How to run an insurance check

Do you know if your car is insured or not? Not only is it worthwhile for you financially, you are also legally obliged to activate insurance. You can run a car insurance check to make sure. Continuous insurance enforcement (CIE) came into effect in the United Kingdom in 2011, so it is very important to make sure that you are driving a road-legal car.

Even if the car is not currently being used, it still needs to be insured. You risk a hefty fine if you don’t adhere to this new law. And if you are in an accident, you will have unnecessary expenses to worry about. Also, if your car is stolen, you won’t get anything back if you are not insured.

What does continuous insurance enforcement mean?

Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) was created to reduce the amount of uninsured drivers on the roads. The costs associated with this problem are in the region of £500 million. It is a growing problem, costing law abiding citizens’ unnecessary money. Before only uninsured drivers on the road were offenders, but the new law states that stationary vehicles without insurance are also forbidden.

Under the new system, the Motor Insurance Database (the UK’s central record of motor insurance) and the DVLA are working together; comparing their records to identify offending vehicles.

The penalties if your car is uninsured

Firstly you will receive a fixed penalty notice of £100 if it is brought under the attention of the motor insurance bureau that your car is uninsured. Your car can also possibly be clamped, seized and disposed of if you do not adhere to this law. In total you could look at a fine of up to £1,000.

How can I check if my car is insured?

Click4Warranty says car insurance can’t be transferred when a car is sold, so you will need to activate a new insurance policy when you purchase a car.

If you are unsure if your current policy is still activated or if you don’t know when your policy expires, you can check online on the Motor Insurer’s Database (MID). You will need the car’s registration number and you must confirm that you’re the owner or otherwise registered keeper of the car.

It is a centralised database of motor insurance policy information for all insured cars. This is also used by the police to run checks. All insurers are required to be members of the MIB and they have to keep their database up to date.

Are there any exemptions?

Only if you officially declared your car to be offs the road. You can do this by informing the DVLA and requesting a Statutory off Road Notification (SORN). In order for this to be activated, you need to return your tax disc to the DVLA with a V14 form and then declare SORN. The only other exemptions are stolen cars or cars that have been recorded as scrapped.