Motor Insurer's database Archives

askMID Explained: How to Check Your Insurance on the MID

27 February 2025 09:27 Leave a Comment

The Motor Insurance Database (MID) was the official record of insured vehicles in the UK, and askMID was the website where you could check your car’s insurance status against this database. However, as of April 2024 Navigate, run by The Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), is the new home of data on insured vehicles in the UK. You can still visit askMID, you’ll just be redirected to Navigate if you want to run a MID check.

Since driving without insurance is illegal, the police frequently use the MID and Navigate to identify uninsured vehicles. If you’re planning to drive – even just for 5 minutes – you must always have valid cover in place. Our temporary car insurance offering can help ensure you’re always comprehensively covered, whether you’re between policies, borrowing a vehicle, or driving your new car home.

Understanding how askMID and Navigate work, how the database is updated, and how to check your policy status on askMID can provide peace of mind when driving. Find out everything you need to know here…

What is askMID?

askMID was the public-facing tool for checking the Motor Insurance Database (MID). This service is now managed by the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), and has been replaced by Navigate. Ask MID (now Navigate) allows you to confirm whether your car is correctly listed as insured, by running a quick check online.

How Does askMID Work?

When you purchase car insurance, your policy details are uploaded to the MID (now the MIB, and Navigate).
Your insurer or broker (such as ourselves) is responsible for updating the database.
We update the MID twice a day, every day, all year long. Ensuring short-term policies appear as quickly as possible.
Checks can then be run to see whether a vehicle is insured or not, based on the information in the database system.

Important: The MID does not update instantly. If you’ve just bought insurance, your details may take up to 48 hours to appear, or longer if your insurer doesn’t update the MID (Navigate) regularly. However, as long as you’ve received your insurance documents, you are legally covered to drive, and you don’t need to wait for the MID to update.

Checking your car’s insurance status is free and easy, despite the name change from ask MID to Navigate, the process remains the same

Visit the askMID website, where you’ll be directed to Navigate to run a check.
Enter your vehicle’s registration number.
Confirm your insurance status.

Key Things to Remember

If your policy doesn’t show up immediately, you’re still covered as long as your insurance has started and you have your certificate of insurance, which is proof you’re insured.

Short-term insurance may not appear straight away, but it’s still valid.

If your policy hasn’t appeared after a few days, check with your insurer to ensure the details were entered correctly, not providing the correct details could invalidate your policy.

If you’ve used a non-FCA-approved provider, and you’re not showing up as insured, there’s a risk you may have been scammed by a ghost broker, and haven’t been insured at all. Only purchase insurance from businesses regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Can You Check Someone Else’s Insurance on askMID?

You can’t freely check another person’s insurance status. However, if you’ve been involved in an accident, you can use the askMID Other Vehicle Look Up Service (£10 per request) to confirm if another driver is insured.

You’ll need to provide:

Your contact details and vehicle registration.
The third party’s registration number.
Details of the incident (date, time, location, etc.).

The Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) law means all vehicles must be insured unless declared SORN. If your car isn’t listed on the MID, you may receive an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) from the DVLA, warning you to insure the vehicle or face penalties. The DVLA and MIB compare databases to find uninsured vehicles constantly, so even if your car isn’t being driven, uninsured cars can still be identified. If it’s not SORN it has to be insured, with at least third-party cover.

Consequences of Not Appearing on the MID

If you aren’t appearing on the MID but are insured and have proof of that, you don’t need to worry about penalties. But remember if your policy is taking over 48 hours to show up, check your details are correct and that you’ve bought from a legitimate provider.

We send your certificate of insurance and all your policy documentation straight to your inbox when you purchase a policy, so you don’t need to worry about not appearing on the MID straight away, as you’ll be able to prove your insured if ever stopped by the police.

However, if you’re not on the MID and are identified to be driving uninsured, you could face:

A £300 fine.

Your car being clamped, impounded, or destroyed.

6 points on your licence

A court prosecution – which could lead to a driving ban and unlimited fines

Much higher insurance premiums in the future

Do the Police Use askMID?

