askMID Explained: Understanding How Your Insurance Shows on the MID
31 October 2024 | 
Simon Jackson
The MID (Motor Insurance Database) is the primary database the police use to track uninsured cars on the road. Understanding how askMID works, how the database is updated, and how to check your policy status on askMID can provide peace of mind when driving.
Driving without insurance is illegal, and the police frequently check for uninsured vehicles using askMID. It’s essential to have valid insurance for any vehicle you’re driving, even if it’s just for a short journey. For example, if you’re driving a friend’s car for an hour, you must be insured—our hourly car insurance can be helpful for such cases.
What is askMID?
askMID.com is the website where you can check the MID database. Simply go to askMID.com, enter your vehicle’s details, and check if it’s insured.
The MID, or Motor Insurance Database, is a central UK database of all insured vehicles. Here’s how it works:
- When you buy car insurance, your policy details are uploaded to the MID to show that your vehicle is insured.
- Your insurance provider or broker (such as us) is responsible for updating the database.
- At GoShorty, we update the MID twice a day, every day, all year long.
Note: The MID may not immediately reflect a new policy. If you just purchased insurance, your details might not be on the database yet—but don’t worry. As long as you have your insurance certificate and your policy has started, you’re covered to drive.
How to Use askMID to Check Your Insurance
Checking your insurance status on the MID is free. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to askMID.com
- Enter your car’s registration number.
- Confirm your policy status.
Key Points to Remember:
- If your policy isn’t showing immediately after purchase, you’re still covered.
- We update the MID twice a day, every day. But this means not all policies will appear on it if they are very short-term insurance policies. We send your insurance documents straight to you, so as long as you have those from us and your policy has started you’re okay to drive.
- Check MID if you’re concerned about potential scams, such as from ghost brokers. You’ll be able to check if you’ve actually been insured or not.
- If your policy doesn’t appear after a reasonable period, contact your insurer to confirm your details are correct.
If you’ve provided incorrect details this could explain why your policy isn’t appearing. Get in touch with your insurance provider as soon as possible to amend your policy, as incorrect information could invalidate your insurance, meaning you won’t be able to drive legally.
Checking Someone Else’s Insurance on askMID
You can’t freely look up other people’s insurance on askMID. The database restricts access as follows:
- You can check the insurance of a car you own, drive, or insure
- If an accident occurs and you need to confirm another driver’s insurance, use askMID’s Other Vehicle Look Up Service. This costs £10.00 per enquiry and is private; the other driver won’t be notified.
To make a request, you’ll need to provide:
- Your contact information and registration number
- The third party’s registration number
- Incident details, including date and involvement extent
Why Being on the MID is Important
Being on the MID is crucial due to the UK’s continuous insurance enforcement law. Under this law, you must have valid insurance unless you’ve declared the car off the road via a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
If you’ve purchased temporary insurance, it may take a short time for the MID to update. However, this delay doesn’t affect your insurance or legal ability to drive. We email all your policy documentation directly to you, so you don’t need to wait for the MID to update to be able to drive.
Do the Police Use askMID?
Yes, the police and DVLA use askMID to check the insurance status of vehicles on the road and detect uninsured drivers. However, you don’t need to wait for your policy to appear on the MID before driving. Here’s why:
- The police use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), which updates daily. If you’re pulled over and the MID hasn’t updated, you can still present your insurance documents to confirm your cover.
- GoShorty provides policy documents directly to your inbox within minutes of purchase, you can also access them instantly in Your GoShorty account, so you’ll have proof of insurance whenever needed.
Does Temporary Insurance Show on MID?
Yes, temporary insurance will show on the MID, although timing depends on when you purchase the policy and when we update the MID. We send updates twice daily.
Quick Facts:
- Short-term policies, like hourly cover, might not appear immediately on the MID.
- As long as you’ve received confirmation and provided the correct details, you’re legally insured.
Cover Durations Available: Whether you need insurance for a day, a week, or a month, your policy will (eventually) show up on the MID, even though it is temporary.
How Long Does askMID Take to Update?
The MID doesn’t update automatically with every purchase. Typically, there’s a 48-hour delay between policy purchase and MID record update.
At GoShorty, we update the MID twice daily, all year long. Unlike many insurers who update once daily or less, we minimise gaps in database records thanks to our frequent updates, which benefits our short-term insurance customers.
Reminder: If you’ve purchased cover, you’re insured to drive—no need to wait for MID confirmation.
Car Insured But Not Showing Up on MID? Here’s What to Do
You’re insured to drive as soon as you have confirmation from your insurer, not when it appears on the MID. If you recently bought a weekend policy and it’s not yet on the MID, don’t worry—just ensure your details are correct, and keep your proof of insurance handy.
If your policy isn’t showing after a few days:
- Check that your registration details are accurate (errors can prevent it from showing).
- Contact your insurer for assistance if needed, as incorrect details can also invalidate your policy.
Insurance is essential but doesn’t have to be complicated. With GoShorty, you can secure temporary insurance in under two minutes, receive policy documentation straight to your inbox, and get driving immediately.
Whether you need emergency insurance, cover for a private test drive, or learner practice insurance, don’t let waiting for askMID to update delay you from getting on the road. With GoShorty, you’ll have confirmation within minutes—so you can start driving right away! Get a quote and be on your way in under two minutes…
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