In 2018, 79,713* people were caught driving without car insurance. This number may be down from previous years, but it's still a lot of people.
Limited wifi, emails going into junk, really busy with work, cancelling auto-renew - these are all reasons you might forget to sort your insurance out. Ever had that heart-stopping moment when you fear you may be driving without insurance? Well here we’ll tell you how you can quickly check and avoid being stuck without insurance in the future!
*RAC data
Can I check if a car is insured?
Yes you can. And if you think you’ve forgotten to re-insure, don’t worry, you won’t have to face the embarrassment of phoning your insurer to ask them. There is a quick and easy way you can check whether your vehicle is insured and we’ll talk you through it here.
How to check if my car is insured
You can quickly and easily check the Motor Insurance Database to see if your car is insured.
Can I check if car is insured by number plate?
Yes you can! This is how the Motor Insurance Database works. All you’ll need to do is:
1) Head here
2) Enter your registration number
3) Read and confirm the consent options
Then the Motor Insurance Database will tell you whether or not your vehicle is insured.
What happens if you drive without insurance?
If you’ve been driving without insurance, you’ll usually get an Insurance Advisory Letter from the Motor Insurance Database. As the name suggests, this is just a letter which advises you that you’re uninsured and tells you what will happen if you don’t insure your vehicle.
What happens if I don’t renew my car insurance?
If you fail to renew your car insurance/forget to insure your vehicle, you may face the following:
-A fixed penalty notice where you’re required to pay £100
-Your car may be clamped, seized and/or disposed of
-A court prosecution with a maximum fine of £1,000
How can I check who my car is insured with?
On the other side of things, many of us take out insurance and won’t need to think about the policy again for a while. If you tend to switch insurers every year, you may have totally forgotten who you’re insured with by the time you need to dig out the details. Here are some ways you can find out who your car is insured with:
Dig out old paperwork
If you can easily put your hands on a folder of important paperwork, grab it and dig out the letter confirming your car insurance.
Check your emails
Once you take out car insurance, you’ll usually get an email confirmation. Head to your emails and try searching for key words like ‘car insurance’ and scroll down to the month you took the policy out. Hopefully you’ll see your confirmation email here.
Check your online banking
Your insurer’s name will usually display on your bank statement. So check your paper statement/online banking.
Speak to the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB)
You can ask the MIB for a Subject Data Access Request which can tell you who you’ve been insured with over the last seven years.
How to avoid your car being uninsured
If you’re looking for a way to make sure your vehicle never ends up uninsured, here are some tips to help:
• Turn on auto-renew
Most insurers have an ‘auto-renew’ option which automatically renews your insurance policy if you don’t contact them to cancel it when it’s due to expire. This can be a great way to make sure you stay covered.
• Set up reminders
When you next take out insurance, set a reminder on your phone for around 11 months’ time. This is so you give yourself plenty of time to check for cheaper quotes before your insurance runs out.
• Put it in your calendar
Once you take out insurance, head straight to your calendar and make a note for around 11 months’ time to remind you to get the ball rolling for renewing your policy.
Car insurance with Endsleigh
If you’ve found yourself ready to take out new car insurance, you’re in the right place. To compare prices from over 60 providers and get all your quotes in one place, check out Endsleigh Compare today.