Frequently Asked Questions

• What information is required?
• How often should the vehicle information be updated?
• What do we do about Temporary Additional Vehicles?
• When will we be required to begin supplying vehicle information?
• Which method of input should we use?
• What should we do if we're not web-enabled?
• Where else can I find information about the website?

You must supply the following 'Mandatory' vehicle details for all vehicles to be covered under your policy with us:

• Vehicle Registration Number (VRN)
• Date on which cover begins for each vehicle - 'On Date'
• Date on which cover ceases for each vehicle - 'Off Date'

In addition to the above, we would also urge you to provide the following 'Preferred' information for each vehicle:

• Type (Private Car, Commercial Vehicle, Trade Plate, Coach/Minibus etc.)
• Make and Model
• Engine Capacity, Gross Vehicle Weight or Number of Seats, depending on Vehicle Type

Submission of these data items will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the MID and will be particularly beneficial to the Police. It will also mean that we don't need to request this additional detail from you come the policy declaration stage.

Details of any vehicle amendments should be submitted within ten working days of a change occurring, although of course this can be done more frequently. It is possible that future legislation may shorten this 'time to update'.

MIB's advice is that Temporary Additional Vehicles (TAVs), that are covered under a policy for a period of less than 14 days, do not require submission to the MID. Once more though, this may be subject to change in the future.

The legislation came into force on 20th January 2003, but we expect all customers, including new policyholders, to start using our website as soon as their security details are confirmed. This will enable all parties to familiarise themselves with the new process and to be confident that they will be able to fulfil their obligations come 20th January.

Different methods will be suitable for different policyholders at different times, depending on their circumstances.

1. On-Line/Individual Keying - this method is appropriate for policyholders with a small to medium schedule of vehicles, or for any policyholder wishing to make just a small number of vehicle changes at a time.
   
   
2. File Upload - any policyholder wanting to notify us of a number of vehicle amendments, but not wishing to key in individual changes, will be able to use our File Upload facility. This method will involve us in extracting vehicle details from the policyholder's own records.
   
   File Upload can be freely used in conjunction with the On-Line/Individual Keying method. Indeed, we anticipate that many users will want to upload their initial vehicle schedule via File Upload, but then maintain it by inputting individual vehicle changes.
   
   
3. Compare and Amend - this method is similar to File Upload insofar as it allows the user to upload a large quantity of vehicle data within a single transaction. It differs though in that it enables a policyholder to submit their whole vehicle schedule, rather than just details of additions and amendments. Compare and Amend is also more sophisticated in terms of interpreting On and Off Dates from the date on which the file is uploaded.
   
   Compare and Amend users should be aware though that they must upload a fresh snapshot of their schedule on the day that any change occurs. Furthermore, uploads must be made from a single file. Compare and Amend effectively deletes the previous details and then replaces them with the new snapshot - updates from multiples sites would clearly therefore cause errors in the overall policy schedule.
   
   

Policyholders without internet access should seriously consider the possibility of investing in the necessary equipment, since in the long-term this might prove the cheapest and most efficient option.

Alternatively, we recommend that you contact your usual insurance adviser to agree how you will fulfil your obligations. We are able to provide all of our broker partners with a unique User ID and Password for the site, and your insurance adviser may be prepared to use these security details to provide vehicle updates on your behalf.

Regardless of the method of transmission though, and the identity of the party that actually supplies us with vehicle data, it remains your responsibility as policyholder to keep an ongoing record of any changes to your fleet. In every case you will remain ultimately responsible for the timely provision of accurate vehicle data.

Most of the information given above is repeated elsewhere in the site.