High-performance car insurance

If you want high performance car insurance, some standard insurers only cover cosmetic modifications so you may need specialist cover.

Car Insurance

To get high performance car insurance, you usually have two options: standard or specialist car insurance. Often, standard insurers will only cover cosmetic modifications as an extra on a policy and not ones that enhance your vehicle's performance.

Compare standard and specialised insurance for high performance cars

1 - 9 of 25
Product FCI Finder Score Roadside assistance Accidental damage Storm Choice of repairer Agreed or Market Value
Finder Score
Agreed
Summary: ALDI's comprehensive insurance policy covers your car for an agreed value and a variety of policy benefits.

Who it might be good for: Ideal for those seeking competitive coverage limits, though other products may have higher limits.
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: One of the only insurers to automatically include roadside assistance. It also won 12 out of the 22 categories in Finder's 2024 customer satisfaction awards.

Winner of 12 out of the 22 categories in Finder's 2024 customer satisfaction awards. Yes, that many.
Finder Score
Optional
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: The 2024 winner of our Best Value Car Insurance award. It's cheaper than most, plus you can lower costs by adding age restrictions.

⭐ Current offer: 15% off your first year's premium when you take out a policy online. T&Cs apply.

Who it might be good for: Anyone who wants a good value policy.
Finder Score
Optional
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: Coles Comprehensive Car Insurance includes the benefits you’d expect, plus features like grocery replacement (up to $200 if damaged or stolen. T&C’s apply). You’ll also collect 2 Flybuys points for every $1 you spend at Coles when you link your Flybuys (max cap, exclusions and eligible purchases apply).

⭐ Current offer: Save 15% off your first year’s premium when you take out a new Coles Car Insurance policy online. T&Cs apply.

Who it might be good for: Those who want great quality cover and more rewards with Flybuys.
Finder Score
Optional
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: You need car insurance so why not get one that lets you earn Qantas Points? It's good value too (it's underwritten by the same insurer as Budget Direct).

⭐ Current offer: Earn up to 40,000 Qantas Points with every car insured by 29 January. Plus save 15% on your 1st year’s premium when you purchase online. T&Cs apply.

Who it might be good for: People who want more bang for their buck with Qantas Points.
Finder Score
Agreed or Market
Summary: This goes further than most insurers. You get up to 2k for stolen keys, roadside assistance and rental car excess cover (for car rentals in Australia).

Who it might be good for: Those who want top cover for their car.
QBE Comprehensive
Green Company
QBE logo
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: Finder's best-rated Car Insurer for Customer Satisfaction in 2021/2022 and Green Insurer for the last 3 years.

⭐ Current offer: Save $75 when you purchase a new comprehensive policy online. T&Cs apply.

Who it might be good for: Those who want a trustworthy insurer and more cover than other brands, such as 3-year new car replacement (e.g. they'll give you money for a new car for up to 3 years if yours is written off).
Finder Score
Agreed
Summary: One of the most cost-effective insurers for under 25s, according to Finder research, with no aged-based excess.

⭐ Current offer: Get 10% off the base premium for the first 2 consecutive monthly policies and up to a 15% potential monthly discount from your 3rd month for being a safer driver. Minimum premiums may apply. T&Cs apply. Learn More.

Who it might be good for: Young drivers looking to keep costs down and anyone who’d like to get more flexibility from their car insurance.
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Summary: Huddle's comprehensive policy will cover you if your vehicle is damaged or lost as a result of a collision, a natural event, a malicious act, theft or fire. It also includes up to $500 for essential repairs.

Who it might be good for: Someone who drives less than 15,000 km a year can opt for Pay As You Drive cover.
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Finder Score for car insurance

We analyse over 100 car insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we get out the other end is a nice round number between 1 and 10 to help you start comparing.

To make sure we're comparing apples with apples, we collect quotes for 8 different personas, then work out the value of 19 different car insurance features. Our team then does some fancy maths to get the Finder Score, taking both price and features into account.

