It’s against the law to drive without car insurance but with busy lives and so many other responsibilities, sometimes it’s easy to forget when your renewal is due.
If you have an accident while driving without insurance or after it has expired, you could end up hugely out of pocket or worse. This is why it’s so important you should check the insurance on your car – and take note of exactly what it covers.
In this post, we’ll explain how to check if your car insurance is valid, find its expiry date and what will happen if you drive without it.
Where can I check when my car insurance is due?
Your car insurance renewal date will be displayed on your policy documents and motor insurance certificate. It may be worth making a note on your phone and your calendar as to when it needs to be renewed.
What can I do to ensure I don’t forget to renew my policy?
Many policies now automatically renew at the end of the term, but check to make sure your policy has this. You wouldn’t want to be caught driving without insurance unexpectedly. Even if you make a genuine mistake, you’ll still receive the same penalties for driving without insurance.
What happens if I drive without insurance?
Driving without insurance is against the law. If you are caught, you will be fined and could receive a more severe penalty.
Your vehicle could be seized and even destroyed if it’s not claimed in time. From admin fees to impounded car insurance, everything has to be paid for. To avoid these unexpected fines, it’s always best to check your car insurance status and make note of its expiration date.
What is the maximum fine for driving without insurance?
The minimum fixed penalty notice is £300 and six points on your driving licence. If you’re involved in an accident while driving without insurance, this fine could increase as there is no maximum penalty in place.
If you go to court, you may have to justify your decision to drive without insurance. If found guilty, you’ll get at least 6 penalty points added to your licence and could even be disqualified from driving.
How do I find out who my car insurance is with?
If you can’t remember your insurance company, one of the simplest ways of checking who your car insured with is to find your policy documents and certificate of insurance.
This will have all the details you need and would have been sent when you took the policy out either through the post or via email. This will include your certificate of insurance.
What is the certificate of motor insurance?
The certificate of motor insurance is a document that provides legal proof that you are insured to drive a particular vehicle. It’s the document the police need to see if they pull you over. You must have a certificate for each car you’re insured to drive.
The certificate of motor insurance contains a number of key details including:
- Your name
- The car’s registration details
- Your policy number
- Type of insurance
- Start date
- End date
- Additional drivers
Please remember that the start and end date listed on the certificate are when you are covered for, no matter if it’s short-term cover or an annual policy. It’s also worth noting that there will be a start and end time, usually midnight, but this could mean cover expires part-way through a trip.
What if I can’t find my insurance policy documents?
Don’t worry if you can’t find your documents. You’ll be able to check if a car is insured online at the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is the UK’s central record of all vehicles and their insurance.
How to use AskMID:
- Visit askMID.com
- Enter your vehicle registration number
- Click you accept the terms and conditions
- Click the ‘Check this vehicle’ button
- AskMID will confirm if your vehicle is insured and list make and model details
If your car is insured, then it should be listed after following the above steps. If it is incorrect, please contact your insurance provider immediately.
Many law enforcement agencies – including the police – use AskMID to check if drivers are insured. If you’re caught driving without cover and they can’t find you on AskMID, they will be able to fine or potentially take you to court.
Find out more about AskMID in our blog post.
Why is my temporary car insurance not appearing on AskMID?
Short-term car insurance doesn’t always appear on the MID immediately as it can take up to seven days for a policy to appear. If you’ve taken out temporary car insurance and can’t find it there, you do not need to worry.
While Tempcover updates the MID on a daily basis, these details may not appear straight away. If you’ve taken out a short policy – such as one-day car insurance – you may find it’s expired before it even appears.
As long as your certificate of insurance shows that you’re covered for the times and dates you need, then you are insured and fine to drive. Keeping your certificate to hand – or a screenshot on your phone – on the road may help resolve any issues quickly.
If you have a problem, a quick call to your insurer should be all that’s needed to confirm you’re legally allowed to be driving on a public road.
What if I’m driving someone else’s car?
Whether it belongs to a friend, family member of the company you work for, you need insurance when driving someone else’s car. The best way to do this is to check the policy covers your journeys as simple reassurance from the owner that you’re covered won’t be enough if you’re stopped by the police or in court.
If you’re not convinced the policy covers you, then temporary car insurance from Tempcover is quick and easy to arrange. Just fill in a few simple details about yourself, the car and how long you’ll need it from and you’ll receive a quote in under 2 minutes.
Do I need insurance if I don’t use my car?
You’ll need at least third-party insurance if your car is parked on the street, on your driveway or in the garage. However, there are some situations where it is legal for your vehicle to be uninsured. The Citizens Advice Bureau lists the below examples for when you won’t need insurance:
- You have a valid Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)
- Your vehicle has been kept off a public road since before 1 February 1998
- Your vehicle has been scrapped, stolen or exported and you have given notice of this
- Your vehicle is between dealers or is being held in stock by an authorised dealer.
What happens to my existing insurance if I buy a new car?
In most situations, your insurance company will let you transfer your car insurance over to a new vehicle, but you may have to pay extra depending on its specifications. It’s important you contact your insurer and let them know you want to transer your insurance to a new car. Ensure you have the new car details to hand – and that you update them on any changes in your circumstances e.g. where the car is parked overnight.
What can I do to ensure I don’t forget to renew my policy?
Many insurance companies will auto-renew your policy now. Although this means you won’t have to worry and are insured to get on the road whenever you want, you may miss out on a better deal.
It’s always worth getting quotes from a range of insurers. A Which? survey of 14,408 Which? members who renewed or switched car or home insurer between May 2021 and June 2022 found the average haggler saved £56 on their car insurance.
Confused.com’s insurance renewal advice recommends switching or renewing your car insurance 18 days before your policy expires.
Does a car need a valid MOT and tax to be insured?
You could potentially insure a car without a valid MOT but this would be at the insurer’s discretion – and you certainly wouldn’t be able to drive it. Driving without an in-date MOT certificate is illegal.
Your car insurance might be valid, even without tax, but your policy documents might have valid tax as a condition of your insurance. It’s illegal to drive without tax with penalties rising from £80 to over £1,000.
Check the tax status of your vehicle on the UK government’s tax checker.
Tempcover It!
Whether you’re driving your own car or borrowing one from a friend or family member, it’s extremely important you check you have the right kind of cover in place.
Whether it’s an annual policy or temporary car insurance, you need to ensure your policy is appropriate for you, the vehicle, the kind of driving you’ll be doing and the period of time you’ll need it for.
When you Tempcover it, we’ll send you all your temporary car insurance policy documents immediately so you can get straight on the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the penalty for driving without insurance?
The minimum fixed penalty notice is £300 and six points on your driving licence. If you’re involved in an accident, this fine could increase. If you go to court and are found guilty, you’ll get at least 6 penalty points and could be disqualified from driving.
Can I check my NCD online?
Your policy documents should include details of your No Claims Discount. If you can log into your provider’s website or contact them directly, they should also be able to confirm these details.
Can I check my car insurance record?
The best way to check your car insurance record is to contact your insurance provider direct. They’ll have a record of your claims and can provide you with all the details you need.
Can police check car insurance details?
Yes, if the police pull you over they will use AskMID to check if you are insured to drive the vehicle.
How can I check if a car’s insured or not?
Yes, it’s quick and convenient to enter your registration number on AskMID.
