VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Vendors & Suppliers - Parts Classic Car Insurance

A word of caution to any folks who are moving to a new home with their classic car. I just found out the hard way that Hagerty Insurance will NOT provide a policy in CA if the vehicle is not stored in a private garage. The will not write a policy if the car is in a public garage as in an apt or condo building--even if it's gated with restricted access to a pass key. So be aware!!

Apparently JC Taylor has the same requirement, so be prepared to shell out some hard earned bucks to add your car to your daily driver policy.

Does anyone out there know of any other insurance companies who insure classic cars reasonably??

As far as I know, that requirement has been in force for years and it is nothing new.

How much cheaper is Haggerty?

I've only ever stuck with the same insurance company for all my cars, houses, trailers and motorcycles as they have made claims painless and I really don't see how anyone else could be much cheaper for a stand-alone policy.

I tried to get quotes from a couple companies years back but they wanted yearly appraisals on cars/motorcycles over 10years old which likely negated any potential savings on insurance so I didn't bother getting quotes.

I have used State Farm for 35 years and my 75 Vette and 38 Pontiac are around $375CAD per year so roughly $300USD. They also allow me to suspend some of the coverages over the winter so I end up paying more in the area of $225USD per year per car.

Is Haggerty cheaper than this?

I had State Farm coverage on both my 1951 Chevy and my 1972 Cheyenne, with no collision. I switched to J.C. Taylor on both vehicles (collision included) and my annual premium was less than half of what State Farm was charging me!

I have Hagerty insurance & one car is insured for 30k & it's 315.00 a year full coverage. It's garaged (required)like the rest of the cars

It will depend on the value you choose to insure for as they will charge xx number of dollars per thousand of valuation for collision damage. I switched from State Farm to Hagerty because they would insure a vehicle under restoration and apart . I had great service from the local State Farm agent but the cost for the vehicles before the restoration was started was about 25% more than Hagerty.

I switched to Hagerty because they would allow my teen aged Grandchildren to drive our cars. I will say they only drove them on tours with our clubs and my wife and I were in the car. J C Taylor would not allow it.

Back Roads.....be careful there....I am with Hagerty too.....read the policy carefully.....they don't have an AGE requirement at all BUT THEY DO HAVE a requirement on how many years a driver must have had a permanent license in order to be covered. Careful......very careful.....I love Hagerty....but this clause is almost a "gotcha clause" if you don't read it correctly. I spoke with Hagerty and also received the answer in writing from them. So as an example, here in NJ where a person does not get their permanent license until 17.....they cant drive as an approved and covered driver under the Hagerty policy until they are 22 years old I believe....might be 23.

Jeff

I agree with Mo68. The nice thing about Hagerty was they would insure a car undergoing or partially restored so you can still drive it. I had a policy for 8K value and paid $144 a year. A real savings compated to $540 a year from State Farm with only Liability coverage. Now I have no choice as I lost my "secure storage." Both Hagerty and JC Taylor will only insure if you have private secure storage, so folks in apts or condos are out of luck unless you have a storage locker.

Also buyer beware. I moved and still had my old policy in force for VT and guess what??Unknown to me I'm driving uninsured because my VT policy is NO GOOD for CA!! Good thing I checked with them. Happy to take my money for no coverage!!

J.C. Taylor has the same deal as well.

I just looked at my policy and for full coverage on three cars my premium for all three cars combined is $227 per year.

You're lucky to have "acceptable" storage. Count your blessings, j.d.. The rest of us poor unfortunates have to pay the ransom to the big insurance boys. I did. At least I'm back on the road with my new CA insurance card. But hey--I got 96 bucks off a year now with my big multi-car discount!!!

"Acceptable" storage is just a plain old enclosed garage. Most old car dudes have at least one of those.

Anyway, I can see the point of the insurance companies that insure antique vheicles because they don't want a valuable vehicle sitting out in the open where something could happen to it and the car would be easier to steal. I feel the same way....I want my old cars inside and locked up where they are safe. Even our daily driver modern car is inside when not in use.

