Ensuring your car has an up-to-date MOT is just one of the requirements you need to meet as the registered keeper of a vehicle. You also must have a valid insurance policy if you're driving your car on public roads. However, you may not need a car insurance policy if your vehicle has a statutory off-road notification (SORN).
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What is askMID?
askMID is a free online service that allows you to check if a vehicle is insured on the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is a database of insured vehicles in the UK; the police and other authorities use it alongside techniques like automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to check a car's insurance status. Relevant authorities can run a car check quickly to see if cars are 'vehicles of interest'.
It is also used:
- By police to find stolen vehicles.
- By individuals to check their own insurance status, or the insurance status of a car that has hit them.
- By organisations like insurance companies and personal injury solicitors to check the insurance status of cars involved in accidents.
How can I use askMID to check if a vehicle has car insurance?
To use askMID, visit https://www.askmid.com/ and enter the vehicle registration number you want to check. You will also need to provide your email address and make a data protection declaration so you can receive a confirmation email with the search details.
Once you have entered the details and confirmed that you are not a robot, askMID searches the database and lets you know whether the vehicle is insured. If the vehicle is insured, you will be able to see the name of the insurance company and the policy number.
Is there a motor insurance database that askMID uses?
Yes, askMID uses the Motor Insurance Database (MID) database, which is managed by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) and holds information on all insured vehicles in the UK. The purpose of the database is to help reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the roads by enabling police and other enforcement agencies to check in real time if a vehicle has insurance.
The MID is constantly updated by insurers, who are legally required to provide the MIB with details of all the motor insurance policies they issue. The MIB then uses this information to create a comprehensive database of all insured vehicles in the UK. As a result, the askMID website is a publicly accessible portal that allows anyone to check if a car or other vehicle is insured by searching the MID database using the vehicle's registration number.
Why checking your insurance information is crucial
In the UK, car insurance is legally required for all vehicles driven on public roads. If the police find you driving your own or any other vehicle without insurance, you could face severe legal and financial consequences, including a fixed penalty notice, a court summons, or seizure of your car.
Why use askMID
askMID makes it easy to check insurance details so that the DVLA never contacts you. The central record kept means you can look up quickly whether you are driving an uninsured car with just a few simple vehicle details. It's great if you want to do a vehicle check on a used car or a car that has hit you.
