Kit car insurance

Whether you’ve just bought a completed kit car to enjoy driving or you are taking on one of the wide range of kit car projects available, at some point you’ll need to consider kit car insurance. At CanCanCover.com you can compare kit car insurance quotes online from our range of specialist insurance partners.

Popular kit car projects which you may need to insure include those based on VW Beetle or Triumph Herald chassis. Alternatively, you may choose to go for a more modern look and pick a new kit car build based on AC Cobra/Ferrari replicas or you might choose the popular Caterham or Westfield.

Some insurers will offer kit car insurance to cover the build process whilst you are getting the kit car ready for registration. It is also worth finding your relevant owners club as kit car insurance discounts are often available for members.

In addition to kit car insurance, when you want to have your vehicle on the road some of the other key things to remember are tax and vehicle registration.

The registration number is what appears on the number plate. This stays with the vehicle until it is destroyed, permanently exported or transferred to another vehicle, also known as a ‘cherished transfer’.

When vehicles have been rebuilt or substantially altered from their original specification they need to be checked by the DVLA to ascertain if they represent an entirely new vehicle or if they can use their current registration number.

The DLVA may carry out a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) to ensure that the vehicle hasn’t been stolen.

Where a vehicle is not able to keep its original registration number it will be issued with a Q plate.

If you are building a kitcar or kit conversion which uses a donor vehicle and want to use the donor vehicle’s original registration number then the finished kit car must have the unaltered original chassis or monocoque bodyshell and two other major components from; front and back suspension, both axles, transmission, steering assembly or engine.

The kit car can have a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell built to the original specification along with two of the major components listed above provided you have a receipt from the manufacturer.

A replacement Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) may also be issued by the DVLA if required.

Where a vehicle has been radically altered using some original parts then the decision whether the vehicle can use its original registration number is based on a points system. Points are allocated to the original major components and the vehicle must have 8 points built up by using some of the following:

• Original or unmodified new chassis or monocoque: 5 points
• Both axles: 2 points
• Front and back suspension: 2 points
• Steering assembly: 2 points
• Transmission: 2 points
• Engine: 1 point

If the vehicle uses a second hand chassis or has less than 8 points then it will need an individual vehicle approval and a Q plate registration will be issued.

If you are restoring an old vehicle then you may be keeping its original appearance. If however you are planning a kit conversion the appearance of the vehicle may be changing which means although you may be able to use the original registration number the vehicle description on the V5C will have to be up-dated.

Kit cars which are based on all new components as supplied by the manufacturer can have a new registration provided they have an individual vehicle approval. The vehicle can have one reconditioned component provided that the component has proof of being reconditioned to an as new standard.

At CanCancover.com we work with a range of specialist kit car insurance companies so you can compare kit car insurance quotes and find the cover that’s right for you.