HGV and truck insurance
Classic Lorry Insurance
cover for a preserved working vehicle, where the value is agreed rather than argued about afterwards
Cover for a preserved lorry used occasionally rather than commercially. An agreed value settles what it is worth before a claim, and limited mileage and secure storage keep the price sensible.
- Agreed value available
- Limited mileage terms
- Rally and show use
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerClassic lorry insurance covers a preserved goods vehicle used for shows, rallies and occasional road runs rather than for work. The important difference from a commercial policy is the valuation: a restored lorry is worth what two people agree it is worth, not what a guide says, so an agreed value matters. Tell us about the vehicle, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
Still working for a living? Our lorry insurance page covers commercial use.
At a glance
Preserved Lorries, in Brief
Six things that separate a preserved lorry from one that still earns its keep.
- Agreed value
- Settled up front, not argued afterwards
- Limited mileage
- Low annual use keeps the price down
- Secure storage
- A barn or garage is rated well
- Restoration in progress
- Cover while work is under way
- Rally and show use
- Including getting there and back
- Owner clubs
- Membership can help the terms
The basics
Why an Agreed Value Is the Whole Point
A restored lorry has no book price. Without an agreed value, a total loss becomes a negotiation at the worst possible moment, which is precisely what classic cover exists to avoid.
Agreed value
A figure fixed when the policy is written.
Valuation evidence
Photographs, receipts and a valuer’s view.
Limited mileage
Annual use, declared and priced.
Storage conditions
Where the vehicle sleeps between outings.
Restoration cover
For a vehicle still being finished.
Event use
Rallies, shows and road runs.
How it works
How Classic Lorry Cover Is Actually Arranged
The information is the same every time: what a classic lorry is, who drives it, what it carries and where it sleeps.
The vehicle is written down
Weight, body type, value and equipment.
The drivers are agreed
Categories held and years behind the wheel.
The use is settled
Shows, rallies, road runs or static display.
The cover is chosen
Level, excess, add-ons and payment terms.
What it covers
What a Preserved Lorry Policy Actually Pays For
The motor sections still apply, but the settlement basis is the part that matters, along with cover while the vehicle is in a shed rather than on a road.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Liability to other people | Every level | Injury and damage you cause |
| Theft and fire | Third party fire and theft upwards | Security conditions apply |
| Damage to a classic lorry | Comprehensive only | Repairs, or a settlement if written off |
| Glass cover | Commonly included | Often a lower excess than the main one |
| Breakdown assistance | Add-on | Roadside, recovery and sometimes a replacement |
| Motor legal protection | Add-on | For recovering uninsured losses |
| The load | Not on this policy | Goods in transit cover is bought separately |
Parts in the workshop are a separate question. A dismantled cab and a pallet of restored parts are not automatically covered by the motor policy, so ask what happens between the shed and the chassis.
What it leaves out
Where a Classic Policy Stops
What a policy will not do is cover a classic lorry in a shape, a use or a pair of hands it was never told about. A third party is still paid in those cases, and the insurer then looks to the operator for the money.
Unlisted vehicles
If it is not on the schedule, it is not insured.
Ineligible drivers
Anyone outside the licence and age conditions.
Freight for other people
That is hire and reward, and it is declared.
Conversions the insurer has not seen
Bodies, cranes and equipment all count.
What is on the back
The cargo needs its own cover.
Commercial use
Carrying goods for a business or for payment.
Kinds of preserved lorry
Working Restorations, Show Vehicles and Projects
Preserved lorries sit at different stages, and the stage changes what the cover has to do.
Finished show vehicles
Restored, valued and displayed.
Ongoing restorations
Cover while the work continues.
Preserved working lorries
Used occasionally for light duties.
Rally regulars
Out most weekends in season.
Barn finds
Bought, stored and not yet started.
Collections
Several vehicles under one arrangement.
American or unusual? See classic truck insurance.
Who it suits
The People Who Keep These Vehicles Running
Enthusiasts, former operators and businesses keeping a piece of their own history on the road.
