Classic car lovers were waiting for it like the rain in May, and those who thought that old cars would be the solution to move freely through the ZBE, too. It has taken a long time, but the Government has approved a new Historic Vehicle Regulations.
This is good news for lovers of classicsbut not so good for those who were hoping to get to Callao with a 1990 Citroën C15. With this new Regulation, converting a vehicle into a Historic Vehicle will be easier and simpler, but its use will also be limited to occasional use “and in no case as a daily means of transport”.
The new Historic Vehicle Regulation will come into force on October 1, 2024
The Government has finally approved a new Regulation on Historic Vehicles. It has done so at the last Council of Ministers and it is one of the most eagerly awaited regulations in the automobile sector, especially among classic car lovers, because it introduces important innovations that affect this type of vehicle.
It is worth remembering that the term “classic” has no legal validity, but the term “historic” does have a legal consideration. What differentiates a classic vehicle from a Historic Vehicle is that the latter has gone through a legal process to enter that category of vehicles and have certain advantages when using it compared to other vehicles. The objective of the Historic Vehicle Regulations is that special vehicles with historical significance be preserved.
One of the problems that existed until now was that converting a vehicle into a Historic Vehicle was neither easy nor cheap. Therefore, one of the things that was expected from the new regulation was that this process would be made easier and more affordable, so that more people would be encouraged to convert their car, motorcycle or truck into a Historic Vehicle.
Well, the new Historic Vehicle Regulation, which will come into force on October 1, It will make things much easier when doing this procedure and will also make it much cheaper.
There will be two categories of Historic Vehicles: Group A and Group B; the procedure for classifying Historic Vehicles will be independent for each category. Group A will include “Those vehicles registered in Spain that are at least 30 years old, that are in circulation and have a valid MOT”.
In the case of Group A, the procedure could be called “abbreviated”, according to the Government. As Iván Vicario points out in The teamit will be as simple as provide a responsible declaration that the vehicle meets the requirements to be a Historic Vehicle, accompanied by photos, a valid MOT and a Circulation Permit to complete the process, after paying the corresponding fees. It should cost less than 50 euros. Today, the cost of classifying a vehicle as Historic costs around 800 euros.
Vehicles that do not meet the requirements of Group A will be considered Group B. This category will include imported vehicles and those that have been removed from circulation.
In this case, the vehicle will need to be taken to a Technical Service for Historic Vehicles (which until now was a Cataloging Laboratory) to verify whether the vehicle is suitable for circulation and meets the requirements to be classified as Historic. This process will be more tedious and expensive than that of Group A, and will probably have a similar price to that currently charged to classify a vehicle as Historic.
Similar requirements, but there are new features
And what are the requirements for a vehicle to be classified as Historic? Well, the truth is that they are similar to those that exist now, including that it has at least 30 years and remains in its original state, as indicated by the Government:
“They must have been manufactured or registered for the first time at least 30 years ago, their specific type must have ceased to be produced and they must be in their original condition, without having undergone any fundamental changes in terms of their characteristics or main components. As a novelty, they must also be in a correct state of maintenance and conservation.”
“Those included in the General Inventory of Movable Property of the Spanish Historical Heritage, or declared of cultural interest and those of special interest for having belonged to some relevant personality or intervened in some event with historical significance.”
The requirement of proper maintenance and preservation is important because it is new and aims to make a selection between well-preserved classic cars and old cars.
Since Historic Vehicles are allowed to circulate through the ZBE (obviously, without a DGT label because none of them are eligible by age), there are those who were waiting for the new Historic Vehicle Regulations to convert their old car into a Historic one in a simple and cheap way with the aim of being able to freely circulate with it through the ZBE.
The requirement that the vehicle be in a proper state of maintenance and preservation leaves out thousands of candidates that could become Historic vehicles due to their age and lack of modifications, but are falling apart and are not in a condition to be driven.
There is another issue that will also be decisive when classifying a vehicle as Historic: the new regulation determines that Its use will be occasional:
“The use of historic vehicles will be occasional and in no case as a daily means of transport in order to minimise their environmental impact, and the use of historic vehicles for public transport of passengers or goods and for agricultural activities or construction and services is generally prohibited.”
The Government defines “occasional use” as the circulation of the historic vehicle that does not exceed 96 days a yearThis means that if someone intends to use a historic vehicle on a daily basis, the new regulations will prevent them from doing so. What is not known is how those days will be counted.
The Government has not yet given any indication in this regard. It has indicated that the new regulation “urges local councils to establish formulas in their municipal ordinances that allow the circulation of this type of vehicle.”
From these words it can be concluded that checking the occasional use of Historic Vehicles will depend on each Government, but, certainly, it seems complicated that this can be easily controlled. It is probable that the traffic cameras that many municipalities have can do it, especially those in the ZBE, but many localities do not have cameras and, in practice, it will not be easy to control that someone uses their SEAT 600 classified as Historic 46 days a year or 137.
It is logical to think that someone who owns a Historic Vehicle uses it on rare occasions, but it is also logical that a car with a valid MOT and with the “number” paid can circulate without restrictions and we are seeing that the reality is quite different.
In any case, the Government makes it clear that Historic Vehicles will be able to circulate without restrictions, even in the ZBE, during the 96 annual days mentioned:
“The new regulation urges local councils, in the exercise of their powers to regulate the use of urban roads and to restrict the circulation of certain vehicles on said roads for environmental reasons, to establish formulas in their municipal ordinances that allow circulation to those owners who make sporadic or non-habitual use of their historic vehicles.”
Another advantage of Historic Vehicles has to do with the ITV. Those over 60 years of age are exempt from having to undergo the MOT, although the Government clarifies that “The owners of these vehicles have the option of opting for voluntary MOTs”. Mopeds classified as Historic do not have to undergo the MOT either, regardless of their age.
But there are also specific rules for some of these vehicles. Those that, by design, do not have seat belts in the front seats, will have a speed limit of 80 km/h. It is also prohibited that “On interurban roads, minors with a height equal to or less than 135 cm travel in Historic Vehicles that do not have seat belts or in which it is not possible to install child restraint systems.”
Source: www.motorpasion.com
