Yes, if you own a car you need car insurance.
In the UK it’s illegal to drive a vehicle on a road or in a public place without at least third party insurance.
If you’re caught driving without insurance by the police you could have to pay a fine, receive penalty points on your licence, or have your car clamped or taken away.
In some circumstances, you could be taken to court and get another fine, have your licence taken away, or your car destroyed.
Police can look up whether your car is insured on the Motor Insurance Database (MID). This is a central record of all live motor insurance policies.
There are only a few exceptions where you may not need insurance. The main example is if you declare your car as being 'off road.' This means taking your vechicle off the road, not driving it, and keeping it on private land.
To do this, you need to apply for a Statutory Off Road Notifcation (SORN). Only when you have a SORN in place can you stop taxing and insuring your car. You can apply for a SORN on the government website here.