Short-term car insurance cover

What is temporary car insurance?

Not everyone needs car insurance on a long-term basis. Sometimes you may only need to insure a car on a temporary or short-term basis.

Standard car insurance policies run for 12 months. 

But if you don’t own a car or only drive occasionally taking out an annual car insurance policy may not be suitable.

That’s when temporary car insurance, which allows you to insure a car on a short-term basis, comes in.

When might I need short-term car insurance?

If you want to borrow a car or drive a car on a one-off basis you won’t be automatically covered to do so.

Such as:

More uses of short-term car insurance

You need car insurance for one day 

You can also use some temporary car insurance policies to drive a new car home. 

You need short-term car insurance for five days

Some insurers also offer temporary insurance for vans, so if you need to borrow a van for moving house or similar, taking out a short-term insurance policy could work out cheaper than overall hire costs.

If you do choose to hire a car or van, it’s unlikely you’ll need to take out a separate temporary insurance policy, as cover is usually included as part of the hire price. 

You need car insurance for a week or more

Temporary cover is also a good alternative for learner drivers, as they can take out their own short-term car insurance policy on a friend’s or family member’s car while they learn — and it won’t affect the car owner’s no claims discount in the event of an accident.

You need weekend car insurance

Temporary insurance policies are great for driving a car abroad — whether you’re borrowing a car for a short break or you want to share the driving on a road trip with friends or family. 

How long can you take out short-term car insurance for?

Temporary car insurance policies usually offer short-term cover from 1 to 28 days, but some policies will insure you for up to 90 days

Can I take out short-term car insurance?

Insurers that offer short-term car insurance will usually offer cover to people between the ages of 17 and 75, but some providers will exclude those under 25 so it’s important to shop around for temporary car insurance.

Do I have to be an experienced driver to take out short-term car insurance?

You’re likely to see more quotes if you have several years’ driving experience and a full UK licence, but there are specialist providers out there that offer temporary car insurance to those with less experience or different licence types, and other providers that cover learner drivers.

Can I take out short-term car insurance if I have points on my licence?

If you have points on your driving licence, previous motoring convictions or a history of several insurance claims, you might find it difficult to get temporary insurance cover, but it’s worth shopping around as some providers will be happy to cover you.

Can I take out short-term car insurance if I don’t live in the UK?

Some insurers will allow you to take out short-term car insurance if you live abroad, but you may have to prove your permanent address and have been previously resident in the UK. You may also find there are age restrictions.

Does short-term car insurance have a car value limit?

Most insurers also apply limitations on the value of the car and will usually cover drivers for cars worth up to £50,000.

How much does short-term car insurance cost?

Temporary car insurance can be an affordable alternative to hiring a car. 

The cost will vary depending on:

Remember that if you take out an annual car insurance policy you can often pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds a year. Temporary car insurance can be a much cheaper alternative.

Taking out short-term car insurance when you don’t own a car

To compare or purchase a temporary car insurance policy you will need permission from the car owner, as well as:

What does short-term car insurance cover?

Most short-term car insurance policies will include fully comprehensive cover, although some insurers may be able to offer third party or third party, fire and theft cover.

Comprehensive cover will typically include:

So fully comprehensive cover means you have cover for any damage and theft of the car are driving as well as for any damage you do to a third-party, their vehicle or their property, as well as loss

Can I get extras with a short-term car insurance policy?

Most short-term car insurance policies will allow you to add the following on, at an extra cost:

Getting cheaper short-term car insurance

As with other types of car insurance you can do the following to help get the price of your temporary car insurance down.

Paying a higher voluntary excess – although remember this will make it more expensive if you do need to claim

The type of car you drive - driving a car in one of the cheaper car insurance groups will save you money.

You may be already insured

If you need to drive a friend's car use ‘driving other cars’ cover if it’s included in your own insurance policy.  This add-on is usually only for third party cover so will not pay out for the car you are driving if you are involved in an accident. 

Multi car insurance

When you do come to buy your first car it may be worth taking out a group car insurance policy if people in your family drive and own cars

This is called multi-car insurance and might also be suitable:

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