Classic car insurance and the annual mileage cap—worth it?

Had a client once who realized mid-summer he was going to overshoot his mileage cap—turns out, “just one more car show” adds up fast. He called in a bit sheepish, expecting a lecture, but the carrier just recalculated his premium for the rest of the term. No drama, no threats. Like you said,

“Sometimes companies are more flexible than they let on, especially if you’re upfront about it before there’s an issue.”

Honestly, I get the appeal of stretching those miles for car shows, but I’m always nervous about pushing the cap. The recalculated premium is fair, but what about claims—has anyone actually had to file after going over their agreed mileage? Curious if the flexibility holds up when it really counts.

I’ve always wondered about that too, honestly. Insurance companies are quick to recalculate premiums if you go over, but I’m not convinced they’d be as understanding when it comes time to pay out. I’ve heard mixed stories—one guy at my local club said his claim got held up for months because he’d overshot his cap by a couple hundred miles. Makes me question if the “flexibility” is just marketing. Has anyone seen their rates jump after a claim, or do they just drop you altogether?

- That’s the thing that bugs me about these policies—feels like you’re always walking a tightrope with the mileage cap.
- I’ve never filed a claim myself, but I’ve heard similar stories at swap meets. One guy had his payout delayed because he was 300 miles over, and they really grilled him about it.
- From what I’ve seen, if you go over, they’ll either up your premium or just drop you at renewal. Not much middle ground.
- The “flexibility” seems more like a sales pitch than reality, especially if you actually need to use the coverage.

I get why they have limits, but it’s tough if you like to take your car out for longer trips every now and then. Has anyone managed to negotiate a higher cap without the premium going through the roof? Or is it just not worth bothering?

I’ve tried to push for a higher mileage cap with two different insurers, and both times it felt like pulling teeth. One of them offered to bump me up by 1,000 miles, but the premium jump was honestly ridiculous—almost made it not worth having the “classic” policy at all. The other just flat-out said no, unless I wanted to switch to a standard policy, which kind of defeats the purpose.

I get that they’re trying to limit risk, but it does feel a bit rigid. The irony is, most of us with classic cars aren’t daily driving them anyway. I’ve heard of some folks getting a little leeway if they can show the car’s mostly garaged or only used for club events, but that seems hit or miss depending on the agent.

If you’re someone who likes spontaneous road trips, these policies can be more hassle than they’re worth. I’ve started keeping a log just in case there’s ever a dispute... not ideal, but better than getting grilled over a few hundred extra miles.