Car insurance customers in Northern Ireland are being urged to view vehicle cover as a necessity, not a luxury, despite any financial difficulties imposed by the recession.

Acknowledging that a lot of Northern Ireland car insurance customers have had to cut back on household spending, broker Colin McEvoy nonetheless points out that all insurers now have to provide policy details to the Motor Insurance Database (MID).

"Data from the MID [are] then used by police to help combat uninsured driving," he tells the Belfast Telegraph. "If your details haven’t been entered on the MID, you may be stopped by the police with a risk that your vehicle could be seized if the correct details haven’t been registered."

Furthermore, McEvoy notes, getting caught without adequate car insurance is likely to lead to a fine – in addition to making it more difficult to acquire premiums in the future.

According to the Northern Ireland car insurance broker, policy costs are no longer more expensive in the region than in other areas of the UK, as was often the case in the past.

Further cost-cutting tips he provides include ensuring cars are garaged at night and paying more voluntary excess.