When do you need your car’s insurance policy number?

Anyone who has been in a car accident will know how important an auto insurance policy is. Not only will it save you from paying an ungodly amount to the other driver to settle their repairs and medical treatments, but insurance policies also cover your car’s damages, and even your medical treatment bills if you get in an accident. With over six million passenger car accidents in the US every year, the chances of you getting in one are very high. 

But auto insurance can get complicated, and you need to be well-versed with every nook and cranny of auto insurance policies. One such part of insurance policies is the insurance policy number. Since there are millions of insurance policies active in the US right now, and more are being added as you read this article, it is not possible to just have the name of the policyholder as the identifying element. 

This is why each policy is given a unique policy identification number, commonly referred to as the insurance policy number. This number is given to you when you buy a car insurance policy and this is how the company will recognize you. This is the number they have in their systems which associates your details such as name, registered car, license number, etc.

Your car insurance policy number can be a number of a length anywhere between eight digits to thirteen or even fourteen digits, depending on the insurance company. It could either be just a number or a mix of numbers and alphabets.

So what is the importance of this number and when do you need it? This article will describe in detail everything you need to know about your car insurance policy number, from its use to its importance. Let’s get started.

When Do You Need Your Car’s Insurance Policy Number?

Anytime you need to show your auto insurance policy or want to know anything about it, you’ll need your car insurance policy number. Here are the different instances when you’ll need this number:

Renewing policy/Checking Details: Most insurance companies and policies (almost everyone these days) have an online portal where you can open the insurance company’s website and log in to your account. If you need to know anything about your insurance policy, such as its validity, renewal date, coverage limit, etc, you will need the insurance policy number. 

If your insurance company allows online policy renewal, you will have to enter your policy number to do so. The meat of the matter is that for anything that you need to do with your insurance policy online, or even offline (if you visit your insurance company’s office or give them a call), you will need the insurance number.

When Stopped by a Cop: Most companies give you a card (called an insurance card) that contains all the details of your insurance policy, including the policy number, license number, and the validity of the insurance policy. If you get pulled over by a cop for any reason, you might have to show your insurance policy number and that’s when you need to bring out your insurance card.

It does not necessarily have to be a physical card as these days most insurance cards are stored digitally so you can have an app or a digital document that contains all the necessary information along with the insurance policy number. This number is proof that you have an active insurance policy on which the cop can run a check which shows more details about your coverage and the type of policy. 

In an Accident: The most common use of a car insurance policy number is when you get in an accident. When you hit someone else’s car or get your car hit by someone else, the first thing to do is to call the police, take pictures of the damage, inform your insurance company and then exchange the insurance information. This is when you’ll need the car insurance policy number. 

The car insurance policy number of the other driver is what you’ll need to claim their liability policy to get the coverage. Without it, you cannot make a claim. The same goes when someone else needs to claim your insurance policy. Do note that if someone is making a claim against your insurance policy, your insurance rates will go up. It is very difficult to find cheaper auto insurance with lower annual premiums.

FAQs about Car Insurance Policy Number

What to do if you lose your insurance number?

You might lose your insurance card and this might be an issue as you need your insurance policy number to do anything related to your insurance. Don’t worry because as long as you have an active insurance policy, you can get your insurance number back. Just contact your insurance company and they might ask for other details such as your license number and date of birth, or it could be other information. That’s all, you’ll have your insurance number back. 

What if you don’t have the other driver’s insurance number?

In an accident, it is very likely that you may forget to take the insurance information of the other person, or perhaps you copied the wrong insurance number and cannot make a claim against their policy. Don’t panic. This is why it is so very important to call the cops and take pictures of your car and the other car as well, including the license plate.

If you don’t have the insurance policy number, you can use the license number and check the major car insurance companies, or just contact the cops and ask for the police report which will have the insurance number. But just for safety, if you ever get in an accident, take a picture of the other driver’s insurance card as well.