Motor Insurance and The Law

It is illegal to drive or operate a vehicle in the UK without having motor insurance providing cover against liability for injuring other people and their passengers and for damaging other people’s property.

Car Insurance and Road Tax

You are also required by law for your vehicle to display a valid road tax disc, and in order to obtain one every year or six months, you need to present proof of motor insurance. (If the vehicle is over 3 years old, you will also have to produce a valid MOT certificate.)

You can arrange for your insurance cover to commence from any given date and time. However, because it takes a while for the actual policy to be issued, your broker will issue you with a cover note. This is a temporary certificate of insurance that you can use until your actual insurance certificate and policy is sent to you.

When you receive your insurance policy document, be sure to read through it thoroughly to ensure that it provides you with the exact level of cover you require. If anything is not as you expected, contact your insurer immediately.

Updating Your Car Insurance Details

Also, remember that your broker covers you and the car, and sets the cost of the premium, based on the information you supply at the outset. Therefore you must inform your insurance company immediately of any facts material to your cover, such as modifications to the car, if you have received any fixed penalties or there are other changes to your circumstances or the details held by your insurer.

You must not wait until the policy is due for renewal. Not only is failing to update your insurance an offence, any inaccuracies could affect the validity of the policy and any claim that you make.

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