Vehicle Insurance and Tax Tracker

Who this is for

Every date the vehicle can catch you out, on one page. Insurance, tax, inspection, breakdown cover and permits, each with provider, reference, cost and days left.

Anyone who has been caught by a lapsed policy or a missed renewal, households with more than one driver on the same car, and people who pay for cover monthly and have lost track of what it adds up to.

What this helps you track

• Every renewal date for the vehicle in one place, with the provider and the reference
• Days left until each one, counted from today in the browser and spreadsheet versions
• The annual cost of keeping the vehicle legal and covered, and the monthly equivalent
• Claims and incidents recorded with the claim reference and the excess paid

How to use it

1. Write the vehicle and the keeper at the top. One sheet per vehicle.
2. Fill in a line for each item from the paperwork: provider, reference, the start date and the renewal date.
3. Enter the annual cost as the figure you actually pay over a year, whether it is paid monthly or at once.
4. In the browser and spreadsheet versions the days-left column counts down from today and the soonest renewal appears in the summary.
5. Use the second table for any claim or incident, so the claim reference and the excess are to hand at renewal.
6. Go over the sheet once a month; on paper, write the next renewal on your calendar as well.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Does the sheet know what my vehicle needs?

No. What cover, tax and inspections a vehicle must have differs by country and by vehicle, and this sheet does not say. The prefilled lines are common items to get you started; delete or rename any that do not apply where you are.

How does the days-left column work?

It counts from the date you open the sheet to the renewal date on that line, so it is always current in the browser and spreadsheet versions. On paper it is a blank to work out by hand.

Can I record a monthly premium?

Yes — write the yearly total in the annual cost column and note the monthly amount in the paid-how column. The summary divides the annual total by twelve for you.

Why is there a claims table?

Because at renewal the insurer asks about claims, and the details are usually in an email you cannot find. Date, what happened, the reference and the excess paid are enough to answer the question.