Generally, if you own an annual policy, your car insurance expiration date will be very straightforward. That means it will be 12 months after the date your policy starts. However, if you have a monthly policy, this means your car insurance policy will expire one month after your cover started, with the next cover starting on the same date every month.
Of course, life can get very busy. With so many things to think about and so many dates to keep in mind, it is very easy to lose track. This is why you may have to check when your auto insurance policy runs out every time.
Also, you have broken out of your old auto policy renewal cycle. For example, if you change your car or your address, this can make it very hard to keep the insurance policy expiration date at the top of mind.
How to Check Your Car Insurance Policy’s Expiry Date
There are so many ways policyholders can find out about their car insurance policy expiration date:
• Check your policy paperwork
The easiest way to check when your car insurance policy will expire is by checking through the paperwork.
The document includes every detail of your policy, including fees and charges, terms and conditions, limitations and coverage, and important dates for your policy.
The good part is that insurers tend to email documents. So, if you can search through all the documents in your drawers, you should be able to do an email inbox search to locate your documents.
You just need to look for the certificate of insurance. There, you should be able to find a start and end date for the coverage.
• Check your motor insurance certificate
Your certificate of insurance is slightly different from a policy document. While the policy documents give you a wide range of information, the certificate serves as evidence that you have the minimum third-party insurance required to drive in the country.
So, it might not have much information on it. However, it should tell you when your insurance will run out or expire.
• Bank information
If you have your bank statements, you can easily do some rough work on when your policy expiration date is. Locate the payments that go out to your insurer, then track them back through past months until you find the first payment.
The first payment you make will be on the day your policy starts. So, 12 months or 30 days from now will be your expiration date.
• Auto-renewal notification
Another easy way to check when your policies expire is to wait until you get an auto-renewal notification. If you have set the policy to auto-renewal, your auto insurance will just renew automatically.
Your insurer may send you a message to let you know when the car coverage auto renewal is due to happen and the expiration date.
• Contact your insurer
If you find it hard to track down your expiration date, you could give your insurer a call. You may need to provide some security questions about your coverage first, so it is advisable to have this at the end.
It may be a good idea to choose this option after trying other options first. Customer service phone lines can be very busy during the first few hours of the day.
• Check online
Do you want to check your auto insurance expiration date online? You can easily do this via the Motor Insurance Database. All vehicles in the country must be insured unless they are registered off-road and offered a statutory off-road notification.
This means they keep records of every insurance policy active in the country. However, to check your expiration date, you may have to pay a small fee. This makes it the least favorable way to find out when your policies expire.
Why is it very important to know when your car insurance expires?
Auto renewals are automatic, but they may not be available for all policies from insurers. If you cannot enable this feature or have turned it off, your policy may come to an end when you reach the expiration date. And just like I have mentioned above, it is very illegal to drive a vehicle without enough coverage.
Also, when you want to change your policy, it is advisable to wait until your policy is due to make charges. And the reason is that the insurer may charge you for this if there is still some time left before the expiration date.
What happens if I don’t renew my policy after it expires?
If you do not replace or renew your policy when it expires, your insurance will lapse, and you will be left uninsured. Driving without insurance is illegal and can result in a fine, a license suspension, or jail time.
Lack of coverage may also result in huge financial consequences if you are responsible for a car accident that results in property damage or injuries. And you may have to pay out of your own pocket.
A lapse in auto coverage can cost you when you decide to get a new policy. If it is on your record, insurers will offer you very high quotes when shopping for a new policy.
Can I Renew My Car Insurance policy after it expires?
While you want to prevent a lapse in coverage, life can get in the way sometimes. Some insurance companies may give you a grace period to renew if you miss the deadline.
However, keep in mind that you may still have a lapse in coverage from the date the previous one expired to the day you renewed it.
If you were not able to renew your previous car insurance, you can just purchase another one. You can choose to stay with your former insurance provider or switch to another company.
