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If it wasn’t for the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), many classic car owners wouldn’t be able to drive their pride and joy on British roads. The Federation was created to uphold the freedom to use historic vehicles on the road, representing the interests of classic car owners to officials, politicians, and legislators.

As the Federation puts it: it’s all about maintaining the freedom to use yesterday’s vehicles on tomorrow’s road. It makes the point that not only do we need to recognise historic vehicles as cultural items, we also need to realise that they play a vital part in the wider economy. Some people think that classic car ownership is merely a nostalgic hobby but we know it’s much more than that. It creates jobs and communities, too.

How much does the sector contribute to the UK economy?

To emphasise its point about the sector’s contribution to the UK economy, the Federation conducts a five-yearly survey to break down the numbers.

The results of the 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey show an increased number of historic vehicles registered with the DVLA, comparative to 2016 figures, jumping to an impressive 1.5 million, a rise of 3.4%. Unsurprisingly, owners are up, too, to 700,000, a rise of 200,000 on the previous survey in 2016.

The sector is now contributing a massive £7.2 billion to the UK economy – that’s more than the equestrian sector and significantly up on the £5.5 billion in 2016. This revenue comes from the 4,000 businesses that operate in the sector, which employ over 34,000 people.

It’s a diverse and inclusive sector, too, with 51% of historic vehicles having a market value of less than £10,000. Less than half (44%) of the vehicles are registered as on the road and ready for use.

Of those that are road-ready, the average vehicle does just 1,200 miles a year, which means that historic vehicles account for less than 0.2% of the total miles driven on UK roads each year. Despite this, more than a third of historic car owners are already contributing to, or would consider contributing to, a carbon reduction scheme. Remember if you’re only driving limited mileage, you could be in line for a discount on your classic car insurance.

Commenting on the latest survey results, David Whale, Chairman of the FBHVC, said that the sector will be “instrumental in the recovery of our nation’s economy post-Brexit and post-COVID”. However, he stressed that the sector requires continued support to maximise its potential.

That’s a sentiment we can certainly agree with at Lancaster Insurance. After all, if it wasn’t for the sector, our role as a classic car insurance broker  wouldn’t be possible. We’re very thankful for all the work that the Federation does. And as something as an ode to their efforts, we’d thought we’d look into how the FBHVC came into being and how it has played a crucial role in maintaining and promoting the sector over the years.

How was the MOT test instrumental to the Federation’s formation?

The Federation wasn’t officially established until 1988, but its roots go back more than 30 years earlier than that, to the 1950s, when the idea of testing vehicles for roadworthiness was first mooted. There was concern what this would mean for older vehicles if they were going to have to meet the same standards as modern vehicles.

In 1959, Harold Macmillan appointed Ernest Marples Minister of Transport. Within a year of his appointment, he had passed through parliament a new Road Traffic Act, which called for annual testing of light vehicles over 10 years old. This was what we now know as the The Ministry of Transport Test – or the MOT test – but it was initially referred to as the ‘10-year test’. However, within seven years, the age at which vehicles first required testing had been progressively reduced to the current three years.

Did you know? The ‘MOT test’ survived numerous attempts in the early 1970s to re-name it the ‘DoE Test’ following Edward Heath’s merging of the Ministry of Transport with other ministries to create the Department of the Environment.

The creation of the MOT test prompted officers of prominent clubs catering for pre-WW2 vehicles to form the Historic Vehicle Clubs Joint Committee (HVCJC) in the early 1960s, amid concerns that older vehicles would be deemed unfit for UK roads.

The Committee struck an agreement that no vehicle should be required to perform to a higher standard than that which applied when it was new. This ensured that owners of pre-1940 vehicles were not unfairly disadvantaged and that they could continue to use their historic vehicles on the road without a need to bring them up to modern standards.

Did you know? Back in May 2018, the UK Government said that cars 40 years and older will no longer have to be put through their annual MOT. The new system replaced existing rules which said that vehicles must have been built or first registered before 1960 to qualify for exemption.

How did a flyer campaign help to boost support?

In the late 1970s, the HVCJC became more simply the HVCC and continued to cater for pre-1945 vehicles. Around the same time, a representative body – formed of car clubs – for owners of 1950s and 1960s vehicles was created to combat the Government’s attempt to require car owners to pay vehicle excise duty on all vehicles in their possession whether in use or not.

The new body was titled the Classic Vehicle Clubs Committee and its aims were aligned with HVCC’s. With that, the two organisations joined forces to ensure that the Government dropped its proposal on the grounds it would disadvantage owners of older vehicles. 

