Autumn is when the UK’s classic car calendar hits its stride. The big concours weekends get their last outing before winter, museums run their final motorsport festivals of the year, and then the season closes with the biggest indoor show in the country. We’ve rounded up what’s worth the diary space between September and November 2026.
Chris Knott Insurance has spent over 40 years around the car club scene – we know which shows are worth the drive.
Which classic car shows are on in September 2026?
September is the strongest month for prestige events, before the weather turns:
- Concours of Elegance returns to Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, from 4th to 6th September. It’s one of the most exclusive events on the calendar. Around 60 rare and historically significant cars are invited to display in the palace grounds, rather than the open entry format most shows use.
- Goodwood Revival follows on 18th to 20th September at Goodwood Motor Circuit in Sussex. Everything on site is set before 1966: the cars racing, the clothes in the crowd, the whole atmosphere. It’s as much a period recreation as a motorsport meeting.
- For a more relaxed feel, British Mini Day takes over Stanford Hall in Leicestershire on 13th September. It’s a single-marque show, making it a good one if you’re after an in-depth chat about a specific model, rather than a broad mix of metal.
What’s worth seeing in October?
October tends to bring smaller, museum-hosted events, as the bigger concours season winds down.
Shuttleworth Race Day Air Show & Classics takes place at Old Warden, Bedfordshire, on 4 October. It pairs vintage aircraft with classic cars on static display, which makes it interesting if you’re into transport history more broadly.
The Brooklands Autumn Motorsport Festival runs at Brooklands Museum, Surrey, on 11 October. It covers the site’s historic banking and circuit, and often draws car club displays alongside the motorsport on track.
Is there a last big show before winter?
Yes. November is when the season formally closes, with two very different events.
The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show takes over the NEC in Birmingham from 13 to 15 November. It’s the largest indoor classic car show in the UK. Thousands of cars sit under one roof. Club stands from marque societies of every size line the halls, alongside autojumble traders selling everything from period badges to restoration parts. For most owners, it’s the last chance to see the wider car community before shows go quiet for winter.
A few weeks earlier, on 1 November, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run takes pre-1905 cars from Hyde Park to the Sussex coast. It’s a different kind of event entirely. Not a concours or a static show, but a working run of some of the oldest cars still on the road anywhere in the world.
Organisers do sometimes tweak dates and ticketing closer to the time. It’s worth checking directly with the show before you plan a long drive around it.
What happens to your classic once the show season ends?
Once the NEC show wraps up in mid-November, plenty of owners take their classic off the road for winter – salted roads aren’t worth the risk. If that’s your plan, it’s worth checking whether declaring your car SORN changes what you’re covered for while it’s parked up. Standard cover and off-road cover aren’t automatically the same thing.
If your car is going to sit in the garage until spring, laid up cover is built for exactly that gap. It’s often cheaper than cover for a car that’s still being driven.
Do you go to shows through a marque club, rather than picking them individually? Owners’ club insurance is worth knowing about too. It’s built around how car clubs actually use their cars: convoys, meets and the odd concours field.
Get your classic covered for the season ahead
Whichever shows make your list this autumn, it’s worth knowing your car is properly covered before you drive it there. Chris Knott Insurance has arranged classic car insurance since 1983. Our panel of specialist insurers understands why a Sunday spent at a concours matters as much as the drive there.
Get a quick, no-obligation quote, or call our friendly UK-based team on 0800 917 2274 to talk through your cover.