How to check car insurance

How can I check if my car is insured?

If your car is registered in NSW, you can look up the CTP insurer for your vehicle by using Service NSW to check registration. For all other states and territories, CTP insurance (also known as 'Green Slip insurance') is included with your registration. You can still check your car's CTP with your state or territory's car registration site.

Regardless of which state or territory you live, you must buy CTP insurance when you register your vehicle. It is a legal requirement.

How do you check who you're insured with?

To check who your car is insured with, you can use the 'check registration' site of the state or territory your car is registered in. Registration checks are free and they include:

• Your registration expiry date
• Whether the registration of the vehicle is cancelled or suspended
• Any registration restrictions or concessions (for example, charges that might apply when the vehicle is transferred to a new owner)
• The CTP insurer you are with and the policy expiry date
• the make, model, year and colour of your vehicle.

If you don't have CTP insurance or it is up for renewal in the next three months, you can use the Green Slip Check in NSW to get a CTP Green Slip quote comparison from all insurers. You'll need your driver's licence number or billing number and the vehicle's plate number to receive quotes.

How to check your car registration

To check if a car is registered, all you need to do is go to the check registration site of your state or territory:

In most cases, you can also call if you can't check your car registration online.

Frequently asked questions

• Are there any situations when I don't need insurance?

  Typically, no – CTP insurance is a legal requirement to drive in Australia. That said, there are some (very) limited situations when you may drive without this cover. For example, the driving of tractors or other agricultural machines in some cases. But it's very important to check your state or territory's website for more details on these exceptions.

• When does my car insurance expire?

  You can find your expiry (or, 'renewal') date in your insurance documents. If you know the name of your insurer, you can give them a call. If you don't, you could check your bank or credit card statements and emails to hunt down the provider's name.

• What happens if I drive without car insurance?

  Put simply, you're breaking the law and you can be hit with a large fine if your vehicle is uninsured and/or unregistered. Also, keep in mind that should you be involved in an accident and you don't have CTP insurance, you could be sued for any injuries to other road users.

• What can I do if I can't remember my car insurance company?

  You can use the free 'check registration' site of the state or territory your car's registered in.

• Can I check if my car is insured by number plate?

  No. But you can as part of the rego check. You can also use the VIN number if your car was made after 1989.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 648 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
• Managing the cost of living

Co-written by

James Martin

Editor

James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

James's expertise

James has written 212 Finder guides across topics including:

• Car, home, life, health, travel and pet insurance
• Managing the cost of living
• Money-saving tips