25 reasons to own an electric classic car

It's clear that the electric car movement is gathering pace, with cars like the Tesla Model 3, Kia e-Niro, Volkswagen ID and Nissan Leaf now familiar sights on our roads. This is good news, because electric cars are, on balance, better for the planet than their petrol or diesel counterparts.

But did you know that there is also a growing market for electric classic cars, and that you can now either buy a bespoke classic with an electric motor, or get your own vintage vehicle converted to this new clean, green energy source?

Here are 25 compelling reasons why you might want to electrify your classic in the coming years:

1. The iconic looks and style of a classic, with modern efficiency. All the glamour of an E-Type, classic Range Rover or original Porsche 911, with none of the difficult mechanicals and regular servicing headaches.
2. Converting a classic into an electric car may be an expensive process – but, in the long run, you should see savings. Of course, just like their petrol, diesel or hybrid counterparts, electric vehicles are subject to tax, servicing, repairs and insurance – or insurance for a classic car. However, some of these costs will be significantly lower for electric cars.
3. Savings start with lower vehicle tax. Other types of cars, including petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are taxed according to their carbon dioxide emissions. Fully electric cars are totally exempt from vehicle excise duty, which will mean considerable savings as the years go by.

Of course, with older classic cars you may already be free of the burden of car tax – that's because vehicles over 40 years old are no longer liable for tax (as long as their owners fill in their paperwork). We looked in a little more detail at classic car exemption, and at some cars that become exempt in 2022, in this feature.

4. The next area where you can expect to see savings is servicing. Electric cars are, mechanically at least, relatively simple, which means that servicing costs are kept down. These cars, essentially, have fewer moving parts to look after, and fewer things that are likely to wear out and need replacing time. Oil filters and other parts of a conventional combustion engine that can be expensive to repair or replace, are simply not present in the electric car.

When it comes to the brakes, typically an expensive part of the car for many owners, the bills should fall here, too. That's because electric cars use regenerative braking – in which the electric motor slows the vehicle whilst loading electricity back into the battery. This form of braking is more efficient, with less energy lost – and less wear and tear on the brakes. You'll still need to maintain your brake discs and pads, but less often.

All of this also makes servicing appointments relatively simple. You'll just need to get the battery and electric drivetrain looked after, and the charging cable checked for any damage. The charge of your battery will be checked, too, although this is perfectly easy for you to do yourself. Then, all the electric car's cables and high-voltage systems will be given the once-over, with any worn parts being replaced.

5. Owning an electric car is effectively future proofing yourself against future changes to the law, and/or increases in road tax for vehicles using conventional fuels.
6. There will be a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. We're not quite sure what that will mean for the classic market, but it's clear that things are going electric at quite a pace, and that drivers of fossil-fuel cars will find themselves squeezed out of the marketplace before very long. Owners of conventional petrol and diesel cars will also have a harder time selling their (by then heavily penalised) vehicles than their electric-owning colleagues. So why not get there ahead of the masses and go electric now?
7. Over the next few years, as a petrol or diesel driver, you may find yourself either paying a congestion charge to enter certain city centres or banned from those cities altogether. The most high-profile example of this is London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

We went into how this works, and how you may be affected as a classic car owner, in this helpful explainer. Essentially, though, the ULEZ applies to a large expanse of central London, corresponding exactly to the Congestion Charge zone: the City of London itself, plus Westminster, Marylebone, Mayfair and, south of the river, Lambeth, Vauxhall, and Southwark. Within this area, cars that don't meet certain emissions standards are now subject to a daily charge of £12.50 when entering the central zone.

It's important to note here that cars aged 40 or over are exempt from the ULEZ, as they are classed 'of historic interest'. So, if you drive around London in a 1963 E-Type, the ULEZ isn't affecting you. If, on the other hand, your runabout is a 1986 Mk2 Golf GTI, you'll be all too familiar with the ULEZ by now.

However, both the E-Type and the Golf – indeed, any car – would become exempt from the charge if they went electric. Well worth thinking about the conversion for this reason alone if you regularly venture into the capital. A daily £12.50 saving is not to be sniffed at!

8. You may well find it easier, and/or cheaper, to park in certain places in your electric car. That's because, to encourage the growth in EVs, many places are now offering free, priority or dedicated parking bays for electric cars. For instance, Milton Keynes now has more than 15,000 parking bays where electric car drivers may park for free.
9. There are also a few schemes out there to help interested drivers make the switch to cars. Government grants include help with charging points at home and at work, as well as with buying a new EV. Of these, the Plug-In Car Grant (offering up to 35% off purchase price) sadly doesn't apply to classic electric conversions, as only certain brand-new models make it onto the Government's list of approved vehicles.

