An editorial overview, not insurance advice. Premiums, cover and conditions are in the contract in question. We do not compare insurers and we do not quote premiums. As of August 2026.
Why everyday comprehensive cover often does not fit
An ordinary motor policy values a claim at current value or at the replacement value of a used car. On classics the enthusiast value often sits well above that: a carefully documented W123 or a G-Modell is not "an old car at residual value". In a total loss, everyday comprehensive cover is then not enough.
Oldtimer policies (the names vary by insurer: Classic, Veteran, Liebhaberfahrzeug) therefore usually rest on an agreed value. Third-party liability stays compulsory; comprehensive cover is where the products differ.
Veteran status is neither a condition for that nor a substitute. Young Youngtimers can have a specialist policy, veterans a quite ordinary one.
An agreed value, not an estimate at the time of the claim
The amount to be insured is fixed in the contract, based on a competent estimate or an appraisal. Without a basis you can follow, the insurer does not set the value, or sets it only provisionally.
In a claim, what counts is what the contract says, plus any contractual supplements for a rise in value, if the insurer offers them. Affection value or sentimental value beyond that is usually not paid.
After a restoration, a jump in the market or an accident, you set the value again. Otherwise you are underinsured or overinsured. The sequence is under Setting the insured value.
Typical conditions
The conditions often resemble the veteran rules, but they are contract law, not the VTS:
- private use only
- limited annual mileage
- a space (a garage or the equivalent)
- a current valuation or photo documentation, often no older than one to two years
- a proper repair in a suitable workshop
Breaches of the conditions can reduce the benefit. Read the policy before the first outing, not after the claim.
What you clarify before you sign
- Which value is agreed, and on what basis?
- What applies in a total loss, a partial loss, theft, transport?
- Are standing, storage and transit covered?
- Which mileage and use limits apply, and do they fit your veteran entry, if you have one?
- Who may drive, and does the cover apply abroad?
A serious insurer asks for documents, not for a wished-for figure. Anyone who states "condition grade 2" only by word of mouth loses out in a claim. The condition grades explain why the grade moves the value so far.
Sources
- Public product descriptions from Swiss insurers on Classic and Oldtimer policies (August 2026), read for the common pattern, not for individual premiums
- ASTRA instructions for veteran vehicles, on the line between status and policy