the vehicle qualifies for the vintage car rate.
The ages adhered to are 15 years, 20 years and 25 years, and in some cases (Turien, Polis Direct) the vintage car (specific make, type and year of manufacture) must appear in "The Invaluable Classic" to qualify for the vintage rate. So there are also oldtimer rates for vehicles less than 25 years old.

The 'Onschatbare Klassieker' is a yearbook containing an overview of classic cars and youngtimers on the Dutch market. The yearbook contains technical data, photographs, production numbers and current market prices.

Stall obligation

A parking requirement may be imposed instead of or in addition to an alarm requirement.
This means that if the vintage car is within 1 kilometer of the home, it must be stored in an enclosed area between sunset and sunrise.
Some insurers have specific times within which the vintage car must be stored. A shared parking garage is not considered storage, nor is a carport. The vehicle really must be stored separately in a properly lockable area. For some vintage car owners, this is difficult because they do not have such an area. If the classic car driver is staying elsewhere - for example, is on a day trip - then the storage obligation does not apply. However, the insurer may then require that a steering rod lock be installed.

Minimum age of applicant

Most insurers have a minimum age limit (of 24 or 25 years) at which to apply for vintage car insurance.

This is because at that time the driver is already considered more experienced. With ANWB, Polis Direct, TVM and OVHV, old-timer insurance can be applied for as early as 18 years of age. With Polis Direct, an additional deductible of €225.00 applies if the driver is younger than 24 at the time of the damage.
The other insurers exclude, in the case of a (limited) hull damage, the driver younger than 24 from coverage (the damage will not be compensated). In the case of third-party damage (third-party liability), the insurer is obliged to compensate the injured party. The latter will then recover damages from the owner or driver of the vehicle, due to the lack of insurance coverage.

Excluded Brands

There are insurers, including Unigarant and Polisdirect, that exclude certain car makes. For example, because they are too heavy or too expensive in relation to the old-timer rate, such as the Buick and Cadillac. But also because it has been shown that certain makes are often used for daily driving anyway. A Mercedes, for example, can rack up a tremendous amount of mileage and therefore continues on the road for a very long time. There is then a chance that classic car insurance will be used by the owner as "old car insurance" and not as "hobby insurance.
Over 85% of the providers in this survey do not have such a brand exclusion.

Fuel excluded

With LPG and diesel vehicles, the insurer usually assumes, that the vehicle is used for high mileage. This is contrary to the old-timer idea that the insurer has. There are therefore insurers, such as Turien, Europeesche and Unigarant, that exclude this fuel. In fact, this assumption is not correct, since driving on a particular fuel does not necessarily relate to the number of miles driven. For example, there are many American vintage cars that run on LPG not because of the number of miles driven, but because they consume a lot of fuel, the fuel is very pricey these days and the space in the trunk is more than enough to have an LPG installation installed. The issue then is not about getting a lot of mileage, but about driving economically. Furthermore, a vehicle may have once appeared on the market with an LPG installation, or LPG may have been installed with the intention of doing a lot of mileage, while at a later stage it will be used as an old-timer. At Turien, Europeesche and Unigarant, oldtimers on LPG and diesel are excluded. The other insurers in the study do allow these fuels, so these cars qualify for the old-timer rate.

Gray license plate possible

A "gray" license plate is the designation of the license plate of (commercial) vehicles that have a tax advantage. These are usually vans. The gray license plate can be recognized by the license plate. The first letter is a B or a V. The designation gray license plate comes from the fact that the registration certificate part I of these vehicles was gray in the past. The color of the license plate itself has always been yellow.
With a gray license plate, the insurer often assumes, that the car is used for transporting goods and for daily use, even if this is not the case and the vehicle is only used for hobby purposes. Based on this assumed daily use, some insurers do not accept vehicles with a gray license plate on vintage car insurance. Other providers do allow a gray license plate, provided the vehicle is used on a hobby basis. Just under 50% of the providers featured in our survey think along with the customer in this regard.

Alarm obligation with (limited) hull coverage

Many insurers require an SCM class alarm in the case of (limited) hull insurance, from a certain (appraisal) value or because it concerns a special vehicle. On the one hand because oldtimers are easier to steal, due to the lack of modern technology (such as an immobilizer), on the other hand because certain oldtimers - especially the special ones - are very popular.
True classic car enthusiasts usually have a negative attitude toward an alarm system, because they want to keep the vehicle in its original authentic condition and adding a modern alarm system is an eyesore to them. The insurer may possibly offer an alternative in the form of a storage obligation.

Motorhomes allowed

Motorhomes are designated as such on the registration certificate.
Therefore, the old-timer rate does not apply to a camper van, even though it could be classified as an old-timer given the conditions. However, there are special camper van insurance policies with favorable rates. Look for these at www.alpina.nl/camperverzekering. There are also parties on the market that offer specific vintage motorhome insurance policies. These were not included in this study.