Registering & Insuring
Your Classic British Automobile

The following information is provided for your information and is based on my research of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia DMV web sites and a variety of classic car insurers’ web sites. Before you decide how to register and insure your classic British car (a.k.a., your MG) please contact your local DMV either in person or virtually to determine what your specific requirements are; and, the same goes for the insurance side of things.

Registration

I found the DC DMV web site to be the most difficult to navigate and the least informative, but I didn’t come away empty-handed. To register a car as a historic vehicle it must be at least 25 years old or at least 15 years old and no longer manufactured. There appear to be two classes of historic vehicle registration: F(I) has a 1,000 mile annual limit and F(II) has no annual mileage limit. Neither class F(I) or F(II) can be used as a daily driver, but can be driven in club events, parades, to obtain maintenance or repair or test afterwards, and some limited pleasure driving. You have the option of historic or vintage license plates and both classes require a one-time DC DMV inspection at the time of registration – there appear to be no subsequent inspection requirements for F(II) vehicles but F(I) vehicles must undergo an odometer check every two years to make sure you haven’t busted the 1,000 miles annually limit, and from what I read you don’t want to do that. I’m not sure how much the inspection or registration costs so if you live in DC and decide to go this route please let me know.-

In Maryland a car must be 20 years or older and not substantially altered to qualify as a historic motor vehicle. If you have a car that is 60 years or older you can get a one-time permanent, non-transferable registration. While I couldn’t find any reference to a specific driving distance from home or an annual limit, you appear to be allowed to drive your car in club events, parades, etc., to and from maintenance or repair, and just for the heck of it (what I encourage you to do as often as possible), but as in DC (and VA) you must have a daily driver vehicle because you are not allowed to use your historic registered classic as a daily driver. You have the choice of historic or vintage plates, but if you decide to go the vintage plate route there is an additional one-time fee and you must have the state issued historic plates in the car with you at all times. I’m not sure if there is any kind of emissions or safety inspection required but it seems pretty clear that in Maryland a historic vehicle registration costs $51 every two years.

I am most familiar with the requirements in Virginia not only because that’s where I live but I have gone through the process, and the second time was easier than the first. In Virginia your car has to be 25 years old as of 1 January of the current year and your antique registration is subject to a one-time fee of $50 and is not transferable. There are no emissions or safety inspection requirements since the form you sign certifies that your car is safe to drive on the public roads and has all of the safety features (e.g., seat belts) for the year of manufacture. You have your choice of 3 types of license plates: a white on black sharp cornered plate, a black on orange regular size and shape plate, or a vintage plate provided your car is a 73 or older because that’s when Virginia started using stickers on license plates. As in DC and MD you must have a daily driver vehicle and the driving restrictions are similar, but Virginia authorizes up to 250 miles from home (1-way) pleasure driving.

Insurance

One thing I learned in researching the insurance issue was the difference between actual cash, agreed, and stated value. Actual cash value is the value of your vehicle determined at the time of the claim (i.e., after the crash) and it is a depreciated value. Agreed value is just that, the value of your vehicle you and the insurance company agree on, and it is the amount you would receive should your car be “totaled.” Stated value sounds like agreed value except it’s more like cash value – you get the lesser of the stated value and the actual cash value at the time of the claim … better for the insurance company than you.

Most, if not all of the classic car insurers offer agreed value policies, and it is really simple up to the point where they decide an appraisal is needed to support the agreed value number – none of my LBCs are at that point. They also tend to have similar limited use restrictions (see the registration section above) and all seem to encourage pleasure driving while a couple offer specific mileage plans (i.e., specify an annual mileage limit such as 1, 3, or 5 thousand miles per year). Pretty much universally they require you to have a daily driver vehicle and enclosed (secure) storage, to protect your and their investment. If you own a classic British race car you can get that insured too, but the moment you drive it or your stock classic British car onto the track you’re on your own.

So, before you decide how to register and insure your classic British car you should check out your local DMV and a number of the classic car insurers.