Updated 3 November 2026.
Before you drive a car, it needs three things: vehicle tax, a valid MOT (once it’s over three years old) and insurance. Two of the three can be checked by anyone, for free, from the registration number. Insurance is different: the public check, still widely known as askMID, only lets you check your own car. Here’s how to check all three, and what to do if one is missing.
How to check all three at a glance
| Check | Who can check | How | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax | Anyone | Our car tax check or GOV.UK | Free |
| MOT | Anyone | Our MOT history check or GOV.UK | Free |
| Insurance | The car’s owner, or someone with the right to drive it | Check Your Vehicle from the MIB (formerly askMID) | Free |
Our free car check shows a car’s tax status and expiry date and its MOT expiry date together, from the registration.
Is the car taxed?
Enter the registration in our car tax check or on GOV.UK to see whether the car is taxed, its tax expiry date, and whether it has been declared off the road (SORN). Vehicle tax doesn’t transfer to a new owner: when you buy a car, you must tax it yourself before driving it away, and the seller gets a refund for any full months left. Our guide to cancelling car tax explains the refund.
Driving an untaxed car can mean a fine of up to £1,000, and the DVLA can clamp or remove it.
Does the car have a valid MOT?
Our MOT history check shows the MOT expiry date and every test result since 2005, with failures, advisories and the mileage at each test. A car needs its first MOT by the third anniversary of its registration, then every year; most cars over 40 years old don’t need one. Our guide to the MOT due date has the details.
You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT. The one exception is driving to a pre-booked MOT test or to repairs. You also can’t tax a car without a valid MOT: see how to tax a car without an MOT.
Is the car insured? Check Your Vehicle (formerly askMID)
Every insured vehicle in the UK is recorded on the Motor Insurance Database (MID), run by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). The MID now sits on the MIB’s Navigate platform, and the public check once called askMID is now called Check Your Vehicle. It’s free, and you enter the registration to see whether a vehicle is showing as insured.
But you can only check your own car, or one you have the legal right to drive. The MIB says the service shouldn’t be used to check anyone else’s vehicle. The exception is after a road accident: if you’ve been in a collision, you can look up the other vehicle‘s insurer, with the date of the accident and both registrations.
Why isn’t my insurance showing yet?
It can take several days for a new or renewed policy to appear. The MIB suggests checking again after seven days and contacting your insurer if the car still shows as uninsured. In the meantime, keep your certificate of insurance with you: it proves you’re covered even if the database hasn’t caught up.
What if a car isn’t insured?
Police can give you a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points for driving without insurance; in court, it’s an unlimited fine and possible disqualification, and the car can be seized. Even parked, an uninsured car is an offence for its registered keeper unless it has a SORN: the keeper can be fined £100, and the car clamped, impounded or destroyed.
Buying a car? What these checks don’t tell you
- You can’t check the seller’s insurance, and it won’t cover you anyway. Arrange your own cover before a test drive: see why you need to be insured to test drive.
- Tax and MOT say nothing about the car’s past. A car can be taxed, MOT’d and insured and still be stolen, written off, clocked or have finance owing.
- Run a full car history check before you pay. Our guide to the DVLA check versus a full history check explains what each shows. See Silver and Gold check prices.
Frequently asked questions
Is askMID free?
Yes. The MIB’s Check Your Vehicle service, the new name for askMID, is free to check your own vehicle.
Can I check if someone else’s car is insured?
Not normally. The free check is only for your own vehicle or one you have the right to drive. After an accident, you can look up the other vehicle’s insurance details through the MIB.
How do I check if a car is taxed and MOT’d?
Enter the registration in our free car check or on GOV.UK. Both show the tax status and expiry date and the MOT expiry date.
Does car tax transfer when you buy a car?
No. You must tax the car in your name before you drive it, and the seller gets a refund for any full months left.
Can a car be insured but still be a write-off?
Yes. Insurance only shows the car is covered now. A write-off is on its history, which a full history check shows.
- MIB: Check Your Vehicle
- MIB: check insurance details after an accident
- GOV.UK: check if a vehicle is taxed
- GOV.UK: check the MOT history of a vehicle
- GOV.UK: driving without insurance
- GOV.UK: uninsured vehicles
See whether a car is taxed and when its MOT runs out, for free, with our car tax check.
