Every U.S. state except New Hampshire requires drivers to carry valid auto insurance coverage when behind the wheel.1 You can use your insurance card to show proof of coverage at a traffic stop, when registering your vehicle, or after an accident.
Here’s how to read your insurance card.
Insurance cards can vary from one insurer to the next, but they usually include the following information:
Your name and address
Your vehicle(s), including model, make, year, and VIN
Your insurance company’s name and contact information, including important phone numbers and their website
The plan’s effective dates of coverage
Your policy number
It may also include your type of plan and the coverage amount included.
Each insurance company puts its insurance policy number in a different place. Look for a long number — usually between eight to 13 digits. It’s often located near your name or vehicle information, but it can also be on the back of your card.
Your policy number is an identifier unique to your specific policy. It generally remains the same as long as your policy stays in effect and provides proof of auto insurance coverage. If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company — like both a home and auto policy — each policy will have its own number.
Many insurance companies offer digital ID cards through email, a mobile app, or a digital wallet on a mobile device. This electronic insurance card offers the same information as a printed copy, but you can access it anywhere and email it with ease.
You can typically use an electronic insurance card the same way you’d use a tangible copy, whether you need to show it to a police officer during a traffic stop or if the DMV requires it when registering your new car. New Mexico is the only exception, where electronic insurance cards aren’t explicitly accepted as part of state law.
An insurance card is usually required anytime you’re involved in a traffic stop or incident. In most states, police officers run your insurance card to verify active coverage. If you don’t have your insurance card available, you may be subject to additional citations and fines for failing to show proof of coverage — even if you have a policy.
You’ll also need proof of insurance when buying a new vehicle or registering your car. Insurance companies also use your policy number and other information on your insurance card when you file a claim. Keep an ID card handy in your vehicle, wallet, and phone. You can also keep a backup copy at home.
After an accident, exchange important information with the other driver, including:2
Name and contact information
Insurance company name and contact information
Insurance policy number
Driver’s license number
Vehicle details, such as the make, model, color, and license plate number
Accident details, such as how it happened, time, and location
It’s important to take action immediately if someone steals your policy number or insurance information. Follow these steps:
If you want to know even more about insurance card policy numbers and why they matter, check out the additional information below.
No. Your auto insurance policy number is different from your member ID number. Policy numbers are unique to each policy. You’ll typically have just one member ID number but could have multiple policy numbers for home, auto, life, personal property, or renters coverage.
The typical insurance policy number ranges from about eight to 13 digits long. Each insurance company will have its own system and policy number length.
Insurance cards include information about your auto policy, vehicle, and insurer. The card typically shows insurer contact information, policy number, coverage dates, vehicle make, and model. It may also spell out your coverage limits.
Yes. You can use your insurance card policy number to verify coverage benefits for law enforcement, registration, car financing, and more. If you don’t have your member ID card handy, you can still use your policy number to verify the plan type and coverage details.
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
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Experienced personal finance writer
Background working with banks and insurance companies
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