The word from Heritage Car Insurance as they highlight the VED-free status of many 80s classics;
Every April, another year of classic cars quietly becomes tax-exempt under the DVLA’s rolling 40-year rule, and 2026 was the turn of the class of 1984-85: the Ford Escort RS Turbo, VW Golf GTI, Porsche 944 and Austin Mini Mayfair among them. But new analysis by the classic car insurance experts at Heritage Car Insurance suggests a significant number of owners may not have got the memo.
Heritage analysed a Freedom of Information response from the DVLA and found that 18,040 vehicles built in 1985 and 5,869 built in 1984, a combined 23,909 vehicles – are still recorded as taxed, despite being old enough to apply for the free historic vehicle tax class.
Using the DVLA’s current published tax rates for vehicles registered before 2001 (£230 a year for engines up to 1,549cc, or £375 a year for larger engines), Heritage’s analysis suggests these drivers could collectively be paying between £5.5 million and almost £9 million a year in road tax they may not need to pay at all.
The data also shows a further 39,521 SORN’d 1985 vehicles sitting outside the historic class, and that 7,111 owners have already made the switch this year alone, proof that once drivers know to check, the process works.
The historic tax class isn’t automatic. Owners have to apply for it themselves, using the vehicle’s V5C logbook, which is why Heritage believes so many eligible cars are still being taxed as standard vehicles years after they should have gone free.
How to check if you’re affected
Heritage’s classic car insurance experts recommend owners of pre-1986 vehicles:
• Check the date of manufacture on your V5C logbook
• If your car is now more than 40 years old, apply to switch it into the historic vehicle tax class at a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax
• Take your V5C, a valid MOT certificate (or MOT exemption evidence) and a completed V10 tax application form
• From your next renewal, you could pay £0 instead of up to £375 a year
Expert comment
“We were surprised by just how many owners of 1984 and 1985 cars are still being taxed as though their vehicle were brand new,” said Mark Wilkinson, Managing Director at Heritage Car Insurance.
“The historic tax class exists precisely for cars like these, but it isn’t applied automatically, so if you don’t know to ask, you keep paying. Given the sums involved, a five-minute trip to the Post Office could be one of the most valuable things a classic car owner does all year.”
Heritage Car Insurance has published a full guide to checking eligibility and applying for historic vehicle tax status at
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