The boom in interest in classic military vehicles shows no sign of slowing down. Now Adrian Flux Insurance Services has joined forces with the Military Vehicle Trust to offer a 25% discount on insurance for military vehicles.
Back in the Sixties enthusiasts started by rescuing abandoned World War Two vehicles. These days the scene has grown enormously and they drive a whole host of machines, dating back to the Great War, from tanks to motorbikes and sidecars, American jeeps, British Landrovers and Russian armoured cars, not to mention specialist vehicles such as bridging cranes.
One area that can cause problems is insurance, since most insurers won’t look at military vehicles. One company that does is specialist broker Adrian Flux. It’s agreed a deal with the Military Vehicle Trust, the UK’s biggest specialist club, that gives members a 25% discount on insurance.
“Although the mainstream insurers don’t like them, we’ve found classic military vehicles to be a good risk,” says Craig Darwin, Clubs Manager at Flux. “No one is likely to steal one, they usually don’t go too fast and they rarely do more than a few hundred miles per year.
“Plus these owners tend take really good care of their vehicles.”
The 25% discount means that many vehicles cost only a few tens of pounds to insure. There are conditions, of course – for example, to minimise costs the policy assumes the vehicle won’t be used regularly and will be kept off road. Sample premium costs include £144 for a £20,000 tank and £105 for a 1958 Willys Jeep valued at £6,000. (See below for full details of sample quotes).
Flux is happy to work out an agreed value (AV) with the owner. For values up to £15,000 it can be based on six photos of the vehicle and the policyholder filling in an AV form. If the value is over £15,000 then Flux will also require a third party valuation.
Normally Flux will only agree a maximum AV of £7,500 if a classic vehicle is not garaged – but given the size of some military vehicles, the company is happy to waive this if it’s too big to fit in the garage!
For information on the Military Vehicle Trust visit www.mvt.org.uk
Adrian Flux aims to offer cheaper car insurance and has a huge range of policies for the motoring enthusiast. For details contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk
Sample quotes, with 25% discount:
Tank, 1961; value £20,000
· Owned for one year and parked on drive
· Social Domestic Purposes Only; second car
· Driver with no claims and no convictions, living in PE33 Postcode
· Comprehensive cover: £143.33 per year + £25 fee
Rocket Launcher, 1970; value £15,000
· New purchase, parked on drive
· Social Domestic Purposes Only; second car
· Driver with no claims and no convictions, living in SK23 Postcode
· Comprehensive cover: £125.21 per year + £25 fee
Willys Jeep, 1958; value £6,000
· Owned for five years, garaged
· Social Domestic Purposes Only; second car
· Driver with no claims and no convictions, living in TQ14 Postcode
· Comprehensive cover: £102.99 per year + £25 fee