Should You Daily Drive a Classic Car in 2025?

What’s your daily driver?

Even some of the most ardent classic car enthusiasts will go about their regular commute in something modern, and there’s certainly no shame in it. After all, there’s a lot to be said for unwavering reliability, modern tech, and Euro NCAP safety features. Nobody should expect a classic to work as well as a modern car, and they certainly don’t. But, there’s still nothing stopping you from using one as your everyday vehicle. Here’s what it’s actually like to daily drive a classic car in 2025

Now, before those who know me better dash off a strongly worded missive calling me a charlatan, I should concede that while my “daily driver” is 42 years old, I don’t necessarily drive daily. The nature of my work means no regular commute, no crosstown traffic jams or long motorway stints. In reality, I drive a few times a week; mostly short journeys, and that’s why I feel I can get away with rather more esoteric personal transport. The car in question is my short wheelbase 1983 Land Rover Series III. I’ve owned it since I was sixteen and it’s been my main (and at times only) car ever since. In fact, I’m looking out at the old workhorse through my kitchen window as I type these words.

Choose Your Weapon Carefully

I know what you’re thinking. If you do daily drive a classic car in 2025, why have you chosen the most unreliable car in the world?!

It’s a fair question, I admit. But the reality is that a well-sorted car, irrespective of what it is, will prove far more dependable than one that’s improperly maintained and seldom exercised. Long-term ownership and a hands-on attitude to maintenance helps here too. My Land Land Rover frequently goes wrong. But, since I know it so well, I can usually figure out exactly what’s up and, better still, how to fix it.

Yes, it was hammered together by British Leyland, but I’ve found that so long as you keep an eye on the fluid levels, keep the Lucas (“Prince of Darkness”) electrics in check, and carry enough tools to remedy an unscheduled “picnic” stop, a leafsprung Series Land Rover is not such a bad choice as an everyday car.

Consider Your Usage

Performance, or lack thereof, is a challenge. Modern cars—especially the newfangled electric variety—are increasingly quick, and I do find my Series III being left behind—both literally and metaphorically. I can’t give you a 0-60 time, as truth be told, I’ve never knowingly achieved 60 mph during my ownership. That probably tells you all you need to know, but I find this is far less of a problem than it sounds; the main issue being the patience of other road users who don’t appreciate that I need braking room to slow down before a junction, and time to double-de-clutch into second as I negotiate a roundabout. But not all classic cars are slow. Some are far from it. So it really depends on your requirements as to what makes a suitable classic daily driver.

Classic Cars are Unsafe

Driving an old car is inherently perilous, and choosing to do so daily, in all weathers, does carry a heightened risk. Invariably, some classics are safer than others. But the reality is that any older vehicle has inferior safety provisions to new cars, so it all comes down to being aware of your vulnerability and driving accordingly. My Land Rover has no airbags, my knees are the “crumple zone”, and it relies on practically medieval drum brakes. I’m ok with this; I have to be. But that also means I’m very careful. If truth be told, you don’t really have to concentrate in order to drive a modern car, and that’s a problem. On reflection, using my Land Rover regularly has made me a much better driver.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

No matter how much you love your classic car(s), spending too much time with them, especially relying on them day-to-day, might test your patience and affection for them to breaking point. For many, the best thing about classic car ownership is that it’s a vehicle you save for special occasions; a Sunday treat. As I mentioned earlier, and indeed something we’ve said before on Car & Classic Magazine, cars of all ages benefit from being used, but we can well understand there is a limit. As we’ve established, I don’t sit in the same rush hour commuter traffic every day, so the varied semi-regular drives I take in my Land Rover are generally far from onerous. I also have the luxury of splitting my time between it and other old cars; it’s currently on rotation with a 1985 Alfa Romeo Spider, which couldn’t be more different to drive. That’s the way I like it.

Cheaper Than You Might Think

Britain’s forty-year tax/MOT exemption rule and cheap insurance for older vehicles make classic ownership much more affordable than you might imagine. You’re not signing your life away on a barely affordable PCP deal; there are plenty of daily driver-worthy classics available for well under £10,000, and even some for under £5,000. And better still, these cars have already done their depreciating, so they’re likely worth as much when you come to sell them, if not a little more. That means you could divide daily driving duties between several old cars, as I now do. This affords you time to service them on rotation, or pick your car for the weather conditions. My Land Rover is still my default vehicle. It lives mostly outside and performs adequately year-round, but I do like to change things up during the warmer months. There’s always Car & Classic after all, if you should get bored of the classic you’re currently dailying…

Conclusion: Should You Daily Drive a Classic Car in 2025?

It’s not for everyone. But the increasingly dreary (and expensive) cars that clutter our roads these days make it all the more tempting to daily drive a classic car in 2025. It’s also worth noting that “Classic” is a broad definition. I’m primarily referring to so-called “Historic” cars over forty years old, as the DVLA offers these vehicles special dispensations that make daily driving them much easier on the wallet. However, there’s also a strong case to be made for ‘90s and ‘00s cars, which offer greater usability due to their relative modernity. Something like a R129 generation SL or E46 3 Series would make a great daily driver, for example. There are also ways of making older cars more usable, with aftermarket additions like electronic ignition, upgraded LED lights, and modern tyres.

Me? Well, I’ll continue driving my Land Rover as often as I can. While I do worry for its preservation now that it sees its fair share of British weather, salty roads and cavernous potholes, I’m also glad to be using the car as often as I can. For a time, I had it tucked away in a garage, but I found wasn’t driving it enough and there’s no point me paying for it to sit there if it doesn’t get used and enjoyed. As I’ve addressed in a previous piece on here, it’s a well-worn old thing, so a few extra stone chips and dings really don’t matter.

Sod’s Law, it’ll probably leave me stranded tomorrow, but it has to be said that the long-suffering Landy has been remarkably reliable since my dad and I put in back on the road when I was a teenager. Running costs have been relatively reasonable too. You can make big savings if you carry out most basic maintenance yourself, but it’s also good practice to consult experts for important repairs. I recently had the Land Rover’s whole braking system professionally rebuilt which make me far more confident using it on a regular basis. Over the past six months or so, I’ve also set about making it more useful, adding a rear-mounted ladder and galvanised roof bars made for me by a chap in Yorkshire. The Series occasionally undertakes light towing duties, its most recent assignment has been transporting an old pine table top, and dad borrowed it the other day to use as a mobile platform to cut his hedge!

I liken my Series III to a four-wheeled palate cleanser; it’s so different to drive compared to just about anything else on the road. It turns every trip into an adventure and that’s exactly what daily driving a classic car in 2025 is all about.