Yes, the police and DVLA rely on askMID, MIB, Navigate, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to track uninsured vehicles. However, if you’re stopped by the police and your insurance hasn’t appeared on the MID yet, you can show them your certificate of insurance as proof of cover.

Does Temporary Insurance Show on askMID?

Yes, temporary insurance policies do appear on the MID, but not immediately.

Short-term insurance, like hourly cover, may not show up instantly due to the MID’s update schedule, and the policy duration may lapse before the MID has been updated, but this doesn’t mean you’re uninsured to drive.
As long as you have confirmation from your insurer via your certificate of insurance, you are legally insured.
We update the MID twice daily, ensuring minimal delays, and that as many temporary policies as possible show up there.

Whether you need insurance for a day, a week, or a month, your policy will (eventually) show up on the MID, even though it might be temporary.

How Long Does askMID Take to Update?

The MID doesn’t update in real time. Generally, it takes 24-48 hours for a new policy to appear.

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 on MID? Here’s What to Do

If your insurance isn’t appearing on askMID, don’t panic. Follow these steps:

Confirm your policy has started – If it’s due to start tomorrow, it won’t show today.
Check your registration details – Incorrect information can stop your policy from appearing.
Contact your insurer – They can verify your cover and correct any errors.

If you have confirmation your policy has started from a trusted provider or broker, like ourselves, then you’re fine to get on the road – you don’t need to wait for a MID update.

Does askMID Update on Weekends?

Yes, the MID updates every day, including weekends. However, individual insurers may only update on weekdays. We make updates seven days a week, every day of the year.

askMID and its newer counterparts MIB and Navigate are essential tools for checking vehicle insurance, but you don’t need to wait for them to update before driving. If you’ve received your documents from GoShorty, you’re insured—simple as that.

Whether you need insurance for an hour, a day, or a month, we offer flexible short-term cover with instant confirmation. Get a quote today and hit the road with confidence.

Driving Without Insurance: What You Need To Know

26 October 2021 10:56 Leave a Comment

There are circumstances where you might think you’re insured to drive…but before getting behind the wheel, always double-check. A hasty decision could result in serious consequences.

These days, police using number plate recognition software to check the Motor Insurance Database (MID) in seconds, so it’s really easy to get caught.

While some may wilfully drive uninsured, for others, it’s simply a lack of awareness, such as:

Thinking because you have comprehensive insurance, you can ‘drive any car’. This is a common misconception but is often not the case. Even if included, it may only provide third party cover for those aged over 25.

Not checking if your car has auto-renewed – so missing a paper or email reminder – and if it hasn’t, failing to buy a replacement cover.
Taking a car for a test drive and believing it will be insured – if it’s a private seller, it won’t be.

So what happens if you’re pulled over and you’re caught driving without insurance? As experts in temporary car insurance, we know a thing or two about the subject. So, we’re going to answer all your questions on the subject.

Will I be punished for driving without insurance?

Yes. Sure, there may be a little wiggle room in a few cases (more on that later), but the reality is that driving without valid insurance is a ticking time bomb. If you don’t have at least third party insurance, you’re looking to get punished.

Learn more: the different types of car insurance.

So, is it always illegal to drive without insurance? What does the law say?

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, a car on the road or other public place must be insured. At the very least this should be third party insurance.

If you’re involved in an accident – even if it’s not your fault, checks will be made. Not only that, but police use number plate recognition cameras to pick up on uninsured drivers. You can’t simply buy cover retrospectively – it must be valid at the time you’re stopped.

What happens when you’re stopped by the police and accused of driving without insurance?

If this actually happens to you, you’ll be asked to present your insurance documents. They won’t necessarily expect you to have them on you that second, but if you do, that would help. You’ll be given seven days to provide up-to-date insurance documents to the police. These must show that you had a valid policy in place covering the period that they stopped you.

What is the penalty for driving without insurance?

Police can impose a couple of different punishments. The absolute minimum penalty for driving without insurance is:

A fixed penalty of £300
six to eight penalty points on your licence

If the case goes to court, there could be an unlimited fine and a driving disqualification.

Points are recorded for four years and disqualification is likely with 12 or more penalty points within three years. If you’re disqualified for any period longer than 56 days, you’ll need to apply for a new licence.

