What are the laws regarding Motor insurance in the United Kingdom?

Motor insurance originated in 1930, when the government introduced a law that required every person who used a vehicle on the road to have some kind of motor insurance policy. This had to be third party personal injury cover at the very least.

Hot Topics

What if I am a young driver?: In the UK, car insurance quotes are dependant upon several factors, these include age, gender and location. One of the overriding considerations is the age of the potential policy holder, the younger the driver the more expensive the policy in most circumstances.
What types of Motor Insurance Policy are available?: Since 1930 it has been a legal requirement for all drivers of motor vehicles to be covered by insurance for a minimum of third party claims, that means you have to be insured against accidents that are caused by you and have damaged a ‘third party’s’ vehicle.
What to do if you have an accident: In many circumstances you will not be able to prevent an accident, especially if the accident is not your fault. If you are involved in an accident, there are several steps you need to undertake.
How can I lower my Motor insurance premiums?: Many factors influence the premiums of your Motor insurance policy. Your insurer will have asked you many questions whilst producing your quote - some of which will affect your premium and some will not. To name a few of the important variables, the vehicle you drive, your gender and your age are all important to the insurer whilst they calculate your quote. Below we have discussed several of these key variables that are within the policyholder's control.
How to provide evidence of my No Claim Discount?: Accepted proof of the No Claim Discount would be as follows:

Since 1930, the important and operative word has been "user". The original laws in 1930 used the word "users" of vehicles to describe their subject. The Road Traffic Act has been updated and changed many times since then. This is a vital distinction, as the user of the vehicle doesn't have to be its driver. Your policy, according to Elliot vs Grey (1960), indemnifies the 'user' rather than the 'driver'. So, you need to be insured by law in order to have the "use of a Motor vehicle" when you are on the road.

Your motor insurance policy documents are the your most important car insurance documents as they prove that your car is insured, who it is insured with and other details such as the premium cost.

Note - Until the certificate has been delivered to you, your car insurance is not in force. Also, if you do not have a valid certificate about your person, you are not allowed to drive a vehicle. It is a criminal offence.

You always need to have at least a cover note, which should arrive before your certificate of insurance does. The certificate proves that you are fully insured under Uk law, but you will also get a policy document in which the finer details are set out.

The certificate should contain the policyholder's full name, the vehicle's registration number, the cover commencement date, the date of the policy’s expiry, the classes of people allowed to drive the vehicle and any additional limitations to its terms of use.

The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) was set up by the government to compensate the victims of accidents when the culprit happens to be untraceable or uninsured.