# Insurance Claim History Check: What You Can and Can't See

> Check a car's insurance claim history: CUE is insurers-only, but write-offs, stolen markers and MOT signs of damage can be checked by reg. Owners: ask the MIB.

There is no public claims database: CUE is for insurers only. By reg you can see insurer write-offs, stolen markers, keepers and MOT signs of damage.

There is no public **insurance claim history check** for a car in the UK. Insurers record claims on the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE), a database run by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) that only insurers and their agents can search. What anyone can check by registration is the part of a car's claims history that reaches the public record: an insurer's **total-loss decision**, the write-off. Enter the registration in the search box above: the free check shows the DVLA details and the MOT history, where damage often leaves its first traces, and the full report shows any [insurance write-off](https://carcheckup.co.uk/written-off-vehicle-check) with its category, loss date and cause, together with keepers, plate changes and mileage. We do not check insurance or claims: this page explains what you can see, where, and what nobody can see.

## Is there an insurance claim history database?

Yes, but it is not open to the public. CUE holds records of incidents reported to insurers, including motor claims, whether or not a payment was made, and insurers check it when you take out or renew a policy to compare your answers with their records. The MIB also runs the Motor Insurance Database (MID) behind the free [askMID check](https://carcheckup.co.uk/ask-mids), but the two are different: the MID says whether a vehicle has a policy in place today; CUE holds the claims history of people and vehicles, and only insurers can query it.

A vehicle history check does not and cannot read CUE. A service that says it shows a car's full insurance claims history is describing write-off records.

## How to check my car insurance claims history (owners)

If you want your own claims record, usually to fill in a quote correctly or to challenge a premium, there are three reliable routes:

1. **Ask your insurer or broker.** Your current and previous insurers hold every claim you have made or been involved in with them, including non-fault incidents and those where nothing was paid. Ask for a claims history letter, which you also need to prove a no-claims bonus when you switch insurer.
2. **Read your renewal documents.** The renewal notice and the statement of fact list the claims and incidents the insurer has recorded against you. Check them: a claim recorded by mistake, or a non-fault claim logged as fault, can be corrected.
3. **Request your CUE record from the MIB.** Under UK data protection law you can make a subject access request to the MIB for the personal data held about you on CUE. This shows what insurers see when they check you, and it is the route to take when a quote asks about an incident you do not recognise. The MIB's website explains how to apply and what identification it needs.

None of these is a car check: they are about you and your policies. If you have just bought a car and want to know what happened to it before you owned it, that is the next section.

## How to check a car's insurance claim history before you buy

Claims are made by people, and CUE is organised around the people and policies involved, so a buyer has no way to pull a car's claims file. What you can do is check the records that serious claims leave behind on the vehicle, then look at the car itself:

1. **Run the full report.** When an insurer settles a claim by writing the car off, the decision is recorded against the vehicle for life, with the category ([Cat S](https://carcheckup.co.uk/what-is-a-cat-s-car), [Cat N](https://carcheckup.co.uk/what-is-a-cat-n-car), or the older Cat C and D), the date of the loss and its cause, such as accident, theft, fire or flood. The [write-off check](https://carcheckup.co.uk/written-off-vehicle-check) is part of every full report, together with stolen markers, previous keepers, plate and colour changes, V5C dates and a mileage anomaly check. Of the 4,402 cars our customers checked in full between March 2023 and October 2026, 13.4% had a write-off recorded.
2. **Read the free MOT history.** A car repaired after a claim often shows it: a long gap between tests, a failure or advisory for structural corrosion or damage, steering and suspension faults after years of clean passes, or an airbag warning light. Our [car accident check](https://carcheckup.co.uk/car-accident-check) page explains what to look for.
3. **Look at the car.** Mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps, overspray on seals, new headlights on one side only, or a windscreen with a different date from the other glass. Ask the seller directly whether the car has had accident repairs and ask for the invoices. A dealer must not hide known accident history; a private seller must answer honestly if asked.

See what a write-off record looks like in a real report in the [sample car history report](https://carcheckup.co.uk/sample-car-history-report), and the free and full checks side by side on the [car history check](https://carcheckup.co.uk/car-history-check) page.

## What a vehicle history check can and can't show

| Claim or record | Visible in a vehicle history check? |
|---|---|
| Insurer write-off (total loss) with category, date and cause | **Yes**, in the full report |
| Theft claim where the car was paid out and later recovered | **Yes**, as a write-off or theft record in the full report |
| Police stolen marker | **Yes**, in the full report |
| Previous keepers, plate and colour changes, V5C dates | **Yes**, in the full report |
| MOT failures and advisories that point to damage | **Yes**, in the free check |
| A claim where the car was repaired, not written off | No. It stays on CUE, which only insurers can search |
| Who was at fault, or the claim amount | No |
| The previous owner's no-claims bonus | No. It belongs to the person, not the car |
| Whether the car is insured today | No. Use the free askMID check |

## How claims affect your insurance premium

Insurers price mainly on the driver's record. A claim you made, even a non-fault one, can raise your premium for several years, and a fault claim normally costs some or all of an unprotected no-claims bonus. How much depends on the insurer, the claim and the rest of your record.

The car's history matters in a different way. A car with a write-off record is often more expensive to insure, some insurers decline certain categories altogether, and you must declare the write-off when you take out a policy or a later claim can be refused. Finding it before you buy, rather than at renewal, is the point of the check.

## Insurance claim history FAQs

**Can I check a car's insurance claims history by registration?** Not the full claims file: it sits on CUE, which only insurers can search. By registration you can check write-offs (total-loss claims) with their category, date and cause in the full report, plus the MOT history and keeper record that show the car's past.

**What is the CUE database check?** CUE is the Claims and Underwriting Exchange, run by the MIB. Insurers check it when you buy or renew a policy. You can request your own record from the MIB with a subject access request, but you cannot check another person's record or a car's.

**How do I find out my car insurance claim history?** Ask your current and previous insurers for a claims history letter, read your renewal documents and statement of fact, or request your CUE record from the MIB.

**Does a car history check show if a car has been in an accident?** It shows accidents that ended in an insurance write-off, and the MOT history often shows the signs of other damage. Repairs paid for privately or through a claim without a write-off are not on any public record. More on our [car accident check](https://carcheckup.co.uk/car-accident-check) page.

**Does a write-off show on the V5C log book?** Not reliably. The write-off record is held separately, which is why it has to be checked by registration.

**Can I see the previous owner's claims?** No. Claims are personal data of the person who made them. What you can see is what the claim did to the car: a write-off record, a theft record or a plate change.

**Is askMID a claims check?** No. askMID tells you whether a vehicle has insurance in place today, free, from the Motor Insurance Database. It holds no claims. Our [askMID guide](https://carcheckup.co.uk/ask-mids) explains how to use it.

Run the check: enter a UK registration or VIN at https://carcheckup.co.uk/insurance-claim-history-check (free: DVLA details, MOT history and mileage readings; finance, write-off, stolen, keeper records and the mileage anomaly check are in the full report). HTML page: https://carcheckup.co.uk/insurance-claim-history-check