Police can seize an uninsured car and either destroy the vehicle or have it sold at auction. Uninsured driving convictions also show up on DBS checks. In the most serious cases, where there is a fatality, there can be jail sentences of up to two years, or 10 years if ‘dangerous driving’ is proved.

Even if a car is not being driven, if it’s uninsured, you could be given a £100 fine and a £20 storage charge per day and £150 collection fee if it’s seized by police.

However, driving without insurance in itself is not an imprisonable offence and does not appear on a conviction on a criminal record.

But I’ve got comprehensive insurance, surely that means I can drive any car I want?

No! Or at least, not necessarily. Sure, a lot of comprehensive car insurance policies include ‘drive other cars’ (DOC) cover, but it may not be the catch-all you’re hoping for.

This cover is primarily aimed at allowing you to drive someone else’s car in an emergency, rather than regularly. Many insurers don’t even offer it anymore. It’s also subject to a number of terms and conditions.

If you do have this as part of your cover, then at the very least you’ll need to get explicit permission from the vehicle owner and even then you may only have third party cover. Always check the details of your policy.

If you are caught trying to use DOC as your excuse you could even land the owner of the car in hot water too.

Are there any loopholes or legal reasons for driving without insurance?

There are a number of ‘mitigating circumstances’ that may be considered if you’re caught driving without insurance. These aren’t a given though, and you can’t rely on them.

Some instances where people may have had a punishment reduced have included, but are not limited to:

An insurance company cancelling a driver’s policy without notifying them – which would be an incredibly rare scenario
A driver having a genuine reason to believe they are driving with insurance

There may be other circumstances that are considered.

Simply forgetting to renew your policy is not an excuse.

What about cars that are not driven?

In most cases, if a car is out of action, it still needs to be insured. This is the case if it’s on the street as a stationary car can still be in an accident. You can declare a car Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN), meaning it does not need to be insured, but it cannot be left on a public road.

What circumstances don’t I need insurance to drive?

There are actually a number of circumstances where you don’t need to insure your car. However, these don’t generally let you drive the car.

Your car doesn’t need insurance if:

You have a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN)
The has been scrapped, stolen or exported with the required notice in place
The car is between registered keepers or dealers
The car has been registered as ‘in trade’ with the DVLA

The only time you can drive a car without insurance is on private land. All the other times require the car to be off-road in some way.

My insurance policy isn’t showing up on the Motor Insurance Database (MID), can I drive?

Whenever you insure your car, your policy will show up on the Motor Insurance Database.

You can learn more about what the MID is here, but in short, it’s a database that details all the cars and their insurance status.

Insurance can take a few days to show up on the MID though. So, if you’re driving immediately after buying a policy, there’s a chance you won’t show up when the police check your number plate. In this instance, you’re still insured, so don’t worry. Just make sure you have your policy details to hand to prove it and explain the situation.

I’m insured, but I’ve been hit by an uninsured driver, what then?

Even if you’re meeting all the motoring laws yourself, and driving with insurance, you may still find yourself in an awkward situation. If you’re unlucky enough to be in a car accident with someone that was driving without insurance, there are a few things you’ll need to do.

First of all, if the other driver says they are uninsured or refuses to supply insurance details, you should report them to the police.

If they simply didn’t have their details, you can look to see if it’s an uninsured vehicle by checking its details on the Motor Insurance Database website.

You can also see whether you can claim compensation from the Motor Insurer’s Bureau.

A simple solution from GoShorty

There’s a straightforward and affordable way to make sure you don’t have to risk driving uninsured. Comprehensive short term car insurance or temporary van insurance from GoShorty can be purchased from one hour up to 28 days and provides ultimate reinsurance.

So, this would cover a test drive or can be taken out on a regular basis if you want to car share or borrow a vehicle from time to time. Our temporary car insurance is available for drivers aged 18 to 75 and is a fast and certain way to ensure you don’t need to drive uninsured.

Don’t risk driving without insurance – get cover today with a temporary insurance quote from GoShorty.

Tag Archive: Motor Insurer’s database

askMID Explained: How to Check Your Insurance on the MID