Vehicle insurance

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1. Overview

You must have motor insurance to drive your vehicle on UK roads.

Third party insurance is the legal minimum. This means you鈥檙e covered if you have an accident causing damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property. It does not cover any other costs like repair to your own vehicle.

You may want to use an .

2. If you鈥檙e in an accident

If you have an accident causing damage or injury you must give the following to anyone with 鈥榬easonable grounds for requiring them鈥�, for example an insurance company:

  • your name and address
  • the vehicle registration number

You also need to give the owner鈥檚 name and address if the vehicle is not yours.

You must report the accident to the police within 24 hours if you do not give your details at the time of the accident.

You must also report the accident to your insurance company, even if you鈥檙e not planning to make a claim.

Accidents with uninsured motorists

You should tell the police if you have an accident with someone who鈥檚 not insured.

Your insurance company will also be able to give you more advice.

You might also be able to get compensation if you鈥檙e the victim of an uninsured or hit and run driver.

3. Driving abroad

If you鈥檙e driving in most European countries

All UK vehicle insurance provides the minimum third party cover to drive in:

  • the EU (including Ireland)
  • Andorra
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Norway
  • Serbia
  • Switzerland

Check with your insurer if your policy has extra cover for things like theft or damage to your car abroad.

You do not need to carry a green card when you drive in the EU (including Ireland), Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland. You still need valid vehicle insurance.

You may need to carry a green card to drive in other countries, including:

  • Albania
  • Azerbaijan
  • Moldova
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine

Check what insurance you need before you drive in any other countries.

If you鈥檙e driving in the rest of the world

You may need to carry a green card to prove you have the minimum insurance cover required by the country you鈥檙e driving in. This includes:

  • Israel
  • Morocco
  • Tunisia

You may also need additional insurance for your vehicle, trailer or caravan. Check the travel advice for the country you鈥檙e going to.

Getting a green card from your insurer

A green card is proof that you have vehicle insurance when driving abroad.

Contact your insurer to get one for your vehicle. They鈥檒l either:

  • post you a green card - allow up to 6 weeks
  • tell you how to download a green card to print yourself

You will need to carry extra green cards if:

  • you鈥檙e towing a trailer or caravan (one for the towing vehicle and one for the trailer or caravan)
  • you have 2 insurance policies covering your trip (one card for each policy)
  • you have multi-car or fleet insurance (one for each vehicle on the policy)

Showing your green card when driving abroad

You must show your green card if you鈥檙e involved in an accident.

You may have to show your green card:

  • at the border when moving between countries
  • if you鈥檙e stopped by the police

4. Uninsured vehicles

You must have motor insurance for your vehicle if you use it on roads and in public places.

You do not need to insure your vehicle if it is kept off the road and declared as off the road (SORN). This rule is called 鈥榗ontinuous insurance enforcement鈥�.

You can .

There are different rules for .

Penalties

If you鈥檙e the registered keeper of an uninsured vehicle that鈥檚 not been declared as off the road, you could:

  • be fined 拢100
  • have your vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded or destroyed
  • be taken to court where you could get a maximum fine of 拢1,000

There are different penalties if you鈥檙e caught driving a vehicle without insurance.

You will also still have to pay for your insurance on top of any fines received.

Motor traders - exceptions

If a vehicle is between registered keepers or registered as 鈥榠n trade鈥� with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), it is excluded from continuous insurance enforcement.

Vehicles you keep for your own use are not excluded.

5. Driving without insurance

It鈥檚 illegal to drive a vehicle on a road or in a public place without at least 3rd party insurance.

Even if the vehicle itself is insured, if you鈥檙e not correctly insured to drive it you could get penalised.

Penalties for uninsured drivers

The police could give you a fixed penalty of 拢300 and 6 penalty points if you鈥檙e caught driving a vehicle you鈥檙e not insured to drive.

If the case goes to court you could get:

The police also have the power to seize, and in some cases, destroy the vehicle that鈥檚 being driven uninsured.