A car from the 50s or 60s is often called a collector’s vehicle without it officially having the status. Simple misuse of language, a collector’s vehicle must meet certain criteria. These do not automatically imply its passage to the status of collector’s vehicle in the administrative sense of the term.
What is a collectible vehicle?
It is necessary to differentiate between a vintage car and a classic car in the official sense of the term. Common parlance encourages calling a classic car a car that has been running for several decades. However, under the law, this is a very widespread misuse of language.
For an old car to have the status of a collector’s car, it must meet a set of criteria that are inseparable from each other. Once all the parameters are met, it can become a collector’s car. This is not a legal obligation, but a deliberate choice of its owner.
A vintage car must be at least 30 years old . The date taken into account for the count is that of its first registration, new or after isolated acceptance (RTI) with the DREAL (formerly the mining service or DRIRE). This can apply to a vehicle transformed into an ambulance or an intervention vehicle for firefighters, for example.
For a car to achieve collector status, its production must also be discontinued by the original manufacturer.
In addition to its age, the vehicle must be in conformity with the origin . It must not have undergone any modification making it different from its original homologation.
This means that it must have the same engine as the original without transformation, just like its chassis or its bodywork. It is, of course, possible to replace a defective element, but on the one and only condition that it is identical.
What are the advantages of this type of car?
For its owner, benefiting from a registration certificate bearing the mention “Collection” for his vehicle has several advantages. Vehicles over 30 years old registered for the first time from 1960 only have to pass the technical inspection every 5 years instead of 2 years for other vehicles. Those put into circulation before 1960 are purely and simply exempt from technical inspection .
The mention of collector’s vehicle on the registration certificate allows free circulation in the ZFEs , whereas the same vehicle without the mention cannot enter these zones. A collector’s vehicle may be equipped with license plates with a black background as in the past. They are the only ones able to display this type of plate legally even if they are registered with the SIV.
Finally, a collector’s vehicle is exempt from import customs duties , the amount of which is 5.5% of its value otherwise. The vehicle is also exempt from ISF, which can be a clever investment to optimize its taxation.
How to obtain the gray collection card?
To become a real collector’s car, its owner must request it. He must file a file with the French Federation of Vintage Vehicles (FFVE). This one will give him its approval or its refusal. In the event of a positive response, a certificate will be issued certifying the collection quality of the vehicle concerned.
The owner of the vehicle will then be able to modify his registration certificate by asking to have the mention “Collection” mentioned in the “Z” section. This request must be made to the online service set up by the Government, the ANTS. The applicant must provide the FFVE certificate to validate this status.
However, it is important to specify that this action is irreversible. A car that has obtained collection status cannot go back to its normal status, even if sold to a third party. The status is assigned definitively. Since this status is generally more advantageous on many points, irreversibility is not a real problem. Only those wishing to drive on a daily basis may find crippling restrictions on collector car status with their car insurance. The latter may restrict the circulation of the vehicle or impose specific conditions.
