Car Insurance Check: Is My Car Insured? (askMID)

askMID is the free public check of the Motor Insurance Database (MID), the record of every insured vehicle in the UK. It tells you whether a car, van or motorbike is shown as insured; it does not tell you who the insurer is. Our free check does not show insurance, and nobody can look up a policy for you by reg: enter the registration in the search box above and you get the car's DVLA details, tax status, MOT status, full MOT history and mileage readings, and the full report adds finance, write-off and stolen records. For the insurance question itself, use askMID as described below.

What is askMID and the Motor Insurance Database?

The Motor Insurance Database is run by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), the body every UK motor insurer must belong to. Insurers are required by law to send details of every policy they write to the MID, so it holds a record of every vehicle with a current policy. The police and the DVLA use it to find uninsured vehicles: the police through number plate cameras and roadside checks, the DVLA by comparing the MID with the vehicle register under continuous insurance enforcement.

askMID is the public face of that database. It has two services:

• The free "check your vehicle" search. For a vehicle you own or drive: enter the registration and the result says whether the vehicle is on the MID as insured, today. It is an official check and costs nothing.
• The MID enquiry after an accident. If you were involved in an accident and need to know the other vehicle's insurer, askMID can tell you, for a fee. You need the other vehicle's registration and the date and place of the accident, and you declare that you have a genuine reason to ask.

There is no public service that shows the insurer of a car you simply want to know about.

Is my car insured? How to check in a minute

1. Go to askMID's free check your vehicle service.
2. Enter the registration and confirm that you are the owner or a driver of the vehicle.
3. The result says whether the vehicle is shown on the MID as insured.

The same search works for a car, a van, a motorbike or a motorhome. If askMID says the vehicle is insured, a policy covers it; it does not say which drivers are covered, so check your certificate for that. If you have just taken out a policy and it isn't showing yet, the certificate or cover note is your proof: insurers update the MID quickly, but a new policy, a renewal with a different insurer or a change of registration can take a few days to appear.

Two other ways to check your own cover, which also tell you the insurer and the drivers covered:

• Your insurer's app or online account, which shows the policy, the cover level and the renewal date.
• Your policy documents: the certificate of motor insurance names the vehicle, the policyholder and who is allowed to drive it.

Check if a car is insured when it isn't yours

askMID's free check is for vehicles you own or drive, and you confirm that when you search. If you are a named driver on someone else's policy, or you are about to drive a family member's car, you can check it. What you can't do is look up a stranger's car to find out who insures it: the insurer's name is personal data, and the MIB only releases it to people with a legal reason, such as the other party in an accident, through the paid MID enquiry.

Buying a used car? The seller's policy does not cover you, whatever askMID says about the car. Arrange your own cover before you drive it away, and run a car history check on the registration first: the free part shows the MOT history and whether the car is taxed, and the full report shows the records that an insurance search never will, such as whether it has been written off, has finance owing or is recorded as stolen.

Who is my car insured with?

askMID does not name your insurer, so if you have lost track of a policy you have to find it yourself. Search your email for "certificate of motor insurance" or "renewal", look through bank and card statements for a monthly or annual payment, check any comparison-site account you used, and ask the person who arranged the cover if it wasn't you. Our guide to finding out who your car is insured with goes through each route in order, including what to do when you still can't find it.

Why a car might show as not insured

• A new policy or renewal. It can take a few days to reach the MID. Keep your certificate until it shows.
• A changed registration. After a private plate is put on or taken off, the insurer must update the MID with the new number. If you only told the DVLA, the record will still be under the old plate.
• Fleet, trade or motorhome policies. Some company fleets and motor trade policies are recorded by the policy rather than the vehicle, so a vehicle can be covered yet not appear.
• A typing mistake by you or by the insurer when the policy was set up.
• The policy has lapsed, been cancelled for non-payment, or was voided by the insurer.

If askMID says your car is not insured and you believe it is, contact your insurer the same day and ask them to update the MID. If that doesn't fix it, contact the MIB. Don't drive the car on the strength of a policy you can't prove, and don't leave it as it is: under continuous insurance enforcement, the DVLA compares the vehicle register with the MID and writes to the keeper of any vehicle that is neither insured nor declared off the road.

Driving without insurance: what happens

Driving without at least third-party insurance is illegal. The police can issue a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points, a court can impose an unlimited fine and a driving ban, and the vehicle can be seized and in some cases destroyed. An uninsured driver who causes an accident can also be personally liable for the damage and injuries: the MIB compensates the victims and then recovers the cost from the driver.

A vehicle also has to be insured when it is parked on the road and not being driven. Under continuous insurance enforcement the keeper of a vehicle with no insurance on the MID gets an insurance advisory letter from the DVLA, then a £100 fixed penalty, and the vehicle can be clamped or seized. The only way out is to insure it or declare it off the road with a SORN, which also means it must be kept off public roads; see what a SORN means and how to check whether a car is on SORN.

Insurance is one check: what else to look at before you buy or drive

askMID answers one question. The registration above answers the rest:

A write-off record also affects the insurance you're about to buy, which is a good reason to know before you pay. See what the full report looks like in the sample car history report.

Română: ghidul nostru în limba română, verificare asigurare auto UK gratuită (askMID), explică aceiași pași.

askMID and car insurance check FAQs