In 2011, the government introduced Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) laws
This means that all vehicles that don’t have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) must be insured at all times.
There are no exceptions to this rule, even if you’re keeping your vehicle on private property.
And there’s no grace period, either! So even if you’ve just bought your car, you won’t be able to drive it home without insurance.
You cannot simply insure your vehicle only when you want to drive it, as it will be uninsured for the times in between, which is illegal.
So unless you’re insured, you need to declare your SORN. You can do that here, by the way.
If your car is uninsured, you could be fined or prosecuted
The Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) checks the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to see what vehicles are insured, and what vehicles are breaking CIE laws.
If your vehicle doesn’t show up as insured, you may receive an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL).
If you get an IAL, you should sort it out as soon as possible to avoid a penalty. If not, you could get a fine, have your vehicle seized or impounded, or even face prosecution.
And if you’re caught driving uninsured, you could end up with points on your licence, too.
Check out the gov.uk website to find out more.
Cuvva and CIE laws
To stay on the right side of the law, it’s important that you’re using our cover correctly.
Our short term cover is fully comprehensive, and will cover you even if you don’t have another form of insurance on the vehicle.
But any vehicle that doesn’t have SORN status should be insured at all times. So you shouldn’t leave gaps between your insurance policies, and your vehicle shouldn’t be uninsured whilst you’re not driving.
I’m insured with Cuvva. Why did I receive an insurance advisory letter?
Even if you’re getting a Cuvva policy every time you drive, you still need to make sure that the vehicle is insured while you’re not using it. If you’ve had gaps between Cuvva policies where your car has been uninsured, you could get an IAL.
But if you’ve been insured with us for a while, and you’re sure you’ve had no gaps in your insurance, please get in touch with our customer support team as soon as possible.
I’m insured with Cuvva. Why did I get pulled over for an insurance check?
If your car wasn’t insured before you bought your Cuvva policy, there’s a chance that it might not be showing up as insured on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) yet. But don’t worry - you’re still fully insured.
Check out our article on police insurance checks for more information.
Happy driving! 🚗