Best YouTube channels for petrolheads

There are some great YouTube channels for car enthusiasts – and lovers of classic cars, in particular, are very well catered for. Here are some of our favourites.

These brilliant channels may well inspire you to undertake your next classic car adventure. If they do, you know where to come for some classic car insurance cover!

The Late Brake Show

This fine and consistently interesting channel is the online home of motoring journalist and TV presenter Jonny Smith. The Late Brake Show features a nicely eclectic mix of car-related stuff that will appeal to classics enthusiasts, automotive tech geeks – and everyone in between.

Accompanied by a nicely chosen blend of guests, Jonny is as happy talking about the latest electronic vehicles as he is enthusing over the contents of the latest barn find.

Car fan Jonny really knows his stuff – and his devotion to both the classics of yesteryear, and the green, efficient technology of today and tomorrow (not to mention the best ways to combine the two) is inspiring.

Must-watch episode: 80s classics make perfect first cars

Mighty Car Mods

In which Aussies Marty and Moog document their ongoing adventures modifying a varied bunch of classic cars, from the Mazda RX7 to a stonking V8 BMW E30. Then there are a host of genuinely practical, part-specific tutorials, such as how to install an oil cooler – as well as some great fun miscellaneous how-tos, such as getting the very best from a track day.

The languid Aussie banter and onscreen chemistry between the two is a large part of what makes these videos such fun. You don't have to be a car nut to enjoy Marty and Moog shooting the breeze. If anyone's going to inspire you to get to work on your next restoration project, it'll be these two likely lads. Remember to come to us for some classic car insurance before you start work.

Must-watch episode: The Top 7 car mods everyone should do

Drivetribe

News reached us recently that Drivetribe, the car website presented by former Top Gear trio Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May, was to close at the end of January. That's sad news indeed, as Drivetribe has consistently been one of the most entertaining car-related YouTube channels of recent years. Hammond, Clarkson and May need no introduction as presenters.

Plain-speaking and finely tuned to each other, they always make for good viewing. Their often irreverent attitude to the cars of both today and yesteryear is always refreshing. And there are a fair few nice little restoration projects among all the supercars, as well.

There will obviously be no new content from the boys on here, alas, but we trust that they'll leave the videos up for the foreseeable future.

Must-watch episode: This guy has built a steam-engined Land Rover!

Edd China’s workshop diaries

Mechanic and inventor Edd China may still be best known for the Casual Lofa, the extraordinary motorised sofa that he got up to speeds of 87mph back in 2007. Since then, China has been a regular presence on a number of car and machinery-related TV shows including Wheeler Dealers and Top Gear.

Edd's latest YouTube channel is simply a video diary of his ongoing restoration projects – and a fascinating series of missions they are, too. In one installment, Edd's trying to get a 1986 Range Rover to start, in the next he's exploring whether it's possible to make your own battery pack for an EV.

To anyone contemplating their own car restoration project: after the first essential step (getting yourself some classic car cover), we'd recommend taking a deep dive into some of Edd's fascinating and informative projects.
Must-watch episode: How many guys does it take to change a sparkplug?

Practical Classics

As a classic car enthusiast, you may well be familiar with Practical Classics magazine. And if you’re not, we'd recommend a quick read – it's one of the best things you can do to kickstart your restoration career, right up there with ensuring that you have the right classic car insurers for your latest project.

In short, the magazine is a wealth of brilliant information and inspiring stories from the world of classic car restoration, with each of its writers taking on a project of their own and documenting their progress.

Turns out that this is a format that translates beautifully into film, and the magazine's YouTube channel features a host of wonderfully informative and/or entertaining video diaries from the coalface of classic car restoration.

Want to see a 1985 Citroen CX GTI being driven all the way up to Scotland? Or follow a step-by-step restoration of a 1970s Morris Marina? It's all here.

Must-watch episode: Austin Allegro Rescue: How to Revive a Barn Find

Meguiar's UK

This is an interesting one. If you're an avid classic car restorer, you may be familiar with the name of Meguiar's. Having started out producing furniture polish way back in 1901, the firm now produces a range of leading car cleaning, polishing and general maintenance products.

If you love to look after your classic, chances are you have used a Meguiar's product or three. Anyway, their hugely informative YouTube channel features a wide range of how-to videos on a wealth of car care topics. These include the more obvious cosmetic subjects, such as cleaning your wheels both with or without water, and easy ways to protect your show car (our tip: classic car insurance!).

More than this, though, the team at Meguiar's really knows cars inside out, and the content ranges well beyond simple care and cleaning. You might even catch the team at the next Lancaster Classic Car Show at the NEC, too!

Must-watch episode: Volvo Amazon build walkaround

Lancaster Insurance

Yes, we have our own YouTube channel! Over at the Lancaster channel, you'll find lots of entertaining and informative episodes, all discussing the modern and retro classics that we all love.

Many of our clips are taken from the NEC Classic Motor Show that we are proud to sponsor – we’ve got footage and interviews going back to the 2014 show here. You can see our interviews with such classic car luminaries as Ant Anstead and Mike Brewer (more on him in a moment), as well as members of classic owners' clubs and more.

