RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
WETHERSFIELD, CT – It was an apparent milestone that went unnoticed in 2025. The number of registered cars, trucks and motorcycles in Connecticut displaying classic license plates topped the 100,000 mark; presumably for the first time.
Stats supplied by the state Department of Motor Vehicles revealed that a few days before Christmas there were 102,924 vehicles with classic plates, a sizable jump from the 96,017 listed at the start of the year. A vehicle must be 20 years old or older to obtain a classic plate.
Just when the 100,000 mark was reached isn’t known, but it is likely that 2025 marked the first time that the six-figure milestone was reached. As recently as January 2021, there were only 75,706 vehicles showing classic plates. That number rose to 79,961 in January 2022, 87,155 in January 2023 and 90,511 in January 2024.
There are likely multiple reasons for the increase in classic plates. Owners are keeping their vehicles longer so the number that qualify has increased. There’s a property tax benefit, and the popularity of vintage cars and trucks has also grown.
(Photos by Bud Wilkinson.)
