Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show

At the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show you can see more than 3,000 classic cars and bikes, browse over 450 specialist traders and search an indoor autojumble, across seven halls over three days at NEC Birmingham. The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show is an annual consumer show for classic cars and motorcycles, held since 1984 and run by Clarion Events, which describes it as the UK’s biggest indoor classic car show.

First appearances at the 2026 show

You can see hundreds of cars that, the organiser says, have never before been shown at the NEC, as the 2026 theme is Débutant and those cars make their first appearance. The next edition runs from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026. The NEC lists it in Halls 1 to 5 and 8, open 9am to 6pm on Friday, 10am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

Tickets and concessions

You can choose one, two or three days, and children under 5 go free with you. Advance tickets are sold online until midnight on Thursday 12 November, with a £2.95 fee per order, and then on the door and online during the show.

• Adult (16 and over), one day: £40.20 to £47.20 depending on the day, fee included
• Child (5 to 15), bought with an adult ticket: £27.25 to £29.25
• Family (2 adults and up to 3 under 16s): from £86.70
• Two-day pass for Friday and Saturday £69.20, weekend pass £63.20, three-day pass £89.20
• Children under 5 go free with a paying adult

Your ticket includes a printed show guide while stocks last, and if you belong to a participating club you can get advance adult tickets at a discount. A carer is admitted free with proof of disability, and a small number of manual wheelchairs can be borrowed free, with pre-booking advised.

What you can see and buy

You can visit more than 320 clubs in one place, a 2026 figure the organiser calls the world’s largest vehicle club gathering. Anniversary displays this year include 50 years of the Lotus Drivers Club, a Mk1 Golf Owners Club line-up with what the club calls the oldest known Golf GTI, built in June 1976, and a Maserati Club display marking a century of Maserati racing.

If you are buying, around 600 vehicles are offered for sale, including 500 through the Iconic Auctioneers Super Auction and stock from over 15 dealers. Other named features are the Meguiar’s Club Showcase of concours cars, the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership vote, the Meet the Experts Theatre, a Podcast Café, a YouTube Village, a modified zone and a Family Zone. Guests named on the stages include Richard Hammond, Mike Brewer, Frank Stephenson and Mat Watson.

Other events are listed in the automotive show calendar. Clarion also runs Race Retro, from 19 February 2027 at NAEC Stoneleigh.

Exhibiting to classic car owners

As an exhibitor you reach an audience where, according to the organiser, 73% of visitors own a classic car, 62% belong to a club and the average age is 55, and visitors spent £25 million at the 2024 show. The floor is split so that traders and clubs sit in separate areas. Published rates, all plus VAT, are:

Stand type	Rate	Size
Trade stand, shell scheme	£310 per m²	From 6m²
Trade stand, space only	£279 per m²	From 6m²
Car dealer stand (space and carpet)	£77 per m²	About 15m² per car advised
Restoration Area	£77 per m²	From 25m² for retailers, 6m² for service firms
Autojumble plot	From £215	4m x 2m
Bikejumble plot	From £200	4m x 2m
Classic Trader Village	From £387	3m x 3m

Our guides to shell scheme or space only and building an exhibition budget can help you with costing. Club stand applications for 2026 have closed, and clubs can ask by email to be sent details for 2027.

Getting there by rail, air or car

You can reach the show by rail, air or car, and you save £5 by booking parking online in advance. The NEC is a five-minute covered walk from Birmingham International station, which links to Birmingham Airport by the Air-Rail Link. Free shuttle buses run from the car parks on show days. Blue badge bays are allocated on arrival and charged at the standard rate. There are seven hotels on the NEC site, and the Birmingham shows listing covers other events that month, including Automotive Management LIVE from 11 November and MCL from 21 November.

Source: necclassicmotorshow.com, necclassicmotorshow.com/ticket-information, necclassicmotorshow.com/exhibiting, thenec.co.uk