Life can get busy, and keeping track of your insurance can be the last thing on your mind. If you've forgotten whether your car is insured or who it's insured with, don't worry. Here are a few steps you can take to check the status of your car insurance.
How to find out if your car is insured
There's no central register in New Zealand to check if you have car insurance. But here are a few other ways you can check:
- Check your pile of printed documents and your email inbox. Hot tip: put "car insurance" in the email search bar.
- Review your bank account transactions to see if you have automatic payments going out.
- Check your other insurance policies (such as house or contents) to see if you have a car policy with the same company.
- Reach out to a broker if you placed your insurance with one.
- Call the insurance companies directly and ask if they have your details on file.
If you have no luck with any of the above, you most likely don't have car insurance. It's time to get a quote!
How to find out who my car is insured with
Your policy documents and Certificate of Insurance will always have the name of your insurance company, your policy number, and the details of the car insured. You'll either receive these in your email inbox or in the post, depending on which delivery method you chose.
- If you receive your documents in the post, file them in a safe place so you can easily refer to them at a later date.
- If you receive your documents via email, you could set up a folder in your account that's just for your insurance correspondence.
How to find out my car insurance policy number
Your policy number is usually at the top of any printed documents or emails from your insurer. It may also be called a customer number or reference number, depending on who you're with. At Tower, our policy numbers start with 'P' followed by 11 digits, for example: P12345678910.
How to check what type of car insurance you have
Your insurance company might offer you options to check your insurance online, via an app, or over the phone.
If you're a Tower customer, you can easily check your personal insurance policies (car, house, contents, and boat insurance) and cover type by logging into My Tower, our online self-service portal. You can log in at any time and make updates like changing the excess, adding named drivers, or even switching cover types. Log in here, or if you don't have an account yet, register here.
Common types of car insurance explained
The type of car insurance you have is likely to be one of these three options:
- Comprehensive: The broadest level of car insurance, covering damage to your vehicle and damage you do to others.
- Third party fire and theft: Covers your vehicle against fire and being stolen, as well as damage your car causes to someone else’s vehicle or property.
- Third party: The most basic level of car insurance, covering damage you cause to other people's car and property, but not your own.
While these are offered at several insurance companies in New Zealand, it's still a good idea to review the policy wordings, understand the benefits, get a couple of quotes, and weigh up your options. It's easy to get a quick quote online with Tower.
Can you find out if a car is insured?
If you're trying to find out if someone has car insurance, the best way is to ask. It's important that you're covered, especially if you're thinking of getting behind the wheel
If asking isn't possible, and you've been in an accident, you may still be able to find this out:
If someone has hit your car
It's frustrating when someone hits your car - especially if they drive away without leaving their details!
If you managed to grab their licence plate (rego) number, and you're insured, your insurance company might be able to track down the owner to get costs back - whether they're insured or not. One of the great perks of being insured! Remember to pass on the details when you make the claim.
It's important to get insured
It's important to get insured before you have any mishaps or accidents. If you've found out you're not insured, don't worry! It's easy to get a quick car quote with Tower.
If you already have car insurance, take a moment to review your cover to make sure it's still the best fit for you. Simply log in to My Tower to review your policy documents and make changes to your policy.
The links we provide to third-party websites are for your convenience and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by us. The information provided on this page is general in nature and is not intended to be professional or legal advice. Tower does not accept any liability for the accuracy or content of information on this website that belongs to third parties or on any third-party website.
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