INSURING YOUR VEHICLE
The new vehicle insurance law means that the registered keeper of a vehicle must keep it insured unless they've made a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). If you're not insured and haven't made a SORN, you could face a penalty. Find out what the change in the law means for you.
The New vehicle insurance law – don’t be caught out. Stay legal, Stay insured.
If you're the registered keeper of a vehicle, it must be insured at all times.
The exceptions are:
- if you have made a SORN for the vehicle
- if your vehicle has been kept off-road since before SORN came into force on 31 January 1998 – unless it was brought back into use
- if your vehicle is recorded as stolen, passed or sold to the motor trade or between registered keepers
- if your vehicle is recorded scrapped or permanently exported by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing (DVLA)
What will happen if your vehicle doesn’t have insurance
From the end of June 2011 Insurance Advisory Letters (IAL) will be issued by the Motor Insurers' Bureau to the registered keepers of uninsured vehicles. This will be following a check of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) - the UK's central record of vehicle insurance. The IAL will advise the registered keeper that their vehicle appears to have no insurance and what actions to take to avoid receiving a fixed penalty from DVLA.
If a vehicle does not have insurance, the registered keeper could:
- receive a fixed penalty of £100
- have their vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded, or destroyed
- face a court prosecution, with a possible maximum fine of £1000
- Payment of a penalty does not replace the need for motor insurance.
How to avoid a penalty
The details of all insured vehicles should be on the MID. You can check that your motor insurance details are on the database and are correct by following the link below.
