If you need to borrow someone’s car, want to share the load on a road trip, or take a test drive, annual car insurance may not be appropriate. That’s where temporary car insurance comes in. It can give you the freedom to drive legally in the UK, without tying you to an unnecessarily long policy.
Find out what temporary car insurance is, what it covers, and how to get the cheapest short-term policy you can with our guide below.
Temporary car insurance explained
Temporary car insurance is a short-term policy that can be arranged in a matter of minutes.
You’ll be able to choose hourly, daily and weekly cover, from a minimum of one hour to a maximum of 30 days (though some longer policies do exist).
It normally comes with fully comprehensive cover as standard, allowing you to claim for:
- Damage to yourself, or the vehicle you were driving, following an accident
- Damage to a third party following an accident
- Damages resulting from a fire
- Theft, or attempted theft
And since it is a standalone policy, temporary car insurance won’t affect the no-claims bonus of the car’s owner if you do make a claim.
This means it can be perfect for a range of scenarios, from borrowing a loved one’s car for the weekend, to the occasional use of your own vehicle for business purposes.
What cover is included with temporary car insurance?
Although the specifics of what is and isn’t covered by temporary car insurance is dependent on your chosen provider, you can usually expect the following:
What is covered by short-term car insurance
- Damage to your car: if your car is damaged, be it in an accident, fire or because of vandalism, you can make a claim
- Theft: if your car is stolen, or damaged in an attempted robbery
- Third party liability: this means your cover will pay for any damages to another driver if you get into an accident, including personal injury or death
- Protected no-claims bonus: the vehicle owner’s no-claims discount won’t be affected if a claim is made
- Accident recovery: if you car can’t be repaired at the side of the road, you’ll be towed to an approved garage
- Personal accident: you may be able to make a personal accident claim on your temporary insurance
- Business use: certain forms of business car insurance, such as travelling to a conference or visiting a client, are covered by a temporary policy
- European cover: you may be able to drive with third party cover in Europe using your temporary car insurance (this is sometimes an optional extra)
- Breakdown cover: you can add breakdown cover for an extra cost if you feel like you need it
What isn’t covered by short-term car insurance
- The excess you agree to pay: you will need to pay a pre-agreed excess when making a claim
- Unnamed drivers: only the driver named on the policy will be covered by your temporary car insurance
- Driving outside the agreed period: for example, if you’ve paid for two hours of temporary car insurance, you won’t be covered for a third hour
- Wear and tear: any electrical or mechanical breakdown or deterioration won’t be covered by your short-term cover
- Unattended keys, or keys left in the ignition: if your car is stolen or damaged due to keys left unattended or in the ignition, you won’t be able to make a claim
- Release from an impound: if your vehicle is impounded while driving on temporary car insurance, you won’t be able to make a claim
- Courtesy car: you likely won’t receive a courtesy car if your vehicle needs to be repaired
12 times when you might need short-term car insurance
While you might need a specific form of temporary cover, you can use a short-term policy to test a new car before making a purchase
If you only occasionally borrow your parents’ vehicle, but not enough to justify becoming a named driver, you could take out a short-term cover
If you return home for the holidays, and need to get around, you could take out a temporary policy on a friend or family member’s car
If you’ve just bought a new set of wheels, but haven’t had the time to properly compare car insurance quotes, a one-day car insurance policy can help you get home safely and legally
If you want to take a weekend trip, in the UK or in Europe, and don’t have a car, you could use temporary car insurance to borrow a friend’s
You can take it in turns with a friend driving their car on a road trip if you take out short-term car insurance
If you’re moving home, or even just furniture, and need to borrow a loved one’s larger vehicle, you could consider one-day car insurance
If your car is in the shop, but you need a replacement, temporary car insurance can help you use someone else’s vehicle
If a loved one is injured and can’t drive, you could help them get around in their own vehicle with temporary cover
If you’re learning to drive, but don’t want to take out a longer learner driver insurance policy, you could look into temporary insurance. This could be especially useful if you’re taking refresher lessons
Temporary cover can provide you with the right level of business car insurance when you need to make a work-related trip
If it’s sales season at your job, and you need to visit clients around the country, you could take out temporary business use car insurance
Who can get temporary car insurance?
