How To Know If A Car Has Insurance

All cars must have compulsory insurance to be able to circulate, so that in any case of accident the companies bear the costs caused by the damage suffered in the mishap, whether minor or major.

For this, the owners of the vehicles involved in the accident must have their insurance policies up to date, that is, with the periodic installments paid. The problem is that when a situation involving two or more cars occurs, the drivers, if they are unharmed, or in another case, a posteriori, exchange the data of their respective insurers with the official forms, but that does not guarantee that the The data provided is not false, or that, being correct, the insurance is not in force and therefore does not take charge of its economic responsibilities.

How to know if a car has insurance is something that may be essential for you to know so that an accident or mishap with another motorist does not have a bitter and long resolution. We explain the steps to follow so that you are calm.

What do you need to know if a car has insurance?

• A car
• Vehicle documentation

Instructions to know if a car has insurance

1. The parts. In the event of a minor collision or not, the drivers involved must fill in the forms with your personal data -including, of course, the DNI- and contact information, by completing the various mandatory parts, such as the friendly, damage and emergencies, which prove what has happened.
2. The FIVA. In Spain, the Insured Vehicle Information File (FIVA) was created in 1996, a government database -of the Ministry of Economy- and managed by the Insurance Compensation Consortium, to which the insurance companies have the obligation to communicate the data that identifies all the cars and motorcycles registered in Spain, on a daily basis, so that all the pertinent authorities can consult it and find out if a vehicle is up to date with its insurance. These authorities can be the Civil Guard, the National Police, the Municipal and Autonomous Police, the Health Emergency Centers, the Vehicle Technical Inspection centers, as well as the individuals involved in an accident.
3. Check the VAT. There are several procedures to consult the FIVA registry. You can do it manually and in person, by filling in the document. Once completed, and attaching a copy of the damage report or the friendly declaration of the accident, you must present it at the offices of the Insurance Compensation Consortium.
4. By fax and email. The request for information on the validity of the other party’s insurance can also be sent -with the damage report- by fax, to the number 913 395 514 or by email, to the following address: ccsprod@consorseguros.es. No questions about the policies of the insured are answered by phone.
5. The policy number must be correct. If you make a small mistake when writing the policy numbers, you can obtain erroneous information, such as that the policy is canceled when it really is not, which would lead you to make unfounded claims or complaints.
6. Electronic consultation. The FIVA can also be consulted by computer, but only insurance companies can do it -which must meet minimum reliability standards-, health centers and medical emergency services. Therefore, you can ask your insurance company if they already have that information.
7. Call your company. You can also call your insurer, for which you need the data that the other party has indicated in the accident report, such as the entry into force and expiration of the policy, your number and that the person who was driving is insured, and that the data is true.
8. Be sure to call the correct department. When you talk to the insurance company, you should contact the correct department; make sure you know what it is, to avoid delays or errors in the processing of the civil responsibilities of the case.
9. Check the policy. To find out if a car that a family member or friend has left you is insured, the owner should have also given you the documentation of the car. Check the vehicle policy. The easiest thing is to check the start and expiration date of the policy.  You will find this data in the declarations of the same, or in the expiration data on the insurance identification card. Obviously, if the date is past, the car is no longer insured and you cannot legally drive with it.
10. Is the coverage paid? Even if the policy has the correct terms on the declarations page, this does not mean that it is in force. You should find out if it is canceled or not, because one of the reasons why it might not be in force is that the corresponding premium is simply not up to date with the payment, or for other reasons that the company could have cited. Although the cancellation is information that is sent to the insured, if you are not the holder you will not have received it, and therefore you should call the insurance company to find out.
11. Check the name of the insured. Check the name of who exactly is the person listed as insured. The rest of the data could be correct, the name of the insurance company, the policy number or the effective dates, but if the policy does not cover the person who was driving the vehicle, for which they must give you their National Identity Document, they will to arise a certain number of inconveniences when processing the accident or collision. You should confirm with the insurer the name of the owner of the car. It could turn out that the vehicle is registered in the name of a company, and in that case its policy is different from that of a private car.

Tips to know if a car has insurance

• According to current legislation, it is not mandatory to carry the insurance certificate or the receipt in the car when you drive, because traffic agents can verify it by having vehicles equipped with the necessary technology to be able to check the situation on the spot. your car by consulting with the FIVA.
• In any case, it is advisable to take the receipt of being up to date with the payment of the car insurance to avoid possible problems, such as that the agents could not contact the File for technical reasons. In such a case, the vehicle could be immobilized, or at least you would be obliged to prove that the car is insured within a maximum period of five days, or if not, you would be penalized. If you bring the receipt, you avoid in any case having to carry out this procedure.