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.

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.
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.