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.

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What if I am a mature driver?: Drivers over the age of 50 tend to have less than average number of accidents and as such deserve a discount on their car insurance premiums. However not all insurance companies recognise this claiming behaviour and offer the over 50’s market a discounted premium.
What are the principles Motor Insurance is built upon?: During the process of applying for motor insurance you will be asked for many details ranging from personal details to location and security based questions. As with all insurance you are well advised to answer any and all questions as honestly as possible in order to ensure any claims are fully met by your insurance company in the event of an accident.
How do I find the cheapest motor insurance premiums?: In order to get the best possible quote for your Motor insurance you should compare and contrast quotes provided by many different insurers. You'll find the difference between quotes can be enormous with a potential 50% difference between the most expensive and the cheapest quote.
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.
Excess: What is an excess? An excess is the amount you have to pay if you make a claim on a car insurance policy.

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.