Which car insurance company am I with?
Unless you’re unlucky enough to have an accident, car insurance is something people don’t tend to think about a lot. As a result, it’s not uncommon for people to forget who provides their cover.
If your insurer’s name has slipped your mind – don’t panic! We’ve got a few helpful tips that’ll have your memory refreshed in no time.
Check your paperwork
If you’ve forgotten who your insurance provider is, don’t worry, it’s usually easy enough to find it if you’ve got your vehicle paperwork to hand. Check through your documents – and if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, a ‘Certificate of Insurance’ is usually a safe bet. Most providers will send this certificate out as part of a bigger pack of information.
You’re not looking for an impressive looking certificate – instead, it’s usually just a white A4 document that confirms your cover – including your insurance start date, your name, the registration mark of the car – and a few other details specific to your policy.
Even if you’ve got plenty of paperwork to hand – it’s worth checking this certificate – as that will give you the name of the specific insurer, not just the name of the broker who has arranged your cover.
Search your emails
Increasingly, insurance providers are trying to stay as eco-friendly as possible – and this often means going at least somewhat paperless with their documents.
As such, if your paperwork isn’t to hand, try searching through your email inbox. It’s worth checking your junk folder too – as email providers can sometimes be extras cautious and think that emails with files attached to them are spam.
It’s sometimes a good idea to use your email provider’s search feature – but remember to check the dates involved, if you haven’t tidied your inbox for a while, you might find that it brings up previous years’ policies too!
Check with the bank
Since insurance doesn’t come for free – it’s well worth checking your bank statements if your provider’s name has slipped your mind!
Most people pay for their insurance monthly – so you probably won’t have to search too far back. If you bank online, you might be able to quickly glance over the direct debits you’ve got coming out of the account too. Even if you can’t remember the name of your cover provider, you’ll probably be able to remember roughly how much your monthly premium is – so that’s a good way of identifying the company you’re with.
The Motor Insurer’s Database
If you’ve tried all other options and you’re still left asking which car insurance company you’re with – the Motor Insurer’s Database is a sure-fire way to find out.
In actual fact, the AskMID service is designed with accident victims in mind – as a quick way to check whether any vehicle involved in an incident has got insurance. The free check on the website lets you simply find out whether or not a car’s got insurance – but the paid check (currently costing £4.50 for a single search) returns more insurance details – including the name of the company that provides cover.
Keeping a note of your insurer
We know that insurance isn’t usually a driver’s favourite part of motoring – but it is important that you keep track of your insurance details – as you may need to hand them over should you be involved in an accident.
Make a note in your phone, save your insurer’s claims line number, or keep your insurance certificate in a safe place you can quickly access. That way, you’ll never find yourself in a panic if you need your information urgently.
