According to the latest research carried out for classic insurance specialist Footman James, a massive 93 per cent of owners clock up fewer than 4500 miles per year in their classics – while 55 per cent of those questioned drive 1500 miles or less in a 12-month period.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that there was a 7 per cent increase in the number of owners driving fewer than 1500 miles a year in their classics compared with the previous 12-month period. This would appear to confirm rumours in the classic vehicle sector that owners are now cutting back on their expenditure.

Garry Carlin, Footman James’ sales director, told CCM: “Many enthusiasts tend to only drive their classics periodically throughout the year, and therefore may be able to benefit from specially designed limited-mileage policies. These usually come in different bands, such as under 1500, 3000 and 4500 miles per year – as statistically the fewer miles you drive the less at risk you are of having an accident.”

It’s worth checking your classic insurance policy when it comes up for renewal to make sure you’re not paying for a higher annual mileage limit than you actually need. Meanwhile, we’d love to hear your views on this – particularly if you’ve found yourself cutting back on your annual classic car mileage over the last year or two due to increased costs and record-breaking fuel prices. As usual, you can write to us at our Peterborough address, or you can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .