New compulsory motor insurance (CMI) rules from 1 September 2026: match your cover dates to your vehicle tax

New compulsory motor insurance (CMI) rules from 1 September 2026: match your cover dates to your vehicle tax

Your CMI expires this month but your tax sticker has months left to run. How many months should you renew for?

From 1 September 2026, the rules on the period of insurance under the road accident victims protection policy, or compulsory motor insurance (CMI), have been revised under Registrar's Order No. 17/2569 (2026). The period of cover can now be set at less than 1 year or more than 1 year, but no more than 2 years, and if the period is not 1 year, the premium is calculated pro rata by the day for the actual period.

But there is an important condition that car owners need to understand correctly:

If you use your CMI as supporting evidence when paying vehicle tax, the cover must run continuously at least until the vehicle tax expiry date in the following year.

In everyday terms: short-term CMI is possible in some cases, but that does not mean you can always buy just a few months of CMI and use it to renew your vehicle tax for a full year. If the policy end date does not reach the expiry date of the new tax period, it may not meet the rules.

The new CMI rules in 30 seconds

• In force from 1 September 2026
• The standard CMI period is still 1 year
• It can be shorter or longer than 1 year, but no more than 2 years in total
• Periods other than 1 year are charged pro rata by the day
• If you use CMI to renew your vehicle tax, it must cover you at least until the vehicle tax expiry date in the following year
• If your CMI and tax expiry dates differ, check both before the policy is issued
• Don't buy on price alone, because the start and end dates affect whether you can use it to renew your tax

Not sure what end date your CMI should have?

Send these 3 things to the Prakanthai.com team to check before you pay:

1. The vehicle details page of the registration book
2. Your existing CMI policy
3. Your vehicle tax sticker, or a screenshot showing the tax expiry date

LINE Official: @prakanthai
Call +66 2 459 2223

CMI and vehicle tax are separate matters, but their dates need checking together

CMI is compulsory insurance that covers death, bodily injury or harm to the health of road accident victims, while annual vehicle tax is the tax a car owner must pay to keep the vehicle's registration valid.

Although they are separate, paying vehicle tax requires a record that insurance has been taken out under the Road Victims Protection Act, so the Department of Land Transport (DLT) checks CMI details when it accepts vehicle tax payments.

What has changed from 1 September 2026 is that car owners can set their CMI period more flexibly to fit the tax cycle, but the cover used to renew the tax must not be shorter than the new tax period.

A common misunderstanding

The law does not require every vehicle's CMI and tax expiry dates to match.

Aligning the dates is a way to make them easy to remember, renew both at once and reduce the chance of letting your CMI lapse. But the key legal requirement is that, when CMI is used to renew the tax, the cover must last until the expiry date of the next tax period.

What should you do if your CMI and tax expire on different dates?

Case 1: your CMI and tax already expire on the same day

This is the simplest case. You can renew your CMI for continuous cover as usual and use it when paying your vehicle tax.

What you need to check is that there is no gap in cover between the old policy and the new one.

Case 2: your CMI expires several months before your tax, and you are not renewing the tax today

For example:

• The vehicle tax expires on 31 March 2027
• The existing CMI expires earlier, in September 2026

The owner could consider a short-term CMI policy that continues the cover from the existing policy up to 31 March 2027, so that the CMI expiry date lines up with the current tax expiry date.

Then, in March 2027, renew the CMI and the tax together, so from then on there is only one renewal date to remember.

The premium for a period of less than 1 year is calculated pro rata by the day, based on the vehicle type, its use and the actual number of days.

Case 3: you are about to pay your annual vehicle tax today

In this case, look at the date the new tax sticker will expire.

For example, if the new tax sticker expires on 31 March 2028, the CMI used to renew the tax must provide cover until at least 31 March 2028.

So don't buy a policy that ends before that date, even if it looks cheaper, because the cover may not be long enough for the tax period you are renewing.

Case 4: your existing CMI still has time left, but you want a new policy so the dates match

Don't buy an overlapping new policy straight away on the assumption that you can easily cancel the old one later, because the conditions for the insured to cancel CMI do not allow cancellation freely for any reason.

Under the conditions as amended by Registrar's Order No. 16/2569 (2026), the insured can cancel when there is evidence that the vehicle has been legally taken out of use, or when there is more than one overlapping CMI policy under the specified conditions. So have your provider check the existing policy before a new one is issued.

Simple examples of aligning the dates

Have the insurer or your provider confirm the actual start and end dates against your existing policy, because besides the dates, they also need to check the start and end times, the continuity of the policy, the vehicle type and how the vehicle is used.

What should you check before your CMI is issued?

1. The vehicle type in the registration book

Saloons, pickups, vans, motorcycles, vehicles for hire and commercial vehicles may have different vehicle codes and premium rates.

2. How the vehicle is used

A vehicle for private use and one used for hire or business may need different types of CMI, so don't go only by the make, model or number of seats you can see from the outside.

3. The end date and time of your existing CMI

This prevents both a gap in cover and an unnecessary overlapping policy.

4. The vehicle tax expiry date

This is key to deciding whether to issue a short-term, 1-year or longer-than-1-year policy to suit what you need it for.

5. Whether you are about to use the policy to renew your tax

This is the most important question, because CMI bought to give the vehicle temporary cover and CMI that will be used to renew the tax may need different end dates.

How do you send documents safely?

For an initial check, you can send just the information about the vehicle and the expiry dates, and cover up any personal details that aren't needed.

Do not send:

• OTP codes
• Banking app passwords
• Government app passwords
• Photos of both sides of your credit card
• Financial information unrelated to issuing the policy

The team should always give the customer the vehicle type, start date, end date, issuing insurer and amount payable to check before the policy is issued.

Frequently asked questions about the new CMI rules

From 1 September 2026, does everyone have to change their CMI expiry date to match their tax?

Not every vehicle's dates have to match. Aligning them makes things easier to manage and remember, but when CMI is used to renew the tax, the cover must last at least until the vehicle tax expiry date in the following year.

Can I get CMI for less than 1 year?

Yes, at the request of the insured and within the prescribed rules, with the premium charged pro rata by the day. But you need to consider whether you will use the policy to renew your tax in that period.

Can I buy just 3 months of CMI and use it to renew my tax for a full year?

Only if the policy end date reaches the expiry date of the new tax period. If the policy ends before the new tax expiry date, the cover may not be enough to renew the tax.

Can I get CMI for more than 1 year?

Yes, but the total period must not exceed 2 years, and the premium is calculated on the actual number of days.

Do the new rules change the CMI limits?

Registrar's Order No. 17/2569 (2026), discussed in this article, changes the period of cover and how cover dates are scheduled. It should not be read as raising or lowering the existing limits of cover.

Can you still check if I don't have my existing CMI to send?

You can send the vehicle details page and the tax expiry date first. Our team will check the vehicle type and ask for any other information needed before confirming the period of cover.

Get the dates right before you pay, and avoid problems when you renew your tax

After 1 September 2026, when buying CMI you should look beyond “how much it costs” and also check:

• When your existing policy expires
• When your vehicle tax expires
• Whether you want to align the dates
• Whether you are about to use the CMI to renew your tax this time
• Whether the new policy covers you up to the next tax expiry date

Send photos of your registration book, your existing CMI and your tax expiry date to the Prakanthai.com team to check before you pay. It reduces the risk of overlapping cover, a gap in cover, or a policy period too short to renew your tax.

Contact Prakanthai

LINE Official: @prakanthai
Call +66 2 459 2223

Send us photos on LINE for a CMI date check

Just send photos of your registration book, existing CMI and tax expiry date. Our team will check the start and end dates and the period of cover before the policy is issued.

Prakanthai.com has provided non-life insurance services since 2004 and clearly displays its non-life insurance broker licence no. 5104000004 on the website, together with LINE Official and phone contact details.

Note: this article is for general information and is not part of any insurance contract. Underwriting, premium setting, start and end dates, policy issue and the assessment of entitlements all depend on the vehicle details, the insurer's rules, the law and the applicable policy conditions. Buyers should always check the policy details before paying.