Footman James launches cheap insurance for young classic owners

Footman James launches ground breaking new insurance proposition for young enthusiasts aged 17-23 years. 

The announcement came at the specialist insurance broker’s recent Classic Industry Forum, which took place last week (6th March) at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon.

Twenty key industry stakeholders including insurance, club and media partners attending the Forum heard how Footman James had been working in partnership with insurance partner KGM to develop a brand new proposition for young classic enthusiasts.

Footman James’ managing director Andy Fairchild advised that it had been difficult issue to take on with the insurance industry but the innovative new scheme, set to go live from next month, will mean that young drivers, who had previously struggled to obtain insurance for their classic would now be able to do so, subject to a range of qualifying criteria.

“We have been working hard with our insurance partners to establish a range of criteria that will assist us identify the true classic enthusiast.  Young drivers who purchase classic vehicles as a means of obtaining cheaper insurance are not, in our opinion, true classic enthusiasts and a risk that insurers will not take on – a decision that we fully support,” explained Mr Fairchild.

He continued, “One of the ways of establishing true enthusiasts, in our opinion, is down to whether they are members of a car club.  We have, therefore, selected this as the primary qualifying criteria for the product and as a result, the product will initially be available to members of pre-selected clubs only.”

Qualifying criteria for 17-23 year olds

• Owner must be a member of one of the pre-selected clubs
• Car must have been manufactured in or before 1985
• Owner must have use of or own a second vehicle for everyday use.
• Owner must limit their mileage to 3000 or 5000 miles per year.
• Owner must have a maximum of one non-fault claim or minor conviction.
• Car must be parked off the road or garaged

In addition, young drivers who meet the above criteria can be eligible for further discounts if they score enough points in a brand new points system devised by Footman James and KGM.  The system will award points to young drivers who can demonstrate a commitment to the movement through the following: length of club membership, involvement in club activities and events, family history of owning classics/club membership and how they heard about the product.  Advanced driving qualifications and mechanical competence are also being considered as other potential point scoring opportunities.

“We are delighted to take the lead on providing classic insurance for young enthusiasts. Through the development of this unique product we hope to help secure the future of the classic movement for many years to come and implore young enthusiasts and the industry at large to assist us in making a success of the initiative.  The ultimate aim is to engender confidence amongst the insurers and ultimately, we hope to extend the product to other clubs in the future,” concluded Mr Fairchild.

The launch pad for the announcement, The Footman James’ Classic Industry Forum, was the first event of its kind that saw key industry stakeholders meet to debate industry issues, threats and opportunities.  The event was deemed a success by all those who attended and plans are now being put in place to hold further events on a regular basis.

www.footmanjames.co.uk

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