Track day insurance

How does track day insurance work?

This type of insurance will pay out if your car is damaged and needs repairing or replacing when you’ve been driving on a track as part of an organised event.

Typically, it will only cover your car, so it won’t include third-party liability, or insure against any injuries sustained by yourself or anyone else caused by your driving. Any damage you cause to another vehicle is the other owner’s responsibility, so if they don’t have their own track day insurance, they’ll need to pay for repairs themselves.

Having a separate track day policy from your car insurance means your no-claims bonus is protected if you have an accident on the track.

Policies can cover one event or multiple days or events, depending on your needs.

You may find some policies are only to be used on specific circuits and depending on which one you’ll be driving on, you could pay more if it’s classed as a dangerous track.

What does track-day insurance cover?

Typically, you’ll be covered for accidental damage to your vehicle while using the track whether it’s your fault or not, as well as fire damage and theft. But it may also be possible to add optional extras to your policy including:

• Storage and transportation cover – For transporting your vehicle to track days and events (on a trailer, for instance), as well as storing it outside of race season
• Race cover – This is for professional racing cars and teams
• Personal accident cover – If you injure yourself while on the track in your car
• Travel cover – It’s possible to get track day insurance as part of a single-trip or annual travel insurance policy

What won’t typically be covered by track day insurance:

• Towing your car to a garage for any necessary repairs if you have an accident on the track
• Any damage you cause to other vehicles on the track or to the track
• Injuries to third parties or yourself
• Driving your car to the track (some policies may include this, so read the terms and conditions), you’ll need standard car insurance for this
• Fire damage to your vehicle that isn’t a result of an impact on the circuit
• There may be an age restriction on track day policies, for example, you might need to be over 25 years old
• Insurance providers may have a limit on the value of car they’re willing to insure
• Any damage sustained if someone who isn’t a named driver on the policy was behind the wheel
• Damage to your car during a race or time trial
• Mechanical breakdown of the engine or gearbox while on the track

Can I be covered if I've modified my car?

Yes, you can find track day cover for a modified car, but it will likely raise the price of your premium.

This is because improvements made to the appearance of your car can make it more expensive to replace parts if it’s damaged, and improvements to performance can result in a higher risk of accidents.

How can I get cheaper premiums?

It may be possible to find a cheaper price for your track day insurance by:

• Deciding whether a multi-day or annual policy would be more cost-effective than purchasing several separate day-long policies
• Increasing your voluntary excess - this is how much you would need to pay towards a claim, but it’s important to make sure you’d be able to afford this amount comfortably
• Take your vehicle to a track that is considered safer. This could be one that has large run-off areas located on parts of the track where drivers are more likely to veer off the course
• Use a vehicle that doesn’t have extreme modifications to performance or aesthetics
• If you regularly take your vehicle to a track without having to make a claim, you should see your premiums start to lower as the insurer will have evidence that you’re a lower risk