Q Plate Car Insurance

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What is a Q Plate Car?

Even chat GTP does not know the answer to that question. The letter Q is reserved for vehicles cars and bikes that have a chequered history, making it unclear as the original make or model. Typically, Q plates are assigned to kit cars, cars that are imported, cars or bikes that have been radically altered and not forgetting MOD vehicles.

Apart from Kit Cars, others cars and bikes that will require q plate registration include military vehicles including military bikes that sources are protected under security regulations and imported vehicles, which might not have easily traceable documentation or history.

To get a ‘Q’ registration number, your vehicle has to pass a type approval process, click here for link to gov.uk and more details on this process.

Q Plates introduced in the 1930’s encompasses the following categories

Kit Cars – We are familiar with the kit car, these are the preserve of the car enthusiast that has a yearning for classic at an affordable price. It also helps if you know the difference between a spanner and screwdriver

MOD Vehicles: These are ex ministry of defence vehicles that have a secret past

Rebuilds : Car including classic that have been completely rebuilt. This category also includes cars that had been previously classed as a write-off, so be careful if you are looking at buying a Q plate car

Personal Imports : Car that have personally imported, typically from Japan and the USA

Missing VIN Number : Cars or bikes without a VIN number

What our expert says

‘Q’ registration numbers : DVLA issues ‘Q’ registration numbers to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt. Eamonn Turley, Founder of InsuranceQuotesNI

Who Provides Specialist Insurance For Import and KitCars?

Brady Insurance

Airsports Insurance Bureau (AIB)

2Gether Insurance

Adrian Flux

Finding an Insurance provider for Q Plates

This is a specialised type of insurance that most mainstream providers do not offer, but it is always worth asking your current insurance broker if they can provide an insurance policy. Failing that, we have partnered with SEOPA that have a panel of specialist insurance provides of Q plate and kit car insurance.

Number plates inform our providers of your vehicle’s age, which is part of the main criteria we use to calculate our classic car insurance premiums. Uncertainty over the age or identity of the vehicle may increase the associated risks.

FAQ’s Q Car Plates

Can I insure a Q plate car?

Insurance is available for cars and bikes with Q plates, but most high street insurance companies will not quote for q plate cars, bikes or kit cars. This is left to a handful of specialists. We work in partnership with SEOPA who provide a simple form which once completed is submitted to a specialist panel of q plate insurance providers.

My car has a Q-registration plate, do I need an MOT?

Yes, Q registered cars and kit cars are still required to undergo an annual MOT. One exception is if the vehicle is registered for tax as a vehicle of historic interest.

My car has a Q-registration is over 40 years old does it still need an MOT?

Classic cars or cars that are over 40 years are now exempt from the MOT since 2018. Previously it was only cars registered before 1960, which seemed a bit unfair as many cars since that date are now considered classic or modern classics. Q reg cars and kit cars over 40 years old are not recognised as classic cars and as such they are NOT exempt from the annual MOT.
Q plate insurance and chassis number insurance polices are only available from a few specialist insurance companies. Some of the better known include

How do I get Q-plates?

Q plates are issued by the DVLA, but only if the vehicle fails to meet the requirements for standard plate registration.

Does IQNI ( InsuranceQuotesNI) offer Q-plate insurance?

We work in partnership with SEOPA who provide a simple form which once completed is submitted to a specialist panel of q plate insurance providers. It is these specialist providers that will be able to provide you with 1q car insurance, based on your requirements and their qualifying criteria.

Can you still get Q-plates?

Yes, these are still issued for the cars that meet the guidelines and follow the application process.

Are Q-plates more expensive to insure?

A Q plated car in general is going to be more expensive to insure than a car with a standard registration. One big reason is that you can not easily buy replacement parts on E Bay or the local scrapyard. Remember, the number plate is used by insurance companies to provide basic details of age and risk category to determine the cost of classic and classic car insurance. Without this information, the q plate is seen as unknown with level of risk difficult to determine, so the insurance company will err as high risk.

Updated: 12 June 2025
Reviewed by Eamonn Turley Insurance Expert