Will Hagerty Insure A Daily Driver? Here's What You Should Know

From its marketplace offerings to events like the Amelia Concours and RADwood, Hagerty is a fixture on the classic car scene. The company is also well known among enthusiasts for offering specialized insurance for collector and vintage vehicles. Its coverage options include an agreed-value policy that protects the value of a classic car that isn't driven regularly. Owners like this protection because the premiums tend to be less than regular car insurance. So, it's reasonable to wonder about adding your daily driver to an existing Hagerty policy to save time and possibly money. The short answer is no.

Hagerty's underwriting protocols are the opposite of standard auto insurers such as Geico and Allstate; daily-use vehicles are explicitly disqualified from coverage. These guidelines specify that vehicles protected by the company shouldn't be used for commuting, errands, or any routine travel. Hagerty wants to protect only secondary, pleasure-use vehicles. The approach makes sense, as daily drivers are more at risk for collisions, theft, and other incidents because they're on the road more frequently. If you're most focused on insuring a classic car, here's what you need to know.

Hagerty's standards highlight that vehicles driven daily are ineligible for coverage under its collector-vehicle policies. The company goes one step further, requiring each driver in the household to maintain a regular-use vehicle covered by a standard auto policy for daily driving. In other words, Hagerty-insured cars are for occasional or leisure driving only. In addition to excluding daily drivers, in most cases, the company won't insure off-road or recreational vehicles. Performance-modified motorcycles and commercial-use vehicles are also banned.

Hagerty differs from standard insurers because of how it defines "occasional use." Its collector policies permit use for "club functions, exhibitions, organized meets, tours, and even occasional pleasure driving." The company says that typically translates into 3,500 miles of permissible annual driving, but adds there's "some flexibility up to 7,500 miles." Whether that's enough mileage allowance to set a new Cannonball Run record is another matter.

To further minimize potential losses, the company enforces specific storage requirements, mandating that enclosed private garages or secured facilities are the preferred option. Taken together, these restrictions help explain why Hagerty says its agreed-value coverage costs, on average, 27 percent less than daily-driver insurance.

Ultimately, choosing between Hagerty and standard auto insurers depends on your ride and what you do with it. If it truly is a daily driver, then Hagerty isn't an option; you'll need a conventional auto policy, and costs vary considerably depending on where you live, what you drive, and your driving history.

That said, Hagerty could be a legitimate insurance option for secondary vehicles that fall under the company's coverage guidelines. These include classic cars, 1980 and newer collector vehicles, collector trucks and SUVs, motorsports vehicles, and high-performance track cars. Quotes are available online, so it's easy to check pricing. In addition, the company offers instant 30-day coverage for a recently purchased collectible vehicle with a value up to $50,000. When considering coverage from any company, it's wise to avoid cheap car insurance.