La Palma is not only the Eldorado for mountain bikers, divers, paragliders, hikers and dropouts, but also for lovers of young and oldtimers, in Spanish "clásico". In addition to the clásicos in private garages and used for official occasions such as trips and fiestas, there are numerous clásicos on the streets of La Palma every day.
A "clásico" can be recognized in Spain by the admission, the matricula. Until 10/06/1971, Spanish license plates were numeric plates combined with the abbreviation for the province. For the province of Tenerife, the purely numerical license plates ended with TF-75.227 on October 5th, 1971.
La Palma belongs to the province of Tenerife, so it has the abbreviation TF. Ex: TF - 9508 means that the car was registered before 12/31/1955 and it is the 9508th car in the province of Tenerife. After October 6, 1971, a four-digit number was combined with one letter, and from 1987 with two letters.
A car has been taxed since January 1st, 2016 from the age of 30 - before that from the age of 25 - after an application to the responsible municipality - to a "clásico" and automatically with 1 € per year. For comparison: around €192 in Germany.
The amount of car insurance for a "clásico", regardless of displacement, condition, etc., with registration between 1970 and 1980 is €99, for a "clásico" with registration between 1920 and 1930 at €30 per year. This amount is reduced if you belong to a classic car club and if you have more than one classic car.
Currently, the average age of the Spanish fleet is over 14 years old, so it can be assumed that a large part of the cars driving in our country are old, as they are over 20 years old.
From this age, it is possible that with the arrival of 2024, many of them in communities with more than 50,000 inhabitants will not have access to the environmental zones. That is why the General Directorate of Transport awards drivers who own old cars in good condition and distinguishes them between classics and historical ones.
Classic car
From the public body subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior, they do not establish this distinction, since it is characterized by the fact that it is unofficial. What happens is that a vehicle in this case can be considered classic if the model is preserved as fresh from the factory, but it must have been 25 years old.
Thanks to this distinction, there are insurance companies that offer special policies that are cheaper. In addition, various municipalities offer discounts on municipal vehicle tax, but this depends on local regulations. On the other hand, such models are also considered classics and are a reference in the motorsport world.
Historic car
This type of award is given by the General Directorate of Transport to vehicles that are more than 30 years old and meet a series of requirements. First of all, they cannot be modified, for this an inspection is carried out by an official laboratory approved by the Autonomous Community.
It is then necessary to pass this distinction to the Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV) before registration. Finally, all historic cars have a white license plate, which is characterized by the letter H at the beginning, four numbers after it and finally three letters.
What are the advantages of owning a historic car in Spain?
One of the main advantages of driving a registered vehicle will arrive in 2024, as they will have access to the low emission zones that will come into force from January. On the other hand, in many municipalities they are exempt from paying the mandatory vehicle tax. Another advantage can be found in the MOT, as these types of cars enjoy an extension of the periodicity of up to 2 years.
Eventually, insurance companies reduce policies and the market value increases over the years. In our country, owning one of these vehicles offers you many advantages.