A warning has been issued to all UK drivers after the database askMID crashed this morning.
A fault means the website appeared to show all cars in the UK as being uninsured.
The crash has led to drivers fearing prosecution for lack of cover, despite being fully insured.
It is not currently known what has caused the issue.
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Any queries made about a car on the website return the message : “NO. This vehicle is NOT showing as insured on the Motor Insurance Database today.
“If your vehicle details are NOT on the Motor Insurance Database you are at risk of being fined and facing court prosecution.”
On social media, the official page of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau posted: “We’re aware of an issue with askMID showing vehicles as uninsured.
“This is affecting the public facing side of the service, but the data used by police at the roadside is unaffected.
“We’re confident no data has been compromised, and working to resolve the situation asap.”
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Scared drivers took to social media to share their concerns.
One said: “Apparently the motor insurance database is down and thousands of cars are showing as uninsured. Check yours at askmid both my cars show as uninsured.”
A second commented: “Just saw a Facebook post saying that everyone’s car is showing as uninsured on the askmid website. I just checked mine and it’s true – but I am insured!”
Another joked: “So what askmid has been hacked and is saying all cars are uninsured ! So what I can’t even use Uber ?”
Just yesterday, motorists across the country discovered that their car insurance claims could be rejected based on where they park.
New data has shown that one in six car insurance claims are rejected because of unnotified vehicle modifications, which could include window tints or rear spoilers.
The second-most common reason for a rejected claim was parking in a particular location at a certain time.
If someone actually parks their car on the road, away from their house, this could lead to the insurer rejecting any claims if something does happen to it.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.