Can’t Remember Your Car Insurance Company?

It’s surprisingly easy to forget your car insurer. It’s not something most of us think about on a day-to-day basis. If you need to make a claim, you may find that your mind goes completely blank and you cannot remember your insurance details.

So, what can you do if you need to make a car insurance claim and can’t remember your car insurance company? Don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to find your car insurer’s details, even if you’ve lost your insurance paperwork. Let’s take a look:

In This Guide:

• First check that your car is insured
• How to find your car insurer
• Find an unforgettable car insurer with Money Expert
• FAQs

First check that your car is insured

The first step is to make sure that you do actually have a car insurance policy. To drive in the UK, third-party cover at the very least is a legal requirement, so it is unlikely that you won't have a valid insurance policy. However, mistakes can happen!

You can check the Motor Insurance Database (MID) for records of your car. You may even be in luck and find that the Motor Insurance Database lists details of your insurance company as well as your insurance status.

How to check the MID

1. Visit the official Motor Insurance Database website
2. Enter your car's registration number
3. Pay a small fee (if applicable) to check your insurance status

How to find your car insurer

The MID doesn’t carry precise insurance details for every driver. Its main purpose is to show whether or not a car is insured. But don’t worry. If the MID doesn’t have your insurance company details there are plenty of other ways to find your car insurer:

Check your insurance paperwork

One of the simplest ways to find your insurer is by going through your physical and digital paperwork. Look for things like:

• Car insurance policy documents: These will outline the details, terms, and conditions of your policy.
• Car insurance renewal notices: Along with your policy details, renewal notices will also include information on when your policy will expire.
• Correspondence from your car insurance company: This may include notification of coverage changes or adjustments, correspondence on any claims you've made, annual statements, or marketing materials.

Any paperwork or correspondence from your car insurance provider should contain the insurer’s name and policy details. 

What if you find paperwork from your insurer but it doesn’t contain details of your policy? No problem. Even if you can’t find the policy details, just having the name of your car insurance company is a great start. You can get in touch with them and ask them to locate your policy records.

Search ‘car insurance’ in your emails

Most car insurance providers communicate with policyholders via email. Try searching your emails for terms such as:

• "car insurance"
• "insurance policy"
• "renewal notice"

Hopefully, this should bring up plenty of correspondence from your insurer, and may even reveal your policy number.

Don't limit your search to your inbox, search all the folders available - including your junk folder.

Check your bank statements and direct debits

If you’ve been consistently paying car insurance it will be recorded in your bank statements or direct debit records. As such, you should be able to find your insurer's name by checking through your bank statements. 

If you have digital banking then - depending on your banker - you may be able to search transactions for specific key terms like ‘car’, ‘insurance’, or ‘car insurance’. While not all insurers use their company name in bank references, many do. 

Contact the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)

The DVLA may have a record of your car insurer, particularly if you have recently made changes to your vehicle details.

To contact the DVLA:

• Call 0300 790 6802 (Vehicle Enquiries)
• Visit the DVLA website

The DVLA doesn’t always keep insurance records for individual drivers, but it’s still well worth checking with them. If they can’t help, they may be able to answer your questions about car insurance and offer useful advice on the next steps to take.

Contact a former insurer

You might find that you can remember your previous insurer but not your current one. In this case, it could be helpful to get in touch with that past insurer. 

It’s not guaranteed that your previous insurer will be able to locate your current insurer, but many insurers keep records of past customers (depending on how long ago you were insured with them). They may be able to pull up your details and find out which insurer you left them for.

Contact the FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service)

If you’ve tried all of the above and got nowhere, you could contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Technically speaking, the FOS exists to handle complaints, but if you have a legitimate concern about your insurer then they may be able to help you locate your records.

To contact the FOS:

• Call 0800 023 4567
• Visit the FOS website

Remember that the FOS is not a general information service. If you do not have a legitimate complaint they may refuse to help further. However, if all of the above methods have failed and you are certain that your car is insured, the lack of correspondence from your insurer may be considered grounds for complaint.

Find an unforgettable car insurer with Money Expert

If you’re prone to forgetting your insurer and your insurer isn’t providing enough correspondence and reminders to help out, it may be time to consider a provider that offers better service and support.

To find a perfect (and memorable!) insurer for your needs, head to Money Expert. Simply answer a few questions about your needs, and we’ll search through hundreds of insurers to find the best possible quotes for you.

FAQs

Can I drive my car if I don’t know my insurer?

You need a valid car insurance policy in order to legally drive in the UK. However, you don’t need to know who your insurer is in order to drive. If the police pull you over and you can’t remember who you’re insured with, they can’t charge you for that lack of knowledge. 

That being said, if you are involved in an accident or need to make a claim, you will need to know your insurance details. It’s a good idea to have your insurance details close to hand in case you need to produce them in a crisis.

What are the penalties for driving without insurance?

It is an offence to drive without insurance in the UK. UK driving law is designed to make sure that drivers are able to provide financial compensation to injured parties in the event of an accident. As such, insurance is essential. The minimum requirement is third-party insurance, which covers damage you may cause to others in the event of an accident. 

If you are caught driving without insurance, you may face serious consequences. Penalties for driving without valid insurance include:

• A fixed penalty of £300 and six penalty points on your driving licence.
• A potential court fine of up to £5,000.
• Vehicle seizure and possible destruction.

How do I know if I’m insured on someone else’s car?

In the UK, you cannot drive someone else's car unless you are insured as a named driver on their car insurance policy.

To check whether or not you are insured for someone else's car, there are several steps you could take:

• Check your own car insurance policy. If you have comprehensive cover you may have a DOC (Driving Other Cars) extension.
• Ask the owner's car insurer. If you can't find a DOC extension in your own policy, ask the owner of the car if you are a named driver on their policy.
• Check out temporary or short-term insurance options. If your car insurance cover doesn't let you drive other cars, you could be eligible for short-term car insurance that will cover you for a limited time period. Search with comparison sites like Money Expert for temporary car insurance quotes.