What is the most popular historic car still being driven?

HERBIE rides again - and again and again - on the roads of Leicestershire and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Research for MoneySupermarket shows that Volkswagen Beetles are the more popular historic car still being driven.

The study looked at 34 million enquiries that passed through the MoneySupermarket car insurance channel during the 12 months up to the end of March this year.

Volkswagen cleaned up, with the Beetle proving to be the most popular pre-1980 car on the road. Its successor, the Golf, is the most common 1980s and early-1990s car still being driven.

And the VW Beetle also tops the category of tax-exempt vehicles - those registered before 1973 -making up 70 per cent of all “classic” cars on the road.

There is dispute among some enthusiasts as to what makes a motor classic. But Leicester Classic Car Club says it has an open-minded approach, welcoming people who enjoy classic cars, retro cars and those becoming recognised as modern classics.

The club was originally for fans of the Ford Capri, which like the Beetle had its heyday in the 1970s, but has expanded to enthusiasts of other models.

Linda Price, who with her husband Geoff has been organising classic car events across the Midlands for more than 30 years, including one at Beaumanor Hall at Woodhouse near Loughborough, says people need to adapt to accommodate younger motoring enthusiasts.

“Ford Capris were quite a new car when we started. Now they are a collectible model, as are Cortinas, Escorts and even Allegros,” she said.

“The older vehicles are disappearing and the youngsters are keen to see performance cars, customised vehicles and kit cars.”

Keith Tansey, of the Amber Valley Classic Car Club, which organises outings to shows and events across the East Midlands, agreed.

“It is nice to see the variety. These cars are part of the heritage. People like to see the different types and remember the vehicles their parents drove.

“Most of the cars in the club are from the early 1970s,” said Keith.

He regularly drives a 1994 MGRV8 and also owns a 1949 MG Midget and is a member of the MG Owners Club.

The last Labour Government tried to take some older models off the road to be replaced by more eco-friendly models.

Its scrappage scheme, also designed to kick-start the beleaguered motor industry, ran from May 2009 to March 2010 and was a voluntary scheme for motor dealers who would give car buyers £2,000 off the price of a new vehicle if you let them scrap your old one.

But for many trading up was still not a financially viable option, even with the cash incentive.

This is why all those veteran vehicles remain on the road, kept running through a combination of regular servicing, considerate driving and probably a little TLC every now and then.

We know that Volkswagens top the list of older vehicles still being driven but, if you have any of the vehicles in the table below, you could possibly have a car for life.

Top 10 surviving  pre-1980s cars	Top 10 surviving  1980s cars	Top 10 surviving early 1990s  cars (pre-1996)
1. Volkswagen Beetle	1. Volkswagen Golf	1. Volkswagen Golf
2. MGB	2. Austin Rover Mini	2. Nissan Micra
3. Austin Mini	3. Ford Escort	3. Vauxhall Corsa
4. Land Rover 88	4. Land Rover 90	4. Vauxhall Astra
5. Morris Minor	5. Ford Fiesta	5. Ford Fiesta
6. MG Midget	6. Peugeot 205	6. Honda Civic
7. Ford Escort	7. Ford Capri	7. Volkswagen Polo
8. Triumph Spitfire	8. Volkswagen Polo	8. Peugeot 106
9. Triumph Stag	9. Porsche 944	9. Ford Escort
10. Triumph Herald	10. Ford Sierra	10. Land Rover Discovery

A wide range of vehicles made the list, from 4X4s to sporty two-seaters, which suggests all sorts of people from all walks of life are keeping older cars on the road.

Getting the right cover for your classic car

Classic cars are often quoted cheaper premiums because they are considered to be better maintained and driven less than other cars, but there are a number of things you need to consider when looking for classic car insurance.

Although HMRC defines a classic car as one that is over 20 years old and has an agreed value of £15,000 or more, there is no standard definition for insurance purposes so you should always check the insurers' thresholds before getting a quote to ensure that you get the right level of cover.

You should also get an agreed valuation on your vehicle as, without one, many insurers will only pay out the 'market value' should your car be written off and this could leave you with an insurance shortfall.

In addition, you should check whether your insurer offers genuine or after-market replacement parts. Although it may be the case that you get a cheaper quote from insurers that use non-genuine replacement parts, you may want authentic replacements, particularly if you have a valuable classic in stock condition.

It may also be worth joining a classic car owners' club as this could net you a discount of up to 15% on your policy price and, if you decide to attend any rallies or shows, then you should be covered for this under the terms of your classic policy.

Insurers will also often stipulate that you can only cover a limited number of miles under the terms of your classic car policy and so you may find that, if you are going to cover more than 7,500 miles in any one year, then your policy price may increase or you may have to take out a standard insurance policy.

If you do have an agreed mileage limit then you must make sure that you do not exceed this as this may invalidate your cover.

Also, as with any type of insurance policy, you should shop around for the best quote and also get quotes from companies that offer specialist classic car insurance as these can often work out cheaper than those offered by mainstream insurers.

One of the quickest and most convenient ways of doing this is to use MoneySupermarket's insurance comparison tool where you can get quotes from more than 100 companies in less than five minutes,

But what does your car say about you? Are other people's perceptions of you driven by the car you drive? MoneySupermarket has looked into this too, so let's look at the findings.

You are what you drive?

We may not like to admit it but we are often judged on our appearance, and the MoneySupermarket research found that the type of car you drive certainly has an effect on how you are treated by other road users.

The study of 2,500 drivers found that over a third claimed they are more likely to be polite and courteous to people who own the same make of car as they do.

Other findings indicated that Ford drivers are the most polite on the roads - they are most likely to indicate and let other drivers out at junctions. They're closely followed by drivers of Audis, Citroens, Vauxhalls and Peugeots.

On the flipside, white van drivers admitted to being the least polite on the road along with Porsche, Range Rover, Land Rover and Mercedes drivers.

However, despite the fact that a quarter of them admitted parking without considering whether others can use the spaces next to them and half admitting that they fail to stop at zebra crossings, BMW drivers do not consider themselves among the top 10 rudest drivers.