When must your vehicle have valid cover?

Driving without insurance is illegal in UK. Your vehicle must always have valid cover – even if you are taking a quick journeyor changing parking spots, you must have valid insurance.

What are the risks and penalties of driving without insurance?

If you’re caught driving without insurance by the police, they could give you an IN10 on your licence. An IN10 is a driving offence code, which is added to your licence. It comes with 6 to 8 penalty points and can stay on your record for 4 years.

Having a driving offence code on your licence can increase your insurance premium.

You can also get a fine for driving without insurance, often a fixed penalty of £300. However, there is no maximum fine for driving without insurance. If it ends up in court, you could pay an unlimited fine for the offence and be disqualified from driving.

The police also have the power to seize, and even destroy, a vehicle without insurance.

How the police catch uninsured drivers: Operation Tutelage

Operation Tutelage is the police initiative to reduce incidences of people driving without insurance.

If you’re pulled over by the police, they’re able to check the motor insurance database (MID). All car insurance policies are listed on here and the police can check if there is a valid policy.

They also use Automatic Number Place Recognition (ANPR) cameras –these cameras can be located in police cars or on motorways. If  you’re spotted driving without insurance you’ll receive an Operation Tutelage letter.

I have received an Operation Tutelage letter, but I have valid insurance

If you have received a letter from the police about driving without insurance, but you think it’s been incorrectly sent, here’s what you should do:

- Contact your insurer and make sure you definitely have a policy set up and active – you can also use the Motor Insurance Database to check a vehicle is insured

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- If you have changed the registration plate, make sure you have contacted your insurance provider to update it. They won’t know it’s been updated if they’ve not been informed!

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- If you weren’t driving on that day, contact the email address on your OperationTutelage letter with the subject line as ‘Vehicle not driven’

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- If you don’t own the vehicle anymore, use the DVLA site to check you’ve given the correct information

How can I check a car is insured?

If you’re worried you’re driving without insurance, you can check a car insured by using theMotor Insurance Database. However, this isn’t helpful for most people who want to check they are insured when you are driving around.

The best way to ensure your car is insured is by installing Caura and adding your insurance renewal date. We will remind you when your insurance expires and help you get compare cheap quotes from 160+insurer