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Keeping a vehicle which does not meet insurance requirements

Road traffic — practical elements, sentencing links and station notes for accredited reps in England & Wales.

Road traffic

Keeping a vehicle which does not meet insurance requirements

Road Traffic Act 1988, s.144A

England & Wales. Elements, mode of trial, maximum and defences — not a charging or outcome predictor.

Triable
Summary only
Maximum penalty
Level 3 fine

Actus reus

  • A vehicle is registered under VERA and kept, and does not meet insurance requirements (RTA 1988, s.144A — continuous insurance enforcement).

Mens rea

  • Keeping while uninsured as s.144A defines it. Statutory exceptions (SORN and others in s.144B) must be read, not assumed.

Defences

Valid insurance · s.144B exception (including a valid SORN where that exception applies) · Not the person who kept the vehicle

Sentencing Council

Sentencing Council guideline effective 13 July 2026. Offence range: Discharge to Band A fine Starting point: Band A fine This offence is non-endorsable and does.

View definitive guideline ↗

At the police station

This is not s.143 using without insurance. MID and SORN dates first.

When to involve a rep or solicitor

Police station advice is free under legal aid and is not means-tested.

Authoritative sources for this page

Statute plus Sentencing Council (and CPS where listed) are the two primary sources we used for mode of trial, maximum and elements. Case links are from our verified registry only.

More in Road traffic

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Sources & further reading

Links are to official publishers (legislation, gov.uk, CPS, LAA, Sentencing Council). Case law on this site is limited to entries in our verified case-law registry. Always confirm the current version before relying on it in live advice.