Private enthusiasts
Restoring and showing a vehicle.
Retired operators
Keeping a lorry from the old fleet.
Businesses with heritage vehicles
Used for promotion and shows.
Restorers
Working through a long project.
Rally participants
Regular event attendance.
Collectors
More than one preserved vehicle.
Used for promotion? Say so: business use changes the terms.
Classic or working
A Preserved Lorry vs One Still Earning
The vehicles may be identical. The use, the mileage and the settlement basis are not, and that is what separates the two policies.
| Preserved | Working | |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement | An agreed value | Market value at the time |
| Annual mileage | Low and declared | Whatever the work needs |
| Storage | Usually secure and covered | Yard or depot |
| Use | Shows and road runs | Commercial carriage |
Doing both? Declare the commercial use: see lorry insurance.
Cost
What Sets the Price on a Restored Vehicle
The agreed value, the annual mileage, the storage, the owner’s record and how the vehicle is used. We do not print average premiums.
Why low mileage does the most work
A vehicle out a handful of weekends a year is exposed far less than one on the road daily, and the declared mileage is where most of the difference sits.
Why storage comes next
A locked barn and an open yard are not read the same way, particularly for a vehicle whose parts are hard to replace.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- Agreed valueWhat it is worth, settledBase
- Annual mileageHow far it actually goesRate
- StorageBarn, garage or yardRate
- UseShows, rallies or light dutiesRate
- Owner recordClaims and driving historyAdjust
Store it under cover
A locked building is rated well.
Declare a real mileage
Low use is the biggest lever.
Get a proper valuation
Evidence supports the agreed figure.
The details
Four Things to Keep Straight on a Preserved Vehicle
What decides a claim here is generally what the insurer was told beforehand. These four catch people out.
Get the description right
A body or conversion left out is a claim left open.
Confirm what drivers may drive
Category, age and any endorsements.
Keep the valuation current
Values move, and so should the agreed figure.
Tell the insurer about incidents
Including the ones you intend to pay for yourself.
Quote checklist
What a Broker Asks About a Restored Lorry
A broker pricing a classic lorry needs six things, and having them together shortens the job considerably.
Vehicle details
Registration, weight, body and value.
Driver details
Categories held and years of experience.
What it does
Shows, rallies, road runs or light duties.
Weight carried
Gross weight and typical load.
The overnight base
Barn, garage, unit or open yard.
Your claims history
Every incident in recent years.
Comparing
Comparing Classic Quotes on the Valuation
Compare on four things, not one. What is covered, what you pay first, who may drive, and whether the policy matches the work.
What is covered
- Cover level
- Breakdown and recovery terms
- Glass cover
What you pay first
- The compulsory part
- The voluntary part
- Anything vehicle-specific
Who may drive
- Categories accepted
- Experience required
- Casual and agency drivers
The load and the work
- Agreed value basis
- Cover during restoration
- Parts and spares
Check the agreed value is written in. A quote that says market value is a different product. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
Keeping a Preserved Lorry Affordable to Insure
The levers are mileage, storage, the valuation and club membership. We publish no savings figures.
Keep the mileage genuinely low
It is the strongest lever here.
Store it properly
Locked and under cover beats a yard.
Join an owners club
Some insurers recognise membership.
Choose the excess deliberately
A higher voluntary excess is a lever, worth using only at a level you could pay.
Document the restoration
Photographs support the value.
Build a clean record
The owner’s record still counts.
Glossary
Preservation Terms, Explained
The words that come up when insuring a restored goods vehicle.
- Load cover
- A goods in transit policy, bought separately from the motor cover.
- Carriage of own goods
- Moving your own materials rather than other people’s.
- Carriage for hire or reward
- Moving goods for payment, rated and written differently.
- O-licence
- The operator licence a goods vehicle business holds.
- Plated weight
- The maximum weight the vehicle is permitted to run at.
- Unit and trailer
- An articulated combination, insured as a tractor unit plus a trailer.
