Check your vehicle, check your statements, and check with insurance providers to verify that you have car insurance. Driving an uninsured vehicle is risky business—it could cost you and others thousands of dollars in the case of a bad accident.

Not only that — it is illegal in most states to drive an uninsured vehicle.

If you aren’t confident that you have coverage, the

car insurance

comparison shopping and broker app,

Jerry

has compiled everything you need to know.

If you discover you don’t have coverage or the coverage you have isn’t enough for your needs, download Jerry's

trustworthy super app

to find the best coverage at the most affordable price. Just answer a few simple questions that take roughly 45 seconds to complete and you’ll be presented with competitive quotes from 40+ top insurers.

Once you make your pick, Jerry handles all the phone calls and the paperwork. Not to mention, the average Jerry driver saves $879 on car insurance a year.

Here are some simple steps to verify that your car is insured (and finding the best coverage if it’s not).

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Check your vehicle

We get it—sometimes you just can’t remember whether or not you purchased that boring old insurance policy for your car (it’s more common than you think). If you’re not sure whether or not your car is insured, the first step is checking for the paperwork.

Most people keep proof of insurance in the car. Check your glove box, center console, seat pockets, beneath the rug on the passenger side that hasn’t been cleaned in over a year (it’s okay, we’ve all been there)—look everywhere you can to see if you can find your elusive insurance documents.

Read through credit and bank statements

If you can’t find insurance paperwork in your vehicle, look through your recent credit and bank statements. You’re probably more likely to have an insurance plan connected to the card or account that you typically use for paying bills and utilities, so start there.

You should see a monthly charge from an insurance carrier such as

Allstate

Progressive

. If you don’t see this in your initial card or account, do a thorough sweep of all possible cards or accounts an insurance company could be charging.

MORE:

Minimum car insurance required in your state: what you need to know

Contact government agencies

If these last two options don’t work, you can try contacting various agencies for information about your insurance. Visit your local DMV in person or call the Secretary of State to verify whether your vehicle is or is not insured.

Check with popular insurance providers (to see if they’ve issued you a policy)

If you still aren’t sure whether your vehicle is insured, you might want to spend the time contacting popular insurance providers to see whether they have issued you a policy.

Below are some of the most popular car insurance providers in the U.S.:

MORE:

New car insurance: what coverage do you need when buying a new car?

Key Takeaway You will need to check for proof of your insurance in any way you can, whether that be searching your vehicle, reading through recent bank and credit statements, contacting government agencies, or contacting popular insurance providers.

Once you solve your car insurance mystery

If you don’t have insurance: Get it as fast as possible.

An insurance lapse is bad news: you can be fined for driving without insurance and you may face largely inflated rates when you do eventually go to purchase insurance again. Basically, the shorter the lapse of insurance, the better.

Jerry

is here to make the process of purchasing insurance as easy and simple as possible. Jerry meets you where you’re at—simply sign up in around 45 seconds. Then, Jerry's

trustworthy insurance comparison app

does all the shopping for you and lets you pick your preferred policy from over 40 different insurance providers. No more stressful insurance shopping for you!

If you do have insurance: If you couldn’t remember the policy you had, you can probably find a better (and more memorable) rate elsewhere—

Jerry

shops around for you every 6 months, which means you can go ahead and forget about your car insurance again knowing you’ll always have the best coverage for the most affordable price.

Key Takeaway Driving without insurance is a huge risk. If you find you don’t have insurance, get it immediately. If you do have auto insurance, use
Jerry
to verify you are getting the best deal possible.

FAQs

Is my car insured if someone else is driving?

For the most part, yes. An insurance policy applies to a particular vehicle, not necessarily a particular driver. Of course, there are some minor exceptions, so it’s good to check with your provider if you know in advance that someone else will be driving your vehicle.

Is my car insured if I just bought it?

Short answer: *no. Your car is insured if you purchase insurance for your vehicle. If the car has changed ownership (i.e. if you just bought a used car), you will need to buy your own insurance plan—even if the previous owner had insurance.

Thankfully,

Jerry

makes finding the

cheap car insurance

quick and easy—it only takes a few short minutes to sign up and start browsing your insurance options.

Can your car be insured if not registered?

Yes, you can generally buy insurance for an unregistered vehicle. Car insurance companies aren’t The Law, so they won’t enforce

vehicle registration

laws. However, you usually need to show

proof of insurance

in order to register your vehicle—and, driving an unregistered car can drive up your insurance rates.

Is my car insured for business use?

It varies. For the most part, auto insurance for your personal vehicle will not cover damages that happen when the vehicle is being used for business purposes.

But, there might be exceptions. Your safest bet is to check with your insurance provider. Most importantly, don’t assume you are covered if you’re driving your car for business use.

Whether you discover you did or didn’t have auto insurance, it’s never too late to switch to Jerry:

"The most ideal insurance shopping app. This app helped me find policies at half the price I’m paying—I was pretty astounded when I saw it. They essentially do all the work for you; you don't even need to call an agent, unless you have questions that need clarification. There was no hassle, and choosing new insurance was just as easy as grocery shopping." — Satisfied Jerry customer

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