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Apps to track insurance renewals UK (2026)

Most households have at least four or five policies that renew at different times: car insurance, home insurance, MOT, life insurance, pet insurance. Missing a renewal or letting it auto-renew without shopping around costs money. Here are the most practical ways to keep track.

The problem with relying on insurers

Most people assume their insurer will remind them. They do — usually a few weeks before renewal, in an email that looks like marketing. Many people either miss it or open it too close to the renewal date to shop around effectively.

Auto-renewal exists to benefit the insurer. Research consistently shows that auto-renewing customers pay more than new customers on the same or equivalent cover. Having your own renewal date stored independently of the insurer means you know it's coming with enough time to compare.

Your options

Roost (dedicated household admin app)

Free / £3.99/month

Works well for

  • Renewal dates stored per vault item alongside policy details
  • Surfaces upcoming renewals on your home screen
  • Stores policy number and insurer contact with the renewal date
  • Shared with household — both people can see upcoming renewals
  • Covers all renewal types: MOT, insurance, passport, warranties, subscriptions

Limitations

  • iOS and web only (2026)
  • Requires initial setup

Calendar app (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar)

Free

Works well for

  • Already on your phone
  • Flexible reminders (7 days before, 30 days before, etc.)
  • Works on all devices

Limitations

  • No policy details stored with the reminder
  • You have to remember to add each renewal manually
  • Shared calendars require setup
  • No household-level view of all upcoming renewals

Your insurer's app

Free

Works well for

  • Shows your current policy details
  • Some send renewal reminders

Limitations

  • One app per insurer — you'd need a separate app for each policy
  • Not a consolidated view across all your policies
  • Coverage varies by insurer

Spreadsheet

Free (with Google Sheets / Microsoft 365)

Works well for

  • Completely customisable
  • Can be shared
  • You control the layout and content

Limitations

  • No built-in reminders
  • Requires ongoing maintenance
  • Not mobile-optimised for quick access

Insurance comparison sites

Free

Works well for

  • Some (like Compare the Market's MyAccount) store renewal dates
  • Built-in switching when it comes up

Limitations

  • Only reminds you to use their comparison service
  • Doesn't cover renewals that don't go through comparison sites (home insurance, MOT, warranties)

What to store alongside the renewal date

A renewal date on its own is half the job. What makes it actionable is having the policy number, current insurer, and what's covered — all in the same place. When the renewal comes up, you can open the app, see who you're with and what you're paying, and then go to a comparison site with everything you need to hand.

For car insurance specifically, the most useful things to store are: insurer, policy number, renewal date, current premium, cover level (third party/TPFT/comprehensive), and the claims number. The claims number is the one you need in an emergency, not the general enquiries line.

Roost's vault feature stores all of this per policy, plus an emergency section — so the renewal information and the emergency information live in the same place.

Common questions

How do I keep track of all my insurance renewals?

The most reliable method is a dedicated app like Roost, where you add each policy with its renewal date and the app surfaces upcoming renewals on your home screen. Calendar reminders work if you're disciplined about adding them. The weakest approach is relying on the insurer's renewal email, which often arrives at the last minute and is easy to miss or mistake for spam.

Is there an app that tracks MOT dates in the UK?

Roost includes MOT date tracking as part of its vehicle vault. Add your car with the MOT expiry date and Roost flags it on your home screen before it lapses. The DVLA also sends MOT reminder letters to the registered keeper, but only a few weeks before expiry. The GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service lets you check any vehicle's MOT status by registration.

What happens if I forget to renew my car insurance?

Driving without valid insurance is a criminal offence in the UK. You can receive a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 points on your licence, and in more serious cases the vehicle can be seized and destroyed. Most insurers auto-renew unless you cancel, but the renewal price is often significantly higher than a new policy. Tracking your renewal date gives you time to shop around before it auto-renews.

Track your renewals in Roost

Add each policy with its renewal date and Roost surfaces it before it lapses — alongside the policy number and insurer contact. Free renewal tracking, shared with your household.

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