Read the full Finder Score methodology

InsurerCover provided
Shannons Logo Image: Supplied

Shannons

  • All imports
  • Classic and vintage vehicles
  • Modified cars
MB group logo Image: Supplied

MB Insurance

  • Prestige and luxury cars
  • High performance cars
Enthusiast logo Image: Supplied

Enthusiast

  • Vintage and classic cars
  • Exotic, rare and prestige cars
  • Modified vehicles
Lumley logo Image: Supplied

Lumley

  • Imported classics
  • Vintage cars and motorcycles
  • Modern classics
Famous logo Image: Supplied

Famous Insurance

  • Vintage and classic cars
  • High performance vehicles

RACQ Logo Image: Supplied

RACQ (Queensland)

  • Vintage and classic cars
  • Modified and performance cars

What high performance car insurance exists?

Cover for high-performance vehicles in Australia can typically be obtained in one of two ways. Which option you go for depends largely on your vehicle and type of driving you do.

  • Standard insurers. Some providers will cover high performance cars for either an extra on your premium for a standard comprehensive car insurance policy, or as a separate "hard to place" policy.
  • Specialist insurers. There are a number of insurers who specialise in modified vehicles and will cover a wider range of models and uses. They understand that if you've gone to the trouble of buying (and improving) your prized vehicle, you're going to want to care for it the best you possibly can.

Do you need high performance car insurance?

There are certain modifications that will almost guarantee that you'll need specialised high performance insurance or sports car insurance. These include:

  • A reprogrammed or chipped engine control unit (ECU)
  • Non standard wheel fitments that affect performance, such as custom sizes and aftermarket rims.
  • Performance exhausts
  • Lowered, raised or otherwise modified suspension (like coilovers)
  • Nonstandard brake pads, discs (ventilated and drilled/slotted) or other brake modifications
  • Nonstandard supercharged engines, nitro or hydrogen fuel equipped engines or any other engine modifications
  • Racing harnesses, bucket seats, roll bars or roll cages
  • Modifications to the transmission (such as a 2WD to 4WD conversion or gearbox retrofit)
  • Custom fuel systems (like aftermarket fuel tanks, braided lines and uprated fuel pumps).
  • Adjustments to the steering (such as a faster steering rack)

In general, standard insurers tend to cover cosmetic and luxury modifications to some extent, but if you have a modification which affects the ride, handling, power output or manufacturers original specification, standard insurance might not cut it. There are also several high performance sports car brands, like Lamborghinis and Ferraris, which standard insurers will be reluctant to cover.

Things to keep in mind with high performance car insurance

If your car sits somewhere in the middle and you're trying to decide between standard insurance and specialist insurance, consider the following benefits usually offered by specialist insurers for your high powered vehicle:

  • Salvage rights. If you end up in a crash, you have the right to keep potentially expensive damaged parts and pieces.
  • Agreed value. Standard insurers tend to cover your vehicle for market value. For prestige or high performance cars, this can be highly volatile. Specialist insurers will by default go for an agreed-upon insured value that you decide when taking out your policy.
  • Choice of repairer. This can be a big deal for your modded car. Standard insurers will generally nominate a repairer you must take your car to; specialists will allow you to take it to where it will be fixed up best. Meaning you can go to a place you trust and that perhaps focus entirely on modified/performance cars.
  • Extra replacement benefits. Many standard policies will limit replacement of your vehicle from 12 months to a couple of years. Specialists can offer longer term replacement, as well as offering it for a wider range of situations, such as motor racing.
  • Modifications cover. Standard insurers tend to limit the number of modifications they'll cover to a small number of interior or cosmetic changes. Specialists will allow a wider swathe of modifications, including performance mods, and still offer you reasonably priced cover.
Alexandra Koster's headshot
Publisher

Alexandra Koster was Finder's publisher for car, home and pet insurance. She has a Tier 1 certification in General Insurance, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney. Her hobbies include reading Product Disclosure Statements and deciphering complicated insurance lingo to help people save on their insurance so that they can spend their money on better things – like dogs. See full bio

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2 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    RashmiFebruary 19, 2022

    Which insurers provide comprehensive car insurance for a 24-year old using a high-performance car?

      AvatarFinder
      JamesFebruary 24, 2022Finder

      Hi Rashmi,

      You can start by reviewing the brands in the table on this page. Once you’ve compared, you just have to select the “Get Quote” button to be redirected to your chosen insurer’s website. From there, you can get a quote or ask a provider directly if they’ll be able to offer you the insurance you need.

      Be sure to read the terms and conditions of your chosen policy before you buy, so that you understand what you’re covered for, along with any restrictions and policy exclusions.

      Regards,

      James

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