What information do I need to check if my car is insured?

You might not be able to tell whether a car is insured or not, but the police can, simply by scanning your license plate.  

If you're not sure whether your car or a family member's car is insured, there's a quick way to find out. This guide will show you how to  

The Motor Insurance Database (MID) online is the most convenient way to check vehicle insurance. You can find out if your car is insured by entering the vehicle's license plate and declaring that you are the owner or registered keeper of the vehicle.

The MID is the only centralized database of motor insurance policy information for all insured vehicles, and the police use it to run car insurance checks.

When determining whether or not a vehicle is insured, keep in mind that all insurance companies must be members of the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB). This means they must enter all policies into the database. It is updated 365 days a year, but if you have just purchased an insurance policy, your vehicle may not appear on the database right away, so give it a few hours.

If you haven't purchased a car insurance policy, chances are it's not insured.

Because car insurance is not transferable when cars are sold, you or your employer (if you drive a company car) must purchase your own policy when purchasing a car.  

When you buy a new car, some dealerships will offer short-term or temporary insurance, which will cover you for a limited time (usually up to a week) until you purchase your own car insurance policy.

With most of us having more than one type of insurance policy, such as car, home, and travel, it's easy to lose track of who you're insured with.  

If you can't recall your insurance company, there are several ways to find out:

• Examine your bank statements for any payments to insurance companies around the time they are due.

• Examine your emails: search for 'car insurance' to see if you have any correspondence from your car insurer. It's also a good idea to check the spam and trash folders.

• Obtain a quote: If you used a comparison site to generate a quote, see if you can log back in and look it up.

• Lodge an aa href="MY_REDIRECT_PREFIXhttps://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">span>span> Subject Access Request/span>/span>/a>, but you may be charged a fee.

Locate your insurance documents to determine your car insurance renewal date. These should notify you when your car insurance policy expires. If you know who your insurance provider is, you can always contact them to inquire.  

Your insurer may also send you a reminder a month before your current insurance term expires, so double-check your emails for any messages you've missed. Check your spam and trash folders as well.   

Since the introduction of continuous insurance enforcement (CIE) in the United Kingdom in 2011, all vehicles must have a minimum of third-party only insurance coverage to be road-legal. This will cover you for injury or damage to others, but not for damage to your own vehicle.

Even if your vehicle is not being used, you must have insurance unless you declare it off-road with a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN). You risk a fine and prosecution if you do not have insurance or a SORN.

You will not be able to drive your car on public roads, including parking lots, if you have declared it off-road, and you must keep it parked in a garage, driveway, or private property.  

If you are caught driving without insurance, you may face the following penalties:

• Get a fine

• Six points on your driver's license

In the worst-case scenario, you could end up in court, facing an unlimited fine and being barred from driving. The police are also authorized to seize and, in some cases, destroy an uninsured vehicle.

If you previously purchased car insurance and are unsure whether you are still covered, your policy may have automatically renewed.

Most insurers will send you a renewal notice shortly before the end of your 12-month insurance period. However, if you do not act before the policy expires, your insurer may automatically renew your coverage. If you suspect this, contact your insurer and review your bank statements to see if any payments have been made in the last year.

If your policy was automatically renewed, make a note of the expiration date for future reference so that you can shop around for car insurance in plenty of time.  

Auto-renewing your policy is frequently more expensive, so it pays to get the best car insurance quotes ahead of time and avoid having to deal with insurance at the last minute.

Some drivers have also been known to purchase a new car insurance policy with a different provider without realizing that their previous policy had been automatically renewed. As a result, the same car now has two separate policies. In addition to potentially complicating a claim, this means the policyholder is paying more than they should because only one policy can be valid at any given time.

Just because you used an insurance checker and discovered that your vehicle is insured does not mean that anyone can drive it.  

Insurance policies cover drivers, not cars, so before handing over the keys, make sure your policy allows other motorists with comprehensive coverage to drive your car. If not, you'll need to add them as a named driver to your policy.

If your car is totaled, ownership is effectively transferred to your car insurance company. You will then be paid the value of the vehicle if it were sold in its pre-accident condition. This is referred to as a settlement.

If you want to drive another car, even if only temporarily, you must check with your insurance company.

If your car has reached the end of its useful life and you want to get rid of it, you can arrange for it to be collected by a scrap merchant. You can cancel your insurance as soon as they load it onto their lorry.  

All vehicles driven on UK roads must be insured, with a minimum of third-party coverage. Always check the status of any vehicle you intend to drive's car insurance.

Even if you check to see if your car is insured, you should also ensure that it has valid road tax and an MOT.  

You can use the government's free car check service to see if a vehicle is taxed and has a valid MOT certificate. Simply entering the registration number will tell you whether a vehicle is currently taxed or registered as off-road (SORN).  

You'll learn when the next MOT test is due, as well as whether the car has been taxed and when the tax expires. It also specifies the vehicle's make and year of registration.