However, under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme you could get up to £350 off the cost of installing an EV charger at home.

10. All these savings and exemptions reflect, of course, the fact that electric vehicles are basically better for the planet. Yes, one of the biggest advantages of driving EVs is their less harmful impact on our environment.

Pure electric cars emit no exhaust gases, so they are not pumping any of those dangerous and/or harmful products – such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides – into the air. This is a particularly important benefit in congested cities, where lots of people are having to breathe the same air that is being polluted by large numbers of vehicles.

Essentially, EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than conventional petrol or diesel cars – even once you consider the by-products of producing the electricity they require.

European Energy Agency research has revealed that, even with this extra electricity generation considered, the carbon emissions of an electric car are between 17% and 30% lower than those of a petrol or diesel car.

11. You might think that your particular classic won't qualify for the electric treatment, but – even in the industry's infancy – an impressive range of classics have already successfully undergone the transformation. For example, Welsh outfit Electric Classic Cars have converted various classics to electric, ranging from a Porsche 911 via a Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle onto the short-lived but instantly recognisable DeLorean.
12. If you do choose to go electric, you'll be in good company! The electrified classics movement has even reached the Royal Family: Prince Harry drove a Jaguar E-Type conversion (the 'E-Type Zero') as his wedding car.
13. No more unreliable, smelly old fossil-fuel engines…
14. … and no need to turn up the music high when you're in your classic. Unlike some noisy old petrol and diesel units, electric motors are whisper-soft.
15. If you've got the mechanical and electrical know-how, you can even perform the conversion from fossil-fuel engine to electric motor yourself. Yes, for those who can't quite afford a brand new classic electric car from one of the emerging companies, other firms are offering electric car conversion kits. These will enable you to do the work yourself, and convert a whole range of combustion-engine vehicles to run on electricity.

For example, Bristol-based Zero EV will sell you a kit allowing you to convert your Mazda MX-5, Porsche 911 or second-generation Mercedes SL 'Pagoda Top' to electric power. Prices range from £15,000 to £65,000.

Elsewhere, kits can start from as little as £6,000. It's fairly involved work, incorporating some high-voltage electrical circuits, so unless you're experienced in this area yourself we'd recommend getting a professional to do the work. It will also be essential to inform your classic car insurance provider provider of the changes that you are making to your vehicle.

Also make sure that, once you've made the conversion, you re-register your car as a ‘radically altered vehicle’, according to DVLA guidelines. You could be breaking the law, and also invalidating your classic car insurance, if you fail to do this. There's more on how to do this on this page of the Government website.

16. If you've got the cash, some conversions are significantly more potent than their conventional-fuel originals.

Silverstone-based Lunaz, for example, are producing some real top-of-the-range, fire-breathing EV conversions. They are perhaps best known, to date, for their awesomely powerful battery-powered Jaguar XK120, which is capable of putting out 375bhp and a tyre-shredding 700Nm of torque, thanks to its 80kWh battery pack and motor. This particular Jag can sprint from 0-60mph in five seconds. Yes, any lingering doubts about electric cars' performance credentials can safely be dispelled. Handily, this XK120 also has a range of 250 miles, so the fear of having to stop and recharge every couple of hours doesn't apply either. Lunaz hasn't stopped there: it’s also making small runs of electrified 1955-65 Bentley Continental Coupe and Dropheads, plus various Rolls-Royces including our long time favourite, the Silver Shadow.

17. While we're on the subject of absolute classics that have already been given the electric treatment, we must also mention Staffordshire's RBW Sports & Classics, who have made their own brilliant reinvention of a much-loved British classic – the MGB.

We've always adored the MGB here at Lancaster – we traced its fascinating history from '60s sensation to revered classic in this article. We totally understand why it's one of Britain's most popular classics, and one of the cars for which we're most often asked to provide classic car insurance.

So we were thrilled to see that RBW is producing electrified versions of this wonderful car, in both its roadster and GT forms. Strictly more of a brand new car than a conversion (it uses new body shells and bespoke suspension), the RBW MGB has a range of about 160 miles and can get from a standing start to 60mph in nine seconds. You can even specify a second battery for a longer range.