Check out the Top Trumps feature, where experts pick their top five classic models from a given marque.

Must-watch episode: Jaguar Drivers' Club Top 5 Top Trumps

DT Mathewsons

The picturesque Yorkshire village of Thornton-le-Dale is where DT Mathewsons have their centre of operations. Part vintage motor museum, part classic car auction house, the place is a homage to all those classics of yesteryear.

Mathewsons gained some nationwide exposure with the four series of Bangers & Cash, the TV show that followed life at their classic car auction house. And now, they've set up their own YouTube channel to provide us with more entertaining nuggets from the vintage and classics world.

Their short, very engaging videos are essentially walkarounds, complete with expert commentary, of whatever wonderful classic cars and bikes they happen to have on their books at the moment. Lately we've been treated to a 1983 Ford Capri Injection, a 1968 VW Beetle and a 1974 BMW 2002 Cabriolet.

Typically between one and five minutes long, these little clips make the perfect accompaniment to that tea break you've been promising yourself for the last half hour.

Must-watch episode: 1965 Ford Cortina walkaround

Mike Brewer

Yes, that Mike Brewer, off TV's Wheeler Dealers. Now, Mike knows his stuff. He's been presenting car programmes on TV for years – but he's been a car dealer for longer. Given this, it should be no surprise to learn that the videos that populate Mike's YouTube channel are as well-informed as they are engaging.

One recent film saw him sampling the 'Drive Dad's Car' attraction at . Elsewhere, Mike does some great walkarounds of classic and vintage cars about to come under the hammer at classic car auctions.

He also does regular interviews with interesting figures from the industry – we particularly enjoyed his chat with US car designer Frank Stephenson, the man behind the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, modern Fiat 500 and McLaren MP4-12C among others.

Must-watch episode: Classic Car Auctions Preview: The Mike Bell Collection

Tim Rodie Drives Stuff

We have to admit that you won't see too many classics on Tim Rodie's YouTube channel, as he tends to prefer reviewing the latest models.

However, we're happy to make an exception to our 'classics only' rule here, as Tim is such a lively, engaging and knowledgeable reviewer.

His video reviews of new cars to market, from the BMW 4 Series to the 2022 V8 Land Rover Defender, are always a real pleasure to watch. This is a man who knows his stuff, and wants to share his knowledge and passion with you. He's also unafraid to speak his mind and buck the trend if need be.

Must-watch episode: We'll start you off with an exception to Tim's new cars rule: his video review of the E39 BMW M5.

Petrolicious

Chances are you may already be familiar with the Petrolicious blog. If you're not, we'd definitely steer you in its direction. It's a rich source of fascinating articles about some of the most desirable classic cars in the world.

There are restoration and modification stories galore, plus accounts of drives on some of Europe's most atmospheric roads in some of history's most iconic cars. They even take in the odd modern supercar just for good measure. And it's all beautifully photographed: it's a pleasure just to idly browse the blog, following wherever the automotive eye candy takes you.

And the good news is that the Petrolicious YouTube channel is no less delightful a place to spend some time. Recent treats have included a good look at a revered homologation special, the 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL. A while before that, the Petrolicious team got a drive in another special, the 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale.

Must-watch episode: Homologation specials: 1980 BMW M1

Barcroft Cars

The cars covered by Barcroft Cars' colourful YouTube channel tend towards the outlandish. And there's definitely space for something like this on the internet. The fact that one strand of videos on here is called 'Ridiculous Rides' should tell you what we're dealing with.

Yes, this is the home for some of the most eccentric and extraordinary limited-run cars and latter-day modifications. Recent clips include a 1960s Chevrolet Corvette given an extraordinary 21st-Century makeover, and a frankly bizarre stretch limousine based on the Maserati Quattroporte.

This kind of excess and eccentricity may not be for everyone – but, if you want something a little different from the usual classic fare of Escorts, E-Types and Allegros, you may want to take a look.

Must-watch episode: I turned a Rolls Royce into a Drag racer.

Automotive Channel

This well-populated YouTube channel is home to a wide variety of videos from the restoration, modification and customising end of the classic car spectrum. To help you navigate around, they've helpfully divided their output into various sub-channels.

We suspect you may wish to start with the Classic Car Rescue strand, which features 45-minute episodes documenting the restoration of some neglected classics including a Jaguar E-Type, MGB GT and first-generation Porsche 911.

After that, you might want to hop on over to Wrecks to Riches, in which a team of experts and enthusiasts buy up old cars and turn them into high-revving muscle machines.

The Car Documentaries strand is also full of rich pickings, from 'A History of Roads' to '1970s sports cars'.

Must-watch episode: The Amazing World of Automobiles: Best of Britain. There's an Aston Martin DB5 on the thumbnail. That's good enough for us.

Big Car

We love Big Car. The premise is simple: the presenter, who really knows his stuff, gives viewers detailed, 20-minute dissections of the history of various popular cars from the last 50 years.

He always gives each film a thought-provoking angle, too: typical titles include 'Was the avant-garde Princess ahead of its time?' or 'The Hillman Avenger: Chrysler's Cortina-killer?'.

