Average Classic Car Is Used Only 16 Times Per Year

10 interesting facts about classic cars, as revealed by the FBHVC.

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has shone a light on some very interesting facts about classic cars. You may know your carburettors from your fuel injectors but do you know how many classics are registered on the DVLA? Or at what age a vehicle is formally recognised as a classic? If not, then these may be of some interest to you.

The FBHVC was formed in 1988 with the aim to fight for the right for UK citizens to use “yesterday’s vehicles on tomorrow’s roads”. Representing all kinds of historic vehicles, they liaise with Government and non-government organisations to put forward and represent the interests of classic vehicle owners across the country.

Part of their job is also to gather data on classic cars and their owners to better represent them. In 2020, a large survey was conducted consisting of over 15,400 individual questionnaires completed by classic car owners and enthusiasts relative to vehicles at least 30 years old. Here are some key facts:

1,538,927 historic vehicles are registered on the DVLA database. That’s quite a lot, perhaps more than expected considering the UK gov only recognises vehicles over 40 years old as historic!

These vehicles are owned by an estimated 683, 967 owners, which means there is on average 2.25 historic vehicles for every 1 historic vehicle owner.

Owners spend £4,223 per year on their historic vehicle on average, which is surprising considering the average number of times a historic vehicle is used per year is 16 and they are only driven 1,200 miles per year on average, too!

Now, although they may only be driven 1,200 miles per year on average, it is well known that every one of those miles is contributing many times more to pollution than an equivalent modern car would. That being said, 35% of historic car owners currently contribute or would contribute to a carbon offset scheme in order to help counteract the pollution from their vehicles.

Although historic vehicle ownership may be too expensive for many, it is estimated that 18.7 million people in the UK see historic vehicles as an important part of our national heritage.

From the questionnaire data, the FBHVC has estimated that 4.6 million people in Britain would like to own a historic vehicle and although classic sports cars may come to mind when thinking about historic vehicle ownership, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to own one. In fact, 51% of historic vehicles are valued at less than £10,000. This includes everything from cars and motorcycles to buses and agricultural vehicles.

The FBHVC also revealed that the average value of a historic vehicle is £17,200, with cars being worth £26,000 and motorcycles £6,700 on average.

Let us know if you learned something today, in the comments.

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