How to check if a car is insured
Check the Motor Insurance Database, which every UK insurer has to update. You can check your own vehicle free at askMID.com with the registration. The police and their cameras use the same database.
Updated 14 October 2026
Checking your own car
Go to askMID.com and enter the registration. It tells you whether the vehicle is on the database. It will not tell you who the insurer is.
Do it after buying a car, after changing insurer, and after any change to your policy. Insurers are usually quick to update it, but a gap between buying a policy and it appearing is not unusual.
If your car does not show
Call your insurer and ask them to check the details on the database, especially the registration. A typo in one character means the police see an uninsured car.
Keep your certificate of insurance where you can find it. If you are stopped, it is your proof while the record is put right.
The moments people get caught out
Buying a car and driving it home. Your existing policy may not cover the new car, and some only give third-party cover on another vehicle. Arrange cover on the new registration before you collect it.
Changing your plate. A private registration means telling your insurer the new number, or the database still shows the old one.
Lending the car. A friend driving it needs cover of their own or to be named on your policy. Being insured on their car rarely covers them on yours.
Renewal. A policy that auto-renews on a card that has expired is a policy that has quietly ended.
What happens if you drive uninsured
The police can give you a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points. If it goes to court, you could face an unlimited fine and a driving ban. The police can also take the car and, in some cases, destroy it.
Insurance follows the driver and the car together. Being insured on your own car does not usually cover you to drive somebody else’s, so check the policy before you borrow one.
Keeping track
Odomint keeps your insurance renewal date with your MOT and tax dates and reminds you before it runs out, so the policy does not lapse because the renewal email went to spam.
Common questions
Is askMID free?
Checking your own vehicle is free. Checking another vehicle, for example after an accident, has its own route on the same site.
How long does insurance take to show on the database?
Usually within days. If it has not appeared after a week, call your insurer.
What is the penalty for driving without insurance?
A £300 fixed penalty and 6 points, or in court an unlimited fine and a possible ban. The car can be seized.
Check any car before you buy it
MOT history, every advisory and the full mileage record are free for any UK registration. An Odomint Check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen markers and salvage history, with a £10,000 data guarantee.