Driving Without Insurance

You need insurance to legally drive on Britain’s roads. Despite this, there are around a million uninsured drivers are on our roads, and roughly 6,000 prosecutions for keeping an uninsured vehicle each month.

All cars must have a minimum of third-party insurance cover before you can legally drive them. It’s against the law to not have minimum insurance under the Road Traffic Act 1988. Third party insurance only covers injuries or damage to a third party if somebody claims against you. For example, injuries to other people, passengers or animals, accidents caused by a passenger or named driver on your policy, damage to other people’s property (such as driving into their wall) and injured passengers in your car after a collision in which you are at fault.

Bodily injury liability covers costs from injuries, including hospital care expenses. Property damage liability covers payments to replace landscaping and compensation for loss of use of a structure.

Third-party car insurance will not cover repairs for your car in an accident caused by you, injuries to you, and replacement costs if your car has been stolen or destroyed by fire. If an accident is not your fault, the other person’s insurance provider will pay compensation owed directly to you.

Third-party, fire and theft insurance – this covers what a third-party insurance would, with added protection in the case of fires and theft. This can be useful if you live in an area with a high crime rate. This insurance does not cover you or your car in cases other than fire damage and theft.

Fully comprehensive insurance covers all of the above, as well as chipping or scratching, vandalism and accidental damage to your car.

The cheapest car insurance depends on your personal circumstances, and it’s not always third-party insurance. You can compare quotes from reputable insurers on our website and find the best cheapest car insurance deals for you. Simply provide details about you, your car, what coverage you want, and we’ll find the best deals from multiple car insurers.

If an accident occurs, car insurance protects you, anyone else involved and your car from financial costs (hospital treatments, repair or replacement of the vehicle). The Association of British Insurers (ABI) found that in 2015, 99% of all car insurance claims were successful, and in 2017 £8.1 billion was paid out on motor claims. It may seem like you’re spending a lot on car insurance, but it’s worth it if something does go wrong.

Uninsured drivers cost a lot of money – in 2017, the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB), the body that compensates victims of uninsured drivers, estimated that it would be paying out £256 million in claims.

If your car is declared as SORN, it means you should not drive it and should keep it in a garage, your driveway or on private land. There are also exceptions if your car has been scrapped, stolen or exported with notice, if it's between registered keepers or dealers and is registered as ‘in trade’ with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). 

If you're not sure whether your car is insured or not, for example your policy might have ended, head over to our guide on how to check if your car is insured.