To bump this, does anyone have anything to add? I'm shopping around for insurance for my 48 now, hagerty is saying the car won't be covered if I travel out of town for a weekend and stay in a hotel...they do say that I can have my 15 year old son added to the policy when he turns 16 but that doubles my premium. Farm bureau on the other hand is refusing to insure it at all unless I go have an appraisal done that I pay for.

Did you check with J.C. Taylor? I have had them since 1972. Had one small claim which they took care of with no problem.
They don't insure street rods or modifieds I think.

I didn't check with them, just hagerty and my insurance company for everything else I own. The 48 is slightly modified though so they probably wouldn't be a good fit for me.

I would check with J.C. Taylor and tell them the modifications, they may take it. I am pretty sure that they will insure muscle cars like GTOs etc. Might be worth a phone call.

I have had J.C. Taylor for decades and they have three of my old Chevrolets on one policy and the premium is very inexpensive compared to a regular insurance company for the same coverage.

Be very very careful here everybody. 28 yr Insurance Industry veteran here . We all love our insurance coverages on our classics when the premium is so low, the reps are so pleasant, and we have no incidents or claims. But dont play word games with the policies as in the end it is the letter of the contract that dictates if and what they will pay. Confirm ALL discussions in writing too so nothing was misunderstood by you or them. Take Hagerty as an example or JC Taylor for that matter.....these are Antique Auto policies not daily driver policies. Going on a vacation or long weekend trip with your classic would not be covered. But stay overnight at a hotel out of town as part of a bonafide car show journey and these policies generally do cover you as long as you don't exceed se limits you agreed to for that policy years coverage.....like mileage. It's really not a game of gotcha but it is a matter of what you accepted and paid for in your written policy.

I like Hagerty. They put it all in writing and its clear. They use agreed value which is very fair. They allow occasional pleasure driving and just not daily driver use. And their mileage requirements are simply about stating your anticipated usage annually. I've got 5 cars with them at full replacement value with full roadside/towing service for ALL my cars, and parts and tool coverage all for basically $1,000/yr.

Jeff

I've had Hagerty for years. Never had a claim. Just follow the rules...Joe

I have had old car insurance for over 40 years and three different companies. Currently have Hagerty. Had one claim due to shop fire. They were more than accommodating. Have friends that also have Hagerty with a few claims. In all cases they have been very easy to deal with and fair settlements.

We attend several tours each year and occasionally an extended trip with our old Chevys. We notify them if we think we will exceed our annual mileage and they give permission plus put a note in our record.

I have been happy with Hagerty for years as well

We have Hagerty on all our cars. Mom and dad had first switched to them when dad bought the enclosed trailer because they would cover what ever car is in the trailer and the trailer it self (some do not) then when I got my temps they had it in writing that as long as my parents or grandparents (the ones on the policy's where in the car I was covered) then when I got my license at age 16 it was promisive use with the cars. We have had two claims over the years and no issues at all. Plus they insure my 2006 GTO under (exotic car/specialty car) since we have so many with them and I am about able to prove I've only put 300 miles on it in 5 years

Recently I tired to add our 36 Chevy we are in the process of restoring to our home/auto policy. That company would not add an antique/classic car to our existing policy. Suggested I contact American Collectors Insurance - which I did. I hope I didn't unknowingly get caught in a "got-cha" clause. I believe they told me that I was insured for 1,000 miles per year. I told them I would not be driving anywhere near that and was told that was the minimum annual mileage on a policy. Also, was surprised that the car has to be in a locked garage (I assumed they meant at my home). Auto insurance has always been and will continue to be a foreign language to me.... I hate dealing with it but understand it is a necessity. If anyone checks out American Collectors Insurance and could give me some thoughts on the good, bad, and ugly of their policy, I would appreciate it Thank you....

I have insured my cars with JC Taylor for over 50 years with no problems.

There are several antique, classic or special auto insurance companies. I have used three over the past 50 years. Only had claims with the current one, Hagerty. They have a stated mileage of 2000 per vehicle. When you call them to inform of more mileage they have always said thanks for letting them know but no problem or additional cost. Some will have an option to not purchase liability for vehicles that are not on the road. Check with them to see what best matches your needs.

I have had my antique cars insured thru Hagerty for over twenty years. I have been pleased with their service and also appreciate the fact that they will insure a vehicle under restoration and also parts for it.

