How to Get a Florida Antique Plate: Types, Costs, and Insurance

A Florida antique plate comes in four flavors: Horseless Carriage, Antique regular, Antique permanent, and Authenticated. Which one you get depends on your vehicle’s model year and whether you plan to actually drive it or just show it. Most vehicles qualify once they’re at least 30 years past their model year, the license tax is a flat $7.50, and two of the four plates never need renewal.¹

Which Plate Fits Your Vehicle

The eligibility rules sit in Florida Statutes Section 320.086. Read them by model year first, then by how you intend to use the car.

Horseless Carriage

For the oldest vehicles. Your car, truck, or motorcycle must be model year 1945 or earlier, weigh 5,000 pounds or less for automobiles, and be privately owned. The engine must also be from 1945 or earlier, or built to 1945-or-earlier specifications. The plate is permanent, so you register once and never renew as long as you own the vehicle. You can drive on public streets and highways; the statute describes these vehicles as “operated on the streets and highways of this state,” which means you’re not confined to parades.²

Antique Regular

For vehicles made after 1945 that are at least 30 years past their model year. You can drive on public roads for private use, same as with a Horseless Carriage plate. The catch is annual renewal.³

Antique Permanent

Available for firefighting apparatus, former military vehicles, and other historical motor vehicles 30 years old or older. This is the one with real driving limits: vehicles carrying Antique permanent plates can only be used in exhibitions, parades, or public display. No commuting, no errands, no daily driving. In exchange, the plate never renews so long as ownership doesn’t change.¹

Authenticated (Year-of-Manufacture)

If your vehicle is model year 1974 or earlier, Florida lets you display an original vintage Florida plate that matches the model year. You supply the plate; the department authenticates it and registers it as a personalized prestige plate. The plate has to have been genuinely issued by Florida in the same year as your vehicle’s model year, be in usable condition, and carry numbers not already assigned to another vehicle. Reproductions don’t qualify. You’ll also need the vehicle currently registered under one of the other antique categories, and you’ll pay a reasonable authentication fee set by the department.²

Former Military Vehicles

Military vehicles get their own rule and no age requirement. Florida defines a “former military vehicle” as any vehicle, including trailers, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to accurately represent its military design and markings. A vehicle built in 2005 qualifies on the same terms as one from 1945, provided it still looks the part. Repaint it in civilian colors or otherwise strip the military appearance and it loses eligibility.¹

Depending on age and intended use, a military vehicle can carry either a Horseless Carriage plate or an Antique permanent plate. Under the permanent plate, the exhibition-only restriction applies.

What It Costs

The license tax is $7.50, flat, whether the vehicle is a motorcycle, automobile, or truck. It applies to Horseless Carriage, Antique regular, and Antique permanent plates. Vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more pay an additional $10.⁴

On top of that you’ll pay a plate manufacturing fee set by the department. The initial registration fee is waived for vehicles 30 years old or older. Authenticated plates carry a separate authentication fee.⁵

How to Apply

The process splits by plate type. Get this part wrong and you’ll waste a trip to the tax collector.

Horseless Carriage and Antique Permanent

Use HSMV form 83045, the Application for Registration of a Street Rod, Custom Vehicle, Horseless Carriage or Antique (Permanent). Check the box matching your vehicle and fill in year, make, body type, weight, color, and engine or identification number. These applications go directly to the department in Tallahassee, along with a copy of your Florida registration or title and proof of Florida insurance. A department employee then contacts you by phone to complete processing and payment. Your local tax collector cannot handle these plates.⁵

Qualifying firefighting vehicles are the exception. Those owners can submit through the local county tax collector, a license plate agency, or the department.

Antique Regular

These plates go through your county tax collector or license plate agent. Bring proof of ownership, proof of Florida insurance, and payment. You’ll repeat the process each year at renewal.³

Authenticated

Bring your original vintage Florida plate to the department for verification. The plate must clearly represent the model year, must have been genuinely issued by the state, and must be in usable condition.²

VIN Verification When It Applies

Florida doesn’t require a safety inspection for antique vehicles. A VIN inspection is required only if the Florida title is being issued as “original used” for the vehicle. If you’re buying a car that already has a clean Florida title, this step usually doesn’t come up. If you’re bringing one in from another state, or titling something that has sat without paperwork for decades, plan for the verification before you can complete registration.⁶

Insurance You’ll Need

Florida requires proof of insurance before issuing any antique plate. Both the 83045 application and the RS-25 procedure guide list Florida insurance as a required document across every antique category.⁵

For vehicles you actually drive (Horseless Carriage and Antique regular plates), standard Florida coverage applies, with personal injury protection and property damage liability required at minimum. Many collectors choose agreed-value coverage instead of the standard actual-cash-value policy. With agreed-value coverage, you and the insurer set the vehicle’s worth upfront, and that’s the payout if the car is totaled. Standard policies factor in depreciation and typically pay far less than a restored classic is worth.

Specialty collector policies usually cap annual mileage, commonly between 1,000 and 7,500 miles, and require you to keep a separate daily driver on its own standard policy. Exceeding the mileage cap can void your coverage, so watch the odometer if you take the car out regularly.

Where You Can Drive It

The biggest misconception about Florida antique plates is that they all restrict you to shows and parades. That’s true for one plate, not four.

Horseless Carriage and Antique regular plates: you can drive on any public street or highway for private use. No statutory restriction to exhibitions or parades.
Antique permanent plates: use is limited to exhibitions, parades, and public display. Daily driving, commuting, and commercial use aren’t permitted.

Every antique plate category requires private ownership. Commercial use disqualifies the vehicle. Using a permanent-plated vehicle for regular transportation puts the plate at risk and can bring penalties for improper registration.¹

Taxes When You Buy or Sell

Buying an antique vehicle in Florida triggers 6% state sales tax on the purchase price at titling, plus any local discretionary surtax that varies by county. A vehicle bought out of state and then titled in Florida is subject to the same 6% use tax rate; sales tax paid to another state generally gets credited, but you’ll owe the difference if that state’s rate was lower.⁷

If you sell a classic car for more than you paid, the profit is a taxable capital gain. The IRS treats antique vehicles as collectibles, so net gains on a vehicle held longer than one year are taxed at a maximum federal rate of 28%, above the 20% cap that applies to most long-term capital gains. Gains on a vehicle held one year or less are taxed as ordinary income.⁸

A loss on the sale isn’t deductible. The IRS classifies personal-use vehicles as personal-use property and doesn’t allow capital loss deductions on personal assets. Gains are taxable; losses give you nothing.⁸

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 320.086 – Ancient or Antique Motor Vehicles; Horseless Carriage, Antique, or Historical License Plates; Former Military Vehicles
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 320.086 – Ancient or Antique Motor Vehicles; Horseless Carriage, Antique, or Historical License Plates; Former Military Vehicles
3
FLORIDA HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES (FLHSMV). RS-25 Horseless Carriage (Ancient), Antique (Regular and Permanent) and Authenticated License Plates
4
Justia. Florida Code 320.08 – License Taxes
5
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 83045 Application for Registration of a Street Rod, Custom Vehicle, Horseless Carriage or Antique (Permanent)
6
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. TL-72
7
Florida Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Rates by State (As of February 11, 2026)
8
Internal Revenue Service. Topic no. 409, Capital Gains and Losses