Both cars are on Spanish plates now so i can objectively compare the insurance/road taxes between Spain and Belgium…also curious about how much these amounts are in UK.
Beside the (rather expensive) registration and homologation (NA) cost which were rather big it will be a good deal for me as the yearly costs are way lower …
ROAD TAX (yearly)
For the 1990 1.6 NA = 0!! in Spain Belgium =105 eur (was 65 last year…)
2012 2.0 NC PRHT = 98 eur in Spain Belgium=498 eur
INSURANCE (yearly)…not a 100% fair comparision as (due to the good pricing) i choosed a more complet coverage in both cars…
For the NA, Spain = 205 eur 5000 kms/year limit (legal coverage and road assistance with replacement vehicle , lawyer, fire/theft/weather/animal dammage, 9000 eur payment if total loss/stolen/burned out, personal injury, driving license points compensation )
Belgium=150 legal coverage (unlimited kms/year)+lawyer.
For the NC, Spain=310 eur (same coverage as NA and actual value instead of “fixed” as with NA ) Belgium= 480 eur legal coverage+lawyer
So, my yearly cost will be (ins.+road tax); NA 205/yr vs 255/yr
NC 405/yr vs 978/yr
total NA+NC 610/yr vs 1233/yr half the price with a way better protection.
When I lived in Belgium I was initially startled by the high cost of private motor insurance, then I realised it was whole family/household cover including teenage children!
345 GBP seems very expensive, the 105 eur i mentioned is because it’s an oldtimer (+30 years), otherwise it would be about 170 eur (for a 1.6) …which is still a lot cheaper than those 345 GBP (about 400 eur?).
Is the 200 GBP classic insurance similar (extended protection) or just the base?
£200 for insurance is just an estimate. I paid about that two years ago for an unmodified but restored 1.6. My car is now turbocharged with agreed valuation £10000. so insurance is £397.
The road tax is the same for all cars made before 2001 with engine size 1549cc or more.
That’s a game changer, so it might look (compared to Belgium) expensive for a “moderate” engine (until app.2000 cc) but as in Be. road taxes go up as the engine size increases, a C5 corvette (extreme example) would cost you 5000-6000 eur a year.
Cars here have to be 40 whole tax years past first registration to qualify as historic (and then you have to apply for the status), after that they’re exempt from tax and MOT (though insurers may require MOT anyway and it’s still a good idea). Can typically get a classic car insurance from 20 years old with rates varying wildly based on driver details and location. Mine’s ~£350/yr with modifications for unlimited mileage and all the benefits of the club scheme with Peter James.
40 years…is a long wait.
In Belgium the car becomes oldtimer after 30 year meaning less taxes and mot every 2 years, you have the option to choose for O-license plates meaning; no driving to and from job and unlimited acces to LEZ.
In Spain you pay no (or very little) taxes once the car is 25 years old, MOT every year…once 30 years
you can register it as Vehiculo Historico and then the MOT is every 3/4 or 5 years (depending on the age) and also free acces to LEZ…
