Is My Motorbike Insured? How to Check in 3 Different Ways

Keeping your motorbike insured at all times is a legal requirement. But how do you know if you have an active policy or not? With many people only using their bikes for a few months each year, lots have asked themselves the same question: is my motorbike insured? In this article, we’ll discuss three ways of checking if your bike is insured: searching for your policy documents (in paper or electronically), asking your broker directly, and using the online tool askMID. We’ll also talk about the limitations of each method, along with what could happen if your bike is uninsured.

How do I check if a motorcycle is insured?

There are three different ways of checking whether your bike is insured, and which one to use depends on what information you have. Each has advantages and downsides, so let’s examine them in detail.

Check your policy documents

One way to check if your bike is insured is by referring to your motorcycle insurance policy documents. The documents will give you important details about your bike’s insurance, such as:

Your policy number
When your cover starts and ends
Your bike’s level of cover
Your policy excess, if applicable

If you can’t find your bike insurance policy documents, there are two ways you can search for them:

Check your email: You likely received an email from your insurance provider or broker about your policy. Search for related words in your inbox, such as “motorbike insurance” or even just “insurance.”
Look through your paper files: Your motorbike insurance policy files were likely posted to you when it first started. Check where you usually keep important files to see if your bike’s policy documents are there.

Ask your insurance broker

If you can’t find your bike insurance documents at all, it’s time to ask your insurance broker directly: is my motorbike insured? Not sure who to call? You can search your bank statements to see if you’ve made any payments to a motorcycle insurance broker. The transaction name should give you a clue on who the provider is. Even if the transaction is old, it’s a good place to start your search.

Use the online tool askMID

The website askMID.com is a free service provided by the Motor Insurance Database (MID) that lets you confirm whether your bike (or any other vehicle you own) is insured. Here’s how to use it:

Enter your registration number (no spaces)
Tick the box to agree to the terms and conditions
Click “Check this vehicle”

Once the results page finishes loading, you’ll get one of the following:

If your bike is insured, your registration number will be green with a check mark beside it. The page will confirm that your bike is insured on the day of the search, and it will also display the make and model of your vehicle.
If your bike is uninsured, your registration number will be red with an X beside it. The page will tell you that your bike appears in the Motor Insurance Policy Database as uninsured, along with a warning of what could happen if your vehicle remains as such.

Things to consider when using askMID

Before you use askMID, there are a few things you must remember:

You can only use it for a bike you own or if you’re a broker checking for your client
The results will only tell you if you’re insured or not
The results won’t tell you any details about your policy

What if my bike insurance doesn’t appear on askMID?

There may be occasions where your bike’s insurance information doesn’t appear on askMID despite having a valid policy. This may be due to one of the following reasons:

Your insurance policy is new: Some motorbike insurance providers may take up to 7 days before they upload your insurance status to the MID.
You have a temporary insurance policy: If your temporary motorcycle insurance policy is only active for a few days, your policy may have already expired by the time your details are uploaded to the database.
You’re insured with a foreign insurance company: Only insurers who are members of the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) can upload your insurance details to the MID. If your current policy is with a foreign insurance company, your coverage won’t be in the database.

If none of the above applies to you, contact your insurer to ask why your insurance details are missing from the MID.

Who is my motorbike insured with?

If your initial searches turn up fruitless and you still don’t know if you’re insured (and with whom), you have one more option to try: submitting a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) to the MIB. However, this method can take up to a month to complete. To submit a DSAR, you’ll need:

Your personal information, such as your name and address
- You must provide seven years of address history
Vehicle registration number
Data you need and the date range for the requested information

MIB will then verify your identity through Experian before you can submit the request.

Can someone else check if my bike is insured?

Only you or your insurance broker can check the insurance status of your bike—other people can’t. The same applies if you want to see if someone else’s bike is insured; if you (or your employer) don’t own the bike, you can’t use askMID.

An exception to this would be if you were involved in a motor accident and needed to confirm the other party’s insurance. In that case, you’ll need to use askMID Lookup. The service costs £10 to use, and you’ll need the following information:

Your name
Email address
Your involvement in the incident
Your registration number
The other party’s registration number
Incident date

What if my bike is uninsured?

As a legal requirement, you must keep a minimum of third party cover on your bike even if you’re not using it on public roads. If you don’t, you may face the following:

A fixed penalty
Your motorbike may be clamped, seized, or disposed of
Court prosecution and a fine

If you’re not using your bike for a long time, you can notify the DVLA with a “Statutory Off Road Notification” (SORN). You can do this online, over the phone, or by post. Once you have a SORN on your bike, you no longer have to insure it.

Will anyone tell me if my bike is uninsured?

As part of the Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme, the MIB works with DVLA to identify people who keep an uninsured vehicle (including motorbikes) without a SORN.

If you own an uninsured bike without a SORN, you’ll receive an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) in the post. The letter acts as your notification that your bike is uninsured and must be insured as soon as possible to avoid penalties.

Want to make sure your bike is insured with the right level of coverage? The Bike Insurer can help you find the right motorbike insurance policy (with optional add-ons) to suit your specific needs. With access to dozens of insurance providers, you know you’re getting a competitive quote from a quality provider.

Get your motorbike insurance quote online, or call us at 0330 022 7850 today.

What if I ride my bike uninsured?

UK law states that every vehicle on public roads must be insured. If you’re caught riding your bike uninsured, you could face one or more of the following consequences:

A fixed penalty
Six penalty points on your licence
Your bike could be impounded, or in some cases, destroyed
- If your bike is seized, you must pay a release fee and a daily storage fee to get it back

If your case goes to court, you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving.

However, if your motorbike is uninsured because it has a SORN, you can get temporary insurance coverage so you can ride it to or from a pre-booked MOT. Remember that bikes younger than three years old don’t require an MOT, so this situation won’t apply if you have a newer bike.

In summary: is my bike insured?

Long story short: your bike must always be insured, even when you’re not using it for extended periods. Keeping and/or riding an uninsured bike could cost you hundreds of pounds in fines, not to mention its potential seizure. The only exception is if you’ve officially taken your bike off the road and have an active SORN.

If you’re unsure about your bike’s insurance status, you have a few ways of checking: by looking at your policy documents, asking your insurance broker/agent, or using askMID. Remember that askMID only tells you if your bike is insured; it won’t tell you any details about your bike insurance policy.

You can also submit a DSAR to get more details about your motorbike insurance policy—an especially helpful option if you don’t remember who your insurer is. Receiving your information after submitting a DSAR can take up to a month, so keep this in mind if you need to know your insurer sooner.