When taking out temporary car insurance, both you and the vehicle you want to drive will need to meet certain eligibility criteria. This will vary from provider to provider, so there may be exceptions to the following:
The driver
As the driver, you’ll likely need:
- To be between 17/18 and 75 years old
- A full, valid UK driving licence
- A permanent address
- Permission from the car owner to drive and insure the vehicle
- A maximum of one fault claim in the last 12 months
- No more than nine penalty points, and no disqualifications, in the last 12 months
- No driving offences in the last six months to three years (depending on the offence)
- To have never been refused car insurance, or had a policy cancelled
- No unspent criminal convictions, aside from motoring offences
The vehicle
The vehicle you are looking to drive will likely need to:
- Be registered in the UK
- Be worth less than the maximum market value requirements (usually between £65,000 and £75,000)
- Have no more than eight seats, including the driver’s seat
- Not be a hire or rental vehicle
- Not be under a lease agreement of 12 months or less
- Not have any engine modifications, body kits or alloy wheels, unless fitted by the manufacturer or carried out for a disabled driver or passenger
- Not be a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), or weight over 3.5 tonnes
How much does temporary car insurance cost?
As with any other car insurance policy, the cost of temporary car cover will be informed by a range of factors. These include:
- Your chosen provider
- Whether you want hourly, daily or weekly cover
- Which optional extras you add on
- The excess you agree to pay
- The car you want to drive
- Your driving history
- Your age
- Your gender
- Your location
- How many miles you want to drive
As a bit of guidance, short-term cover specialist Veygo says its insurance can cost £7.30 for one hour, £54.50 for one week, and £176 for one month.
For comparison, RAC advertises an average hourly cost of £18.48, a daily cost of £30.26, and a weekly cost of £92.86.
Dayinsure, meanwhile, says its daily prices start from £19 a day, while weekly insurance starts from £58 a week.
How to get the cheapest temporary car insurance available
There are certain things you can do to try and bring down the cost of your temporary car insurance, including:
- Calculate exactly how long you need to be covered: if you work out exactly how long you will need insurance for, potentially even to the number of hours, you can stop yourself from paying for time you won’t use
- Avoid unnecessary add-ons: decide ahead of time whether or not you need optional extras such as breakdown cover, and avoid the upsell when purchasing your policy
- Borrow a smaller car: if you can, borrowing a smaller car in lower insurance groups can save you money on your short-term premium
- Opt for a higher excess: if you agree to pay a higher excess when you make a claim, you can reduce the cost of your premium. However, make sure you only agree to a level of excess you can realistically pay in the event of an accident
- Compare temporary car insurance: by thoroughly comparing the options available to you, you can find the cheapest temporary car insurance to suit your situation
How to compare short-term car insurance
You have two main options when comparing temporary car insurance. You can either use a price comparison website to compare the cost and coverage of a large number of policies at once.
Or, you can go to a provider’s website, and get a quote directly. That could be a larger mainstream provider, or an insurer that specialises in short-term cover.
Specialist temporary car insurance providers to look out for include:
- Veygo (part of Admiral Group)
- Tempcover
- Cuvva
- Dayinsure (also provides cover for Aviva and Halifax)
- GoShorty
- InsureDaily
- Jaunt
- Zoomcover
What details do I need to get a temporary car insurance deal?
If you want to compare temporary car insurance, or get a quote directly from a provider, you’ll need:
- Your personal details, including your current permanent address
- Details of the car you want to insure, including registration number
- Your driving history, including any claims in the last 12 months
- Length of cover you want
Temporary car insurance FAQs
The no-claims discounts of both the car owner and driver won’t be affected if a claim is made on a temporary car insurance policy. This is because it is a standalone policy that is separate from any annual policies in place.
It is also why temporary car insurance can be more appealing than adding someone as a named driver. If someone is added as a named driver, and has an accident, the no-claims bonus will be affected, unlike with short-term cover.
However, you should know you won’t usually be able to build up your no-claims bonus using temporary car insurance.
You can use temporary car insurance to tax your vehicle. Both car insurance and Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) are legal requirements when driving in the UK.
When you buy car insurance, including short-term cover, your details will be sent to the Motor Insurance Database (MID). When you go to tax your car in England, Scotland and Wales, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will check the MID to see if your vehicle is insured. In Northern Ireland, you will need a cover note or certificate of insurance to tax your car.
In theory, you can take out short-term car insurance multiple times a year. However, if you find yourself repeatedly taking out temporary car insurance, you might want to consider whether a different form of cover makes more sense financially. This could be your own annual policy, or being added as a named driver to someone else’s insurance.
It is possible to get one-day car insurance in the UK. It’s simply a form of temporary car insurance that would last for a 24-hour period. It might be of use if you need to borrow someone’s car to move house, or have a business conference to travel to and from.
Connor brings nearly a decade of expertise in personal and business finance writing to his current role at MailOnline Compare. As our personal finance specialist, he expertly guides readers through a variety of topics, including insurance, banking, energy, and loans, with an aim to simplify complex financial matters.
