Sports Car Insurance

Reader’s Question:

How do I know if I should get sports car insurance? I’m planning to buy a second-hand car, and I intend to use it for drag racing. Does it qualify as a sports car already?

Alvin

Anaheim, California

A car can only be considered as a sports car if it passes the standards set by the car insurance company. Of course, each company has its own set of qualifications–that’s why there really is no single set of standards that everyone could use. Normally, car insurance companies rely on the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Vehicle Identification Number Monitoring System for ranking and classification purposes. This system is considered as the most flexible and efficient method of providing automated rankings and underwriting based on a specific set of standards. It involves a software that runs on a computing system (centralized or distributed) and accesses various databases.

Listed below are some of the points that are taken into consideration while doing the car ranking and classification:

• Model type and series
• Manufacturer
• Body style
• Class code
• Gross car weight
• Car height
• Engine type
• Cylinders
• Horsepower
• Restraint indicator
• Transmission
• Anti-lock
• Anti-theft
• Curb weight
• Wheel base

Typically, if a car has features of a high performance car and is used as a sports car, then you can expect it to have a sports car insurance policy. You may check the Web for companies that offer sports car insurance there in California.