Where do you keep your car registration?

[ElectricIAC]

This is what I do also.

Not all states accept it as legal, but my primary interest is to have it available when I want the information. The one time I was stopped by a cop and could only show my copy on my phone I was asked to show a paper copy at a later date. No fines involved

"Papiere, Bitte."

 

[jjrandorin]

From MN here, and 'registration' is a weird one for me. "License and Registration, Please" is a phrase I've heard all my life, but never have I ever needed to present the vehicle's title, or the paperwork that comes with the registration tabs. The tabs go on the plate, and the paperwork goes into the tax folder in the filing cabinet. While I do not have tremendous amount of experience being in accidents or breaking the law, I've NEVER needed anything other than my license and proof of insurance card.
Same idea with the insurance cards, I can't imagine trying to keep the cards or the registration paper in my wallet. I have 6 vehicles, that would be insane. Insurance cards go in each vehicle's glove box (or in the case of the bike, in the seat.)

If there's an accident serious enough that the power is lost and the glove box won't open, trading insurance information on the spot is the least of my worries.

Maybe you dont pay registration in MN every year, or your state law does not say you have to have proof that you have registered the car to legally drive on the road. In CA, you are supposed to have:

Your drivers license (proof that you can legally operate the vehicle on the road.
Current insurance card (proof that you carry at least the minimum insurance required to drive on the road)
Current car registration (proof that you have paid the state the fees required to legally drive on CA roads).

Having lived here my entire life, I understand there are places where one does not have to pay vehicle registration yearly, but have never experienced it myself. If you get pulled over, a police officer will ask for all three if they intend to write you a ticket (and sometimes even if they dont) to verify you have them.

They will never ask for "title" to the vehicle though. registration shows who the registered owner is, but isnt the vehicles title.

 

[KenC]

Under the driver's visor mirror. Also, a photo copy on my phone. Used to have a nice app that kept all my vehicle registrations, driver's licenses, health insurance photos together, but that app didn't get updated, so now I just have a photo folder for "Records".

 

[AngryCPA]

After having had my glovebox replaced 2x for failing to open, I keep my registration in the center console now. Can’t imagine it would go over well if you got pulled over and told the cop you couldn’t open the glove box!

 

[LionXng]

I don't get it. What is the reason to hide your registration? I've always put it in the glovebox.

 

[RayK]

Probably has to do with the fact that your home address is on it. In the "old days" that meant if somebody found your set of keys, they could take your car back to your house and rob you there too. Is there really a chance of that happening? Probably real low.

It's like keeping a garage door opener in your car if you park it outside. If someone were to break into the car, it's then easy to open up the garage door take whatever is there and possibly get access to the inside of your house. Noisy too, but that's not the point. It's trying to minimize your exposure to loss.

 

[TomT]

I keep it in the glove box but redact the street address.

 

[drtimhill]

I usually have it in the glove box but from talking to friends it seems I am the only one.
Some keep it in their wallet others hide it in the trunk.

glove box . with no PIN since I doubt anyone would gain anything from getting access to it (it provides no proof of ownership). But I also have a scanned version stored (safely) on my iPhone, should I need to access it at other times (or if the car is so destroyed I can't access the glove box).

 

[GSBJackson]

Glovebox and home safe. In Ohio, the state provides two copies of your registration; one with and one without your address. Obviously, the one without your address stays in the car.

 

[CharleyBC]

Under my pillow.

 

[run-the-joules]

I burned it and drive without plates, since apparently the police don't give a crap about that anymore based on how many other people I see doing it.

 

[DevilDoc8542]

Mine registration and insurance is in the glove box unlocked. If someone wants to come to the ranch, they have a few options: I am US Navy veteran with combat related PTSD. My girlfriend has severe menstrual cycles and an excellent shot with any firearm. I have 2 Rottweilers-a male weighing in at 160lbs and a female weighing 130lbs. Both are on an all raw meat diet with bones. And this being Texas, we are armed to the teeth with firearms to include a few class III automatic assault weapons thanks to the tax stamp. Take your chances to see who is home on the ranch.

 

[iamnid]

For those that are worried about having their address visible on the registration, do you also not program "home" in the navigation? Has anyone ACTUALLY heard of someone having their car broken into and then their house burgled shortly thereafter because the thief got the address from the registration?

 

[RayK]

Like I said earlier, it's a very small chance that a thief would take the address from your car's registration and then burgle your house.

And yes, I program an intersection near my house as the "home" address in my 3.

 

[house9]

Under my pillow.

Hopefully the tooth fairy doesn’t run off with it...

 

[XLR82XS]

On my iPhone - wallet app.

 

[karbomusic]

As others have mentioned, I have to be able to produce driver's license, proof of insurance and registration on demand if pulled over (not phone pictures or scans) - or run the risk of getting a ticket just for not having them. Thusly, I always keep the insurance card and registration clipped to my visor. However...

There is value in the idea of not having these so handy from a identity theft perspective. Those two documents have enough info to be used with other gleaned information (from wherever) to be a potential problem; so we can't judge based only what's on the registration. I could lock it in the glovebox but that's an extra step of "Hey, I'm getting my registration out of the glove box officer, not an Uzi so don't shoot me". And the fact gloveboxes tend to be black holes for stuff I need when I need it quickly.

It makes me rethink things a tad though, because stringing together disparate pieces of info, from different sources, in order to prove you are someone you are not is big business in the theft world these days.

 

[bobby g]

These used to be popular: Cobbs WHITE NOS Accessory Certificate Registration Steering Column Holder | eBay

Looks like what was on my 41 Studebaker

 

[bobby g]

in the glove compartment with the pin to unlock on, for the glove compartment.

Question, can the glovebox be opened if the car isn't on? If not then what is the benefit of the pin except for when the car is being serviced or there something you don't want your partner to see?

 

[jjrandorin]

Question, can the glovebox be opened if the car isn't on? If not then what is the benefit of the pin except for when the car is being serviced or there something you don't want your partner to see?

The benefit is simply that you can put something in there that you dont want someone who you might give permission to drive the car, to see, whatever that is. It could be receipts / paperwork from your doctor that you are carrying to your next visit, for example, or any other things you might want to put in the glovebox but not have accessible to "everyone who can open my car door". I dont have pin on it specifically for my registration.