- Payload
- What the vehicle can carry once its own weight is taken off.
- Driver hours
- The recorded pattern of driving and rest.
- Compulsory excess
- The part of a claim the insurer sets and you cannot remove.
- Risk address
- Where the vehicle is kept overnight, as declared.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Owners Bring Preserved Lorries to MyMoneyComparison.com
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces operators to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one vehicle
Describe the vehicle once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Classic Lorry Insurance FAQs
Answers on agreed value, limited mileage, rallies, restoration and storage.
What is an agreed value and why does it matter?
It is a figure you and the insurer settle when the policy starts, so a total loss pays that amount rather than whatever a guide suggests afterwards. On a restored lorry with no book price, it is the whole reason for buying classic cover.
How do I prove what the lorry is worth?
Photographs, restoration receipts and an independent valuation are the usual evidence. Keep them updated, because a vehicle finished three years ago may be worth noticeably more or less than the figure first agreed.
Can I insure a lorry that is still being restored?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Cover during restoration protects the vehicle while it sits in pieces, which is when it is arguably most vulnerable to fire and theft, and the value can be stepped up as work progresses.
Does the policy cover me driving to rallies?
Normally, yes. Getting to and from events is ordinary use on a classic policy, and it counts towards the declared mileage. Say roughly how many events a year you attend rather than guessing low.
Are spare parts covered?
Not automatically by the motor policy. A shed full of restored parts is usually insured under a property or contents arrangement instead, so ask specifically rather than assuming the vehicle policy stretches to them.
Can I use it for occasional work?
Only if you declare it. Carrying goods, even occasionally and even for your own business, moves the vehicle outside ordinary classic use, and an insurer that finds out afterwards has grounds to argue.
Does club membership help?
Some insurers recognise it, because members tend to store and maintain vehicles better than average. It is worth mentioning at the quote rather than after the policy is set up.
What mileage limit should I take?
One you will actually stay within, with room for a long weekend away. Exceeding a declared limit is a disclosure problem, and the saving from an unrealistically low figure is not worth that.
Does the policy insure what we are carrying?
It does not. Motor cover stops at the vehicle. Goods in transit cover insures the load, and where the cargo is valuable it is worth arranging properly rather than assuming the motor policy stretches.
Own goods or hire and reward: which are we?
If the goods belong to your business, that is own goods use. If you are paid to move somebody else’s, that is hire and reward and it needs its own cover. Insurers treat the two very differently.
What licence category do our drivers need?
It follows the weight of the vehicle, not the shape of the body. Insurers ask which category each driver holds, how long they have held it and what is on their record.
What should we compare on two quotes for a classic lorry?
The cover level, how the excess adds up, the recovery terms when the vehicle is loaded, the licence and experience required of drivers, and what the policy says about equipment fitted to the vehicle.
Can this go on a policy with our other vehicles?
Usually. A mixed schedule is normal once a business runs more than a couple of vehicles, and each type is rated on its own inside the one policy, with a single renewal date for all of them.
How much does the overnight address matter?
Enough to be worth thinking about. It is where the vehicle spends most of its life, so the postcode and the security both feed the rating. Describe the gates and lighting rather than simply calling it a yard.
How do we add a vehicle part way through the year?
Through a mid-term adjustment, priced for the months remaining. Contact the insurer before it goes on the road, because telling your broker you intend to buy something does not put it on cover.
Should we add recovery?
It depends what a breakdown would actually cost you. The question to ask is whether recovery lifts a loaded vehicle or leaves the load where it is, because the second is not much help.
Ready when you are
Get the Preserved Lorry Valued and Covered
Tell us the vehicle, its value and how it is used. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Agreed value and limited mileage terms
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
Free to use · No obligation · UK brokers
About this page
This page explains UK classic lorry insurance: how a preserved vehicle is valued, what limited use buys you, and how storage and mileage decide a claim. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK classic and commercial motor policy summaries
- Agreed value, limited mileage and storage terms
- Financial Ombudsman material on commercial motor complaints