18. Another British classic to have been given the full-on electro conversion is the Land Rover Defender. Twisted Automotive will convert your classic Landy for you in two weeks. And don't worry, this new battery-powered Defender will lose none of its legendary off-road ability. The 214bhp stat, meanwhile, compares well with the original car.

We know that there are lots of Land Rover drivers out there – as we noted, the Defender and its Series I / II / III predecessors are among our most popular cars for classic car insurance here at Lancaster – so we imagine that there'll be quite a lot of interest in this particular conversion.

19. You've probably read a lot about how expensive electric cars and conversions are… but that's not always the case. Take, for example, the case of the 2CEV, a new version of – you've guessed it – Citroen's iconic 2CV, by Wiltshire's 2CV Shop. Its version of the seminal Deux Chevaux closely mimics the inimitable character of the original car – it simply complements it with modern, reliable and far quieter electric power. This one has a range of around 65 miles. A conversion of your own 2CV will typically cost around £16,400 – or you can buy a 2CEV off the peg for £29,000.
20. Some of the car manufacturers themselves are also getting in on the act. For example, Aston Martin has made an electric version of its much-loved DB6 grand tourer, while Jaguar has produced the E-Type Zero that we mentioned above, cleverly harvesting parts from their successful I-Pace electric car.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, has given its endorsement to eClassics, an outfit that is converting classic VW campervans to electric power. Incidentally, if you are a proud owner of a VW or any other campervan, we'll be very happy to hear from you here at Lancaster: we have as much experience providing campervan insurance as we do classic car insurance.

We're pretty sure that the coming years will see more car makers looking at their own back catalogue and deciding to produce electric versions of some of their best-loved motors.

21. Worried that you might end up deciding an electric classic isn't for you? That, a few months into your electric car experience, you realise how much you miss tinkering under the bonnet, and the familiar sights and smells of the petrol or diesel engine? No problem: some firms commission bespoke powertrains and ensure that any conversion is fully reversible, allowing the engine and associated drivetrain to be reinstated if this is desired. This is the case with Aston Martin, for example, as Autocar reported here.

If you do ever plan to undertake a reverse conversion like this, just make sure – as you would with the original electric conversion in the first place – that your classic car insurance provider is made aware of the change to your car's status.

22. There’s already a big online community of enthusiasts. Forums such as Retro Electric and DIY Electric Car are full of friendly, knowledgeable electric car drivers and converters, so if you do take the plunge and either get your existing classic converted, or buy a new electric 'classic' off the shelf, you won't be short of places to turn to for help and advice.
23. Some drivers may insist that going electric will rob you of some of the visceral thrills of fossil-fuel driving – the fruity roar of the engine, the sheer joy of opening the bonnet and having a tinker around among the oily parts.

However, we think it's a safe bet to say that some classics will actually be better to drive in electric guise. These electric cars will typically retain all the torque of their predecessors – in fact, they'll often have much more at their disposal. Then there's the immediacy of the acceleration – no turbo lag here. EVs also tend to have a low centre of gravity, thus boosting both comfort and safety. These cars will be quick, responsive, well planted on the road – all that you want, we'd say, from a spin in your beloved classic.

24. Think of some much-loved but notoriously unreliable classics. Cars that you would love to own for their style, looks and place in British motoring history, but would shy away from because of their well-known issues.

Now imagine them in electric form – just as gorgeous, but with vastly reduced possibilities of mechanical failure. Tempting, aren't they?

Imagine, say, an electrified Triumph Stag. The original Stag was a much-admired 1970s 2+2 sports tourer with, shall we say, a slight propensity for engine failure. Not so with an electrified Stag. Suddenly, your prospects of ending up stranded by the roadside, waiting for the breakdown truck, look drastically reduced.

25. Another big drawback you'll hear cited against electric cars is their limited range. No thanks, their detractors will claim, I don't fancy finding myself stranded in the middle of nowhere with no power.

In the future, though, charging points will be much more abundant, while the drastic reduction in petrol and diesel cars will mean that petrol stations become few and far between, as they have an ever smaller customer base to serve. Then, it will be the fossil-fuel drivers suffering from so-called 'range anxiety', while their electric counterparts glide quietly from one charging point to the next.

Cover for all types of classic car

You may think that converting your classic to electric power will make it harder to insure. Fear not, though: here at Lancaster, we are able to provide classic car insurance for electrified classics, just as easily as we can for traditional petrol and diesel models.

And, just as the range of classics that can be converted to electricity is becoming ever larger, we are able to provide classic car insurance for a huge variety of cars from yesteryear.

Contact us to insure your classic 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.