How can I check if a car is insured?

If you come from the UK this might sound like a silly question, as the British system requires each driver to take out a car insurance policy to cover them for the vehicle(s) they drive. However, in Spain (as with many other countries) the system is different, and the car insurance policies are linked directly to the car, not the driver. 

This means that there is the benefit that once the car is insured, anyone who fits the insurance criteria (in terms of age, how long you have held your licence, etc) is able to drive the car without having their own personal insurance policy in their name. However, it also means that you might be in a situation where you need to drive someone else’s car and you could be stuck with the quandary of not knowing the actual insurance details. 

It is vital to know how to check if a car is insured before you drive it, not just in terms of being covered in terms of liability and associated costs for any accident that could occur, but also because if you are pulled over by the police for any reason and you are driving without insurance cover you can be fined up to €3000. If the car is a Spanish registered vehicle the police can check on the spot if the car is covered  by an insurance policy using the FIVA (Fichero informativo de Vehiculos Asegurados) computer system. 

Also, on the other hand, and probably the most common reason why you will wonder how can I check if a car is insured? It is if you have a small bump or accident with another vehicle and want to be able to see if it is covered by an active insurance policy as this may also affect your own insurance situation in terms of making a claim against the liable party. 

Therefore, whatever the reason, here are the details of the different ways you can check if a car is insured:

Via the DGT (General Directorate of Traffic) 

The DGT is the equivalent of the DVLA in the UK and is the official body which holds the information and data regarding all vehicles that are registered in Spain. 

Citizens can request some basic free information – such as date of registration of a vehicle and if there are any incidents that would prevent the transfer of the vehicle through sale or ownership. For this you would be asking for the reduced report or Informe reducido.

For a nominal fee you can receive a complete report - Informe completo - which includes more comprehensive information including the current status of other legal aspects for the car, including the insurance cover and ITV certificate, which is essentially the Spanish MOT or annual safety test certificate. You can see a certificate example which shows on the first page – under the heading “Datos Seguro” (insurance data) - that this vehicle does not have insurance cover. 

You can request a copy of the complete report from the DGT by various methods:

• Online – if you have a digital certificate, electronic ID or Cl@ve 
• By phone, using the number 060 – you will need to verify your identity by answering some security questions
• From the miDGT app – this is the DGT application for mobile phones and tablets. It is available for both Android and Apple iOS. To obtain the report of a vehicle from the app, you must go to the main menu of the application and enter the section of 'My procedures' -> 'Vehicles' -> 'Vehicle report'. If you choose a detailed report, you can pay for the fee (tasa) directly in the app.
• In person, at any Headquarters or Traffic Office. In this case, you need to request an appointment online or by calling 060. 

You will need to pay the fee, either online or at a bank in advance of being able to fully process your application. The price is 8.67€ and you can find more information about the fee on the following page of the DGT website. 

For more information of any of these methods you can also check out the DGT webpage and find more detailed information by choosing the 3rd drop down menu  - ¿Qué medios tienes para solicitar el informe?

What information will you need to check if a car is insured?

•  A completed copy of the pdf of the application form which you can download here or collect at the traffic office. 
• Identification of the interested party: this must be official documentation that proves your identity and address (DNI, Spanish driving license, residence card (NIE/TIE) and passport.
• To request this more detailed report and information, you will need to have both the licence plate and the chassis number of the car that you want to check. So, if you are in an accident with another driver you need to ask the driver to provide you with the chassis number of their car, and not just take down their reg plate details.

How can I check if a car is insured? Can I just use the registration plate?

If it happens that you are not able to get the chassis number of the car you may also be able to check the insurance status using the FIVA (Fichero informativo de Vehiculos Asegurados)  which is a database of all insured vehicles, managed by the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros. 

Due to data protection, access to this database is only available online to related bodies such as the police or emergency services and the companies who add the data from the insurance sector. That being said, if you have suffered a traffic accident and have not been able to get details from the other party involved, for example a hit and run incident, you may be able to access the information on this database.

Probably the best way to do it is to go a Delegation of the Insurance Compensation Consortium (Delegación del Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros) and fill out the Vehicle Insurance Consultation form (Formulario de Consulta de Seguros de Vehículos con Matrícula Española). You will also need to take the original and copies of your official identification documentation and also a report or declaration of the accident or the damage report (declaración amistosa del accidente o de daños).

If you cannot go to the office in person, it may also be possible to request more information by contacting the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (CCS) headquarters by calling 91 339 55 00 or 91 339 55 55 or sending an email to  contactoccs@consorseguros.es  

Different types of insurance cover 

As with any insurance, once you have checked if the car is insured and have confirmed it is covered to drive it is also prudent to look into what is actually included in the specific policy, the easiest way being to look online at the company website and policy outline. 

Most insurers offer 3 levels of cover, Third-Party, Third-party windscreen and Theft, and Full cover / Fully comprehensive. 

Third-party cover (responsabilidad civil obligatoria or seguro obligatorio) will include the legal minimum requirements so that you can drive the car on public roads. It gives cover for any damage or legal obligations you have if you have an accident and cause damage to another car or injury of the persons within it. It does not cover the damage to your own vehicle – so if you are at fault for the accident, you are liable for your own costs, but the insurers will cover the “third” party costs.

If you want to be covered in terms of any other form of problem beyond your control, such as damage caused by fire, or if your car is stolen, then you would need to go to the next level which is Third party windscreen and theft (responsabilidad civil obligatoria, incendio y robo). 

The highest level is Comprehensive (todo riesgo) which covers all costs incurred by both yourself and third parties, even if the accident was your fault, as long as you were not violating a law, such as drunk driving or speeding. This is the best option if you drive a new(ish) or expensive car that will be more costly to repair. It is also a good consideration if you drive everyday as you obviously have an increased risk of probability of needing cover as you spend more time on the road.

Depending on the insurer it may also be possible that other benefits are included in their policies or can be added for an additional premium cost. This means you can tailor the options to suit your personal situation, including: 

• Selecting the excess that you would need to pay should you need to make a claim
• Adding accident or breakdown recovery services to your premium
• Provision of a courtesy car if your car is being repaired and you need to stay mobile
• Additional personal injury cover

It is worthwhile checking to see the range of benefits included in each category of cover, making a comparison of what is on offer by different insurers under the same category. 

You may think all policies are pretty much like for like, but these days insurers are working hard to provide more and more benefits to provide elevated services to their policy holders. 

For example, Caser Expat Insurance include Mandatory Civil Liability, Voluntary Civil Liability, Personal Injury, Legal defence, Management of fines and Travel Assistance with all their policies. In addition - there is also a new lifesaving advantage included in all Caser Expat Insurance policies, called Autohelp, which is provided free, and could prove to be invaluable if you have an accident and are not in the position to call for help yourself. 

This new cover gives the peace of mind to drivers that urgent help is at hand when you need it most. When you take out any Caser Expat Insurance policy (Third Party, extended Third party or full cover) you will be given a small 3cmx3cm device to put in your glove box, which links to the Autohelp app. This device is able to detect if you have an accident, upon which they will try to contact you. If you do not respond the emergency services will be contacted and an ambulance will be dispatched to the location of the geolocation device. Now, you might be worried that the device is tracking your travels, but the app only uses the geolocate function in the event of an accident, and as time is of the essence in emergency situations, this device, which is included free in all Caser Expat Insurance policies could literally save your life. Don’t forget to get your personalised quote from Caser.