Have used Hagerty for years, as well. Have been very pleased with their service. They respond quickly, and with no hassle if roadside service is needed, and with people that know what they’re doing. They insured my project from start all through the restoration and now, of course upon completion. They periodically, as restoration progress moved along, automatically increased the coverage, at no additional charge and included partial insurance on parts in the inventory.

Checked with several companies back about 4 years ago and without going into the details why they would, or would not insure, and some I didn't want, I ended up with Grundys and have been very pleased with both coverage and cost. Check around, the time you spend could save you $$$$$.

I have Hagerty, but have never had a claim. I have read some people with claims and they said Hagerty paid off the claims promptly.

Interesting that this old thread became active after 5 years.

When I was ready to.put my ‘37 on the road I started looking at collector car insurance. My intention was to use the car as my daily driver 7+ months a year. I was honest about this so they started quoting rates above $500 a year.

So I simply added the car to my regular policy with livability coverage only (less than $200 per year). In effect I am self insuring against any collision or compressive loss. I can drive the car wherever I want whenever I want. No issues with type of storage, etc.

On the other hand I do have a higher value classic car that I insure with Hagerty. I knew that it would never be used like the ‘37.

Whyizzit?? I jes' gotta ask!!! Some people will not bat an eyelash on dropping $20 000+ to restore an old car, yet spend hours in anguish trying to find an insurance rate $100 lower that the first rate quoted to them. Are these the same ones who'll park their brand-new $60 000 BMW on their laneway so that they can keep their $200 patio set in the garage out of the snow and rain? Jes' wonderin'!!

A lot of my friends have Hagerty. I have a 35 Chevy that I wanted to put on the road this year. All my friends are only paying about $300+/- for their cars valued at $30-35K. I called them and they told me $900 for $30K value. I asked them about it and they said that the rates almost tripled this year. I called Grundy and it is $328. Policies are the same. You can insure for whatever you want and they will cover. $300K personal etc. I'm with Grundy.

My renewable comes due in August so i will be watching closely. Last years was $155.00 for $17000 on the 32 with full coverage and $10000 for my 51 as "a vehicle under construction" which includes parts coverage for parts not on the vehicle of $750.00.

Being somewhat concerned I gave them a call to see what the new rate would be and it will go down $5.00. I have no idea what happened with the quote that Peter got but something is not right. I did ask about the "rate change" and their reply was that the only changes affecting rates are the values of the vehicles being insured and driver status.

Thanks for responding..... I just now found your reply to my post. I checked out J C Taylor Insurance. We are restoring a 36 Chevy 2-door coupe. It is not being restored to show - mostly just for our enjoyment to occasionally drive around locally, an occasional parade, etc. So I have a hard time checking the box to get a quote - the box says:

I agree that my vehicle(s) will be used mainly in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and will not be used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods.

We will use the car primarily for transportation occasionally for my husband and myself.... But I will check with JCTaylor to see if they will cover our car..... Thanks for your info!

Interesting way to look at insuring an older car.... Gave me a new perspective.... Thanks!

I have Hagerty insurance for my 32 and 51 . One main reason is that they will cover a car under construction while some others do not. That also includes parts that may not be yet attached to the car. That was important for me as I have an interior kit ($2400) , wiring harness ($1200), rechromed grille etc $3000) scattered in various places and not on the car.

Our clan had JC Taylor for fifty (count 'em!) years, and I just switched to Hagerty: not perfect, maybe, but an inprovement! I can tell you that JCT is no longer captained by car folks, just snippy insurance folks! It used to be great, of course; no problems until about the covid era. They refused to insure my project car (What?!) unless it wa s 'fifty-percent finished', and they decided -- based on satellite pics, I suppose -- that I was keeping another higher-value car outside. Yep I had a covered car in the drive, but it was a friends whom I was letting store there temporarily, but the were very discourteous (c'mon, I'm 78 now!) and threatened to cancel me after five decades of premiums. I got Hagerty on recomendations of friends, and let it lapse, but then they sent a cancellation notice on their own. Oh well... When Mr. Wallace's signature stopped appearing on the policy, JCT stopped being good. Wick Humble, driving Chevy's since 1961