Car Insurance NI Check
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Eamonn Turley Founder of insurance quotes NI
"Why take the risk, It is easy and free to make a car insurance NI check. If you are found to be driving a vehicle on the roads of NI without NI Car insurance, you will face serious financial repercussions"
Why you should always check if a car has insurance before Driving
It is important to realise that many people that are stopped in Northern Ireland without proper insurance are not actually aware they are driving without insurance. That said, it is no excuse in the eyes of the law and you will still face serious consequences. So before borrowing a car or assuming your insurance is auto renewed do check that the vehicle has the correct road insurance.
How to Check if a Car is insured before Driving
A central database is maintained by the government, which stores details of all cars that are insured in NI and the UK. This is called the Motor Insurance database or MID for short. If you have your vehicle details, you can quickly run a free car insurance NI check, click here to ask MID online if your vehicle is indeed insured.
What are the penalties for driving in North Ireland with insurance
Driving a car or any vehicle without road insurance in Northern Ireland could land you in a heap of trouble. The current fine is £300 plus 6 additional points on your licence. The impact will also be long lasting as when you go to renew or purchase car insurance in the future you will be need to declare your convictions, which will add a premium to your insurance costs.
Apart from the hefty fines and penalty points, the police can also seize and impound your vehicle. To get an impounded vehicle released, you will be required to pay a fine and provide proof of insurance. In some cases, this may require you to purchase impounded car insurance. In the worst case scenario, you could also be referred to court and face an unlimited fine and disqualification.
Key Take Away 2 : Never assume your car insurance will auto renew.
The car is insured, but not showing on the MID
The database is being updated continually, but for new insurance policies it may take a few hours to register on the database and over weekends it may be slower. If you have just taken out temporary car insurance NI then we strongly advise printing off a copy of the insurance policy and keeping it in the vehicle.
If it is not temporary car insurance, it is possible that a clerical error has been made on entering the registration details or some other important item of information. In this scenario, contact your insurance broker, who will be able to assist and get any erroneous information corrected.
Can I drive an uninsured car with my own insurance
No, that car that you are intending to drive must have its own insurance, minium of third party insurance. If the car does not have this minium level of insurance, you will be driving without insurance, which is illegal.
How Can I Test Drive a Car with No Insurance?
If you are in the market for a new car, make sure that you are insured for the test drive. Most large car showrooms will have this type of cover in place, but always check before assuming you are covered. If you are buying off an individual, it is unlikely that you will be insured to drive. To be on the safe side, it is possible to easily and quickly take out car test drive insurance for a few hours. This will enable you to give the vehicle a decent road test before making a buying decision.
Car Insurance NI Check
Running a car insurance NI check is quick and free, so never take a chance with car insurance, if in doubt check first before getting behind the steering wheel. Failure to check may lead to penalty points and a ban from driving.