Did you know? In 2014, the UK Government introduced a 40-year exemption of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for classic vehicles. It meant the Historic Vehicle taxation class was a ‘rolling’ system once again, where any vehicle that’s 40 or more years old can be reclassified as ‘historic’ and is eligible for free car tax (VED).

Having successfully managed to fight off the proposals, those people running the two organisations recognised the advantages of collaboration and would regularly hold joint meetings.

It didn’t take too long for the HVCC and CVCC to join forces within a formal structure, with the new body to be known as the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs.

In order to garner greater support, flyers were sent out to interested parties. The flyer, which contained a spoof cutting of the front page of The Times suggesting that vehicles over 20 years old were soon to be outlawed, certainly did its job. Membership quickly grew to 100,000 and the Federation began to represent UK classic car owners on a national and international level.

How has the Federation’s position strengthened over the years?

Much like it is today, the Federation’s primary objective was to uphold the freedom to use historic vehicles on the road.

The Federation has grown to represent over 500 clubs with about 250,000 enthusiasts participating. The good work of the Federation has attracted membership from transport museums, individual and trade supporters who benefit from those primary aims. The Federation has also partnered with a small number of highly valued commercial partners, who amplified its reach and capacity.

The Federation can count many achievements in its lifetime. But perhaps its greatest is the production of the Guide for Users of Historic Vehicles, compiled in conjunction with FIVA. The document was updated in 2019, and the Guide to Responsible Use of Vehicles on Today’s Roads is now in production across the world in several languages.

In the first decade of its formation, the Foundation had to work hard on fighting vehicle related legislation and regulation – until there was a general acceptance among legislators that retrospective requirements should be avoided.

Run by suitably qualified and experienced volunteers, the Federation built up a close relationship with the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group, working with them to ensure that increased standardisation in the processes of registration and monitoring of vehicles did not serve to disadvantage historic vehicles.

The Federation’s expertise and status saw it establish a position where both the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency now recognise the group as a bastion of the British historic vehicle movement. The Federation is regularly consulted on any potential changes to legislation.

But that doesn’t mean that the Federation doesn’t still have to fight on behalf of its members. The development of general roadworthiness requirements presents a constant challenge to the preservation of historic vehicles. The body works tirelessly to protest that historic vehicles cannot be expected to comply with these newer requirements and that their safety record justified a level of exemption.

Why is the preservation of historic vehicles so crucial in the years ahead?

One of the chief aims of the Federation is to establish historic vehicles as cultural items. This has become ever-more important in light of environmental considerations and the effect on health of emissions from motor vehicles.

Quite rightly, the motoring industry is having to adapt and change. The replacement of internal combustion engines with electrical power is happening at apace. The UK Government announced in November 2020 that new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the Government will "invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points and creating long-lasting batteries in UK gigafactories. This will allow us to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030.”

So where does this leave historic vehicles? The Federation argues that this will mean that classic cars will ‘increasingly become reminders of the past, as historical and heritage artefacts.’

However, it also recognises that the sector could find itself facing more pressure from certain groups requiring it to justify its position as part of the UK economy. In anticipation of this, the Federation has furthered its engagement with The Heritage Alliance. This body has shown itself to be a strong advocate of the place of mobile heritage in the whole UK heritage movement.

The Federation stresses that it will continue to play an integral part in progressing engagement on environmental matters.

It is also proud of its efforts to educate the future experts whose job it will be to keep historic vehicles on the road for generations to come. One of the ways the Federation has done this is through the establishment of a suitable syllabus for heritage skills in the motoring sector.

How can you become a member of the FBHVC?

Anyone can become an individual supporter of the Federation. For a modest subscription fee, you can expect the following benefits:

• Bi-monthly newsletter
• Access to expert help and advice
• The right to attend general meetings
• Access to the members-only section of the website

 

Classic car insurance from Lancaster Insurance

The Lancaster Insurance team has been proudly arranging classic car insurance for more than 35 years.

Our job is to find you quality, tailored insurance cover to protect your pride and joy, for the best possible price. In fact, we have access to some of the most competitive classic car, vintage car and classic vehicle insurance schemes anywhere in the UK.

Some of the many reasons you should choose classic car insurance from Lancaster Insurance include:

• Hard-to-insure classics and classics without MOT considered
• Classic Car Club member discounts of up to 25%
• Static show cover
• Historical rally cover
• Choice of repairer
• Salvage retention
• Free EU cover up to 90 days
• Two-year agreed valuation available for £18
• Laid up cover available
• Limited mileage discounts

With a policy arranged through Lancaster Insurance, you will also receive 24-hour access to our claims line and UK call centre.

If you’d like to speak to one of our specialist classic car insurance experts about covering your vehicle, call 01480 484826 or request a call back.

Or, simply get a quote today

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.