Modified Car Insurance
– Cosmetic, Performance & Full Builds
Modified Car Insurance
– Cosmetic, Performance & Full Builds
Compare modified car insurance from brokers who deal with modified vehicles every day. Remaps, suspension, wheels, bodywork, wraps and full rebuilds all need declaring, and an insurer that knows about the work upfront will price for it properly.
Get Modified Car Insurance Quotes
Cover for declared modifications
Quotes provided by a panel of specialist insurers.
Get Modified Quotes →Why Is Modified Car Insurance More Expensive?
Modified car insurance is in most cases more expensive than standard cover, because the risk to the insurer is higher. If you already have a policy and are thinking of making a modification, a remap being the common example, tell your broker before the work is done. Modifications made without your insurer’s knowledge, minor or major, will likely invalidate a standard policy.
The cost of any insurance is determined largely by the likelihood of a claim and the size of the payout. Insurers offset a higher or perceived higher risk by raising the premium, and in some cases by declining to quote at all. The reasons modifications increase that risk are set out below.
Some modifications are illegal on the road
Insurance is not the only consideration. Certain modifications will put you on the wrong side of the law, and an illegal modification is not something any insurer will cover. The nidirect guidance on modified cars sets out what is and is not permitted.
Modified Car Insurance for Young Drivers
Insurance for a driver under 25 is more expensive than for an experienced driver whatever they drive, so a young driver looking for modified cover should expect to pay more again. It does not mean cover is unavailable, but it does mean the specialist route matters more, because a mainstream insurer is more likely to decline the combination outright than to price it.
If the modifications are cosmetic rather than performance related, say so clearly at quote stage. The two are treated very differently, and an insurer that assumes the worst will price for the worst.
Extensively Modified Vehicles
Where a vehicle has been modified beyond recognition, it may no longer be treated as the car it started as. Rebuilt vehicles, self builds, kit cars, some self imported vehicles and ex military vehicles are issued a Q registration, and that changes what cover is available. Our Q plate insurance page covers that situation in full.
A heavily modified car is not automatically a Q plate. It depends on how much of the original vehicle remains, and DVLA apply a points based test to decide. If you are planning a rebuild, it is worth knowing where that line sits before you start rather than after.
Related specialist cover
For a rebuilt or self built vehicle, see Q plate insurance. For a vehicle without a registration yet, chassis number insurance. For modified Japanese imports, our Japanese import insurance hub, and for younger drivers, young driver car insurance.
How Can I Reduce the Cost of Modified Cover?
Modifications will typically make insurance more expensive, but there is more room to move than most owners expect. Comparing across brokers who work in this field is the first step. Beyond that, most of what helps comes down to reducing the risk itself, and to telling the underwriter things they would otherwise never know.
- Mention any car club or forum membership. Adrian Flux treat this as a sign the owner is an enthusiast who looks after the vehicle, and it can count in your favour at quote stage.
- Say if your mileage is low. A few thousand miles a year may put you on a limited mileage policy, which is usually cheaper than a standard one. Ask what bands are available and what happens if you exceed the limit.
- Ask about advanced driver qualifications. Adrian Flux state on their own modified car page that passing extra qualifications such as IAM or RoSPA could reduce your insurance cost by up to 25%. It is not automatic and not every insurer recognises it, so raise it at quote stage rather than assuming.
- Keep it garaged and fit recognised security. Where the car sits overnight carries real weight on a modified vehicle. A Thatcham approved alarm or immobiliser helps, but check with the broker first that the device meets the standard they work to.
- Think about the mod before you make it. Cosmetic work generally has far less impact on a premium than anything that raises performance. Ask the question before the money is spent, not after.
- Declare everything. Every item, including work done by a previous owner. An undeclared modification is the most common reason a modified car claim runs into trouble.
- Compare again at renewal. Insurers change their appetite for modified vehicles from one year to the next, so a company that priced badly last time may be competitive now.
Most of what moves the price on a modified car is information the underwriter cannot see. Club membership, mileage, where it is kept, what the mods actually are. None of it helps if you do not mention it.
Eamonn Turley Director, OneClickInsureOptional Extras Worth Asking About
A specialist policy usually offers more than a mainstream one, because the underwriter understands what a modified car actually costs to put right. These are the extras worth raising when you speak to a broker. Availability varies by insurer and is subject to eligibility and underwriting.
Agreed value
A figure agreed upfront rather than market value at claim time. Worth having where you have spent more on the car than a valuation guide would recognise.
SORN and build up cover
Cover while the car is off the road and declared SORN, including during a build. Protects the vehicle and the parts in the garage rather than only on the road.
Misfuel cover
Draining and flushing the system after the wrong fuel goes in. On a modified or performance engine the bill is rarely small.
Spare parts cover
Parts stored at home rather than fitted to the car. Anyone mid-build usually has more value sitting on shelves than they realise.
Track day cover
A standard policy almost never covers a track day. If you use the car on circuit, this needs arranging separately and in advance.
Modification cover
The modifications themselves valued as part of the sum insured, rather than the insurer paying out on a standard version of the same car.
Optional extras are not available on every policy and are subject to eligibility, underwriting and the terms of the individual insurer.