The videos use a mix of in-depth analysis, designs and illustrations, marketing material and contemporary TV adverts and footage to explore in detail how cars from the Ford Sierra to the Renault 5 got to market, and how they fared against the competition.

If you want to get a really detailed insight into the mass-market car landscape of the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s, this is an excellent place to start.

Must-watch episode: The Citroen DS: a car from the future?

Jay Leno's Garage

US talk show host Jay Leno is well known for loving his cars. From classics to supercars, Jay owns well over 100 vehicles, and he loves to drive them, restore them, and make films about doing both.

As such, his YouTube channel Jay Leno's Garage is simply a great place to view some truly wonderful cars in the metal – and to hear a very entertaining and articulate man talking about the joys of owning and looking after them.

The channel is helpfully divided into sub-channels – so, for example, you can head to the Lamborghini section to see some iconic examples of this vintage Italian brand that Jay has in his garage (he owns an Islero, a Miura, and a Countach, among others, the lucky fellow).

Elsewhere, the Restoration Blog is a wonderful storehouse of tips, tricks and expertise on helping vintage cars back to their wonderful best. Under the Garage Classics banner, meanwhile, you'll see Jay enthusing about (and naturally, getting behind the wheel of) some cast-iron classics including the inimitable Mercedes 300SL 'Gullwing'. Wall-to-wall automotive eye candy, and highly entertaining to boot.

Must-watch episode: 1955 Mercedes Gullwing restoration. Look out for Sir Stirling Moss’s picture!

ROVR

Ah, the hours we have spent on ROVR. This wonderful channel is dedicated to digitally preserving a wealth of old technical and car dealership training videos, which – in their VHS form – would surely have been lost forever if the ROVR team had not lovingly and painstakingly digitised them.

What you get is a wonderful insight, not just into the cars that were such familiar sights on our roads in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, but also into British life back then. So, for example, there's a fascinating Ford dealer training video, about how to prepare and restore used cars for the showroom. That sits near a great salesman training video for those staff preparing to sell the Mk3 Fiesta. And the period riches just go on and on. Absolutely fascinating.

Check the Playlists page to zoom in on the marques and subject areas of most interest to you. The Austin Rover / Rover / MG section is particularly rich.

Must-watch episode: Rover 800: Product Insight Video (1986)

Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

Joseph Lloyd is an independent vehicle consultant, which means that he will guide you through the process of acquiring your next car, advising you on which vehicle/s may be a best fit for you.

So far, so good. It gets a little more interesting on Lloyd Vehicle Consulting's YouTube channel, which is home to a broad range of car videos, covering everything from comprehensive reviews of new and secondhand cars, to video essays on classic motor vehicles.

He's got, for example, a great strand called 'Sensible Secondhand Classics' in which he dispenses expert advice on the pros and cons of owning a series of affordable classics – such as the Rover P6, the first-generation Vauxhall Astra and a 1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire.

Scanning the list, we found most of the cars for which we're most commonly asked to provide classic car insurance.

Must-watch episode: Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1989 Austin Metro 1.0

Old Classic Car

This gem of a channel is the online home of one R. Jones, and his nicely eclectic selection of videos. These include footage of him tinkering around in his collection of old cars and trucks, plus expert advice on buying and maintaining classic cars, walkarounds at classic car and lorry shows, and much more.

Elsewhere, a lovely selection of videos devoted to pre-1970s cars includes tributes to the classic BMC Farinas, such as the Austin A60, as well as the 1960s generation of Lotus cars – Elan, Elite and more. In another, Jones dissects the evolution of the Jaguar XJ in its various generations from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Another still devotes itself to classic Hillman cars from the 1930s to the 1970s, while a few videos down, Jones examines the best and quirkiest cars from Citroen's colourful back catalogue.

It's all really passionate and well-informed stuff, and highly recommended to lovers of British and European motoring across the post-war decades.

Must-watch episode: Vintage and classic Alfa Romeos, 1920s-1990s

Car News TV

Whoever produces the videos for Car News TV truly knows their automotive history – and has an amazing knack for finding great footage of some of the rarest and most prestigious cars of each era.

A quick scan of their videos page shows you just what they are all about – there's a whole host of five- to six-minute films, each dedicated to the most eye-catching cars from a given country at a particular time.

Want to see (and hear) some of the most brilliant and rare-as-hen's-teeth Italian coupés of the 1970s, with some helpful info on each one as it zooms past? Or how about the most exclusive German cars of the 1960s? It's all here. We had forgotten, frankly, that there were so many rare and wonderful cars from motoring's 1950s to 1970s heyday.

If you're lucky to own any of the cars featured in these wonderful films, we say two things: Congratulations! And we hope you have some excellent classic car insurance to protect your gem of a car.

Must-watch episode: Extra rare Japanese cars from the 1960s to 1990s.

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Whether you're tinkering in your garage like Edd China, or own a vintage 1970s Italian coupé that wouldn't look out of place in a Petrolicious video, we have the classic motor insurance for you.

Contact us to arrange classic car insurance for your vintage ride today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.