In the market for a new car and planning a bunch of test-drives? Heading off on a weekend road-trip with a friend and want to share the driving? Temporary car insurance could be just the ticket, giving you the short-term protection you need to drive legally and with the confidence you’ll be covered if the car is stolen or damaged. Find out when this type of cover is (and isn’t) suitable, and how to find the cheapest temporary car insurance in the UK.
Also known as short-term car insurance, temporary car insurance lets you get cover to drive a car for anything from an hour or two up to 28 days. It’s not likely to be suitable for insuring your own car, but it could be a good option if you want to get behind the wheel of someone else’s car for a short period – with their permission, of course. You can usually buy and start a policy in a matter of minutes.
You can take out a temporary policy for anything from an hour up to, typically, 28 days – though some last up to three months. If you realise you need cover for longer than you originally thought, most insurers will let you extend cover up to their maximum. If you need cover for longer than this, you’ll either need to take out more than one temporary policy, or consider whether another insurance option would work better.
It makes sense to buy a cheap temporary car insurance deal if you only want to use a car for a few hours, days or weeks. You might be:
In most cases you shouldn’t use temporary car insurance for your own car, even if it’s a second car that you drive infrequently. Even if your car spends most of its time parked on the roadside, legally it will still need constant insurance. The only exception to this rule is if you keep your car on private land (in a garage or on a private driveway) and officially declare it off the road (SORN). As soon as you drive it on UK roads, though, you’ll need to remove the SORN and take out insurance again.
It’s is also unlikely to be the right choice if you want to borrow someone else’s car on a regular basis – for example if you drive a partner’s car at least once a week. Per day, temporary car insurance is more expensive than annual cover, so if you use someone else’s car this regularly you should look at alternatives such as being added as a named driver on their policy.
And temporary car insurance usually won’t cover hire cars from rental companies. This should rarely be an issue though, as in most cases the rental package will include at least the cover you legally need.
Generally, you have to:
Every insurer will have their own rules though; some may have higher or lower age limits, for example.
Standard temporary insurance typically isn’t right for learner drivers. However, some insurers offer policies directly aimed at learner drivers, to cover them for the period up until they pass their test.
Generally, with temporary car insurance, you can only get comprehensive cover. So in most cases, there’s no option for a lower level of policy. If you do stumble upon a temporary car insurance provider that offers third party, fire and theft cover, or third party cover, then opting for one of these levels of cover could lower your costs.
It’s not a sure thing though. Somewhat counterintuitively, comprehensive cover can often be as cheap – or even cheaper – than more basic policies. Plus, third-party insurance doesn’t cover you for accidental damage to your own car, so you won’t get any financial help should you have an accident or collision that was your fault.
Given that temporary car insurance cover is usually comprehensive, it will typically include:
Temporary car insurance comes with the same exclusions as annual car insurance. For example:
As standard, even comprehensive temporary car insurance is likely to only cover you on a third-party basis for driving in Europe. If you want a higher level of cover to take a car over the Channel, you’ll need to take out European car insurance.
Your cover will also be invalid if you drive without the permission of the vehicle’s owner. And, of course, you’ll only be covered for the specific short-term period of insurance. If it looks like you might exceed this, you’ll need to extend cover or take out another policy.
Temporary car insurance is flexible and can help you save money if you need a car for a matter of hours, day or weeks. But whether it will work out the cheapest option depends how occasional your usage is.
Per day, temporary car insurance will typically cost more than an annual policy. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, a temporary policy on a car costs £20 per day and an annual policy would cost the same driver £500. If that driver were to use the car for more than 25 days, taking out an annual policy would work out cheaper.
The tipping point will, of course, vary by insurer, and also your car usage pattern. Temporary car insurance becomes cheaper per-day the longer you take out cover for. So taking out cover for 25 days in a row will be cheaper than buying insurance for just two or three days each month.
But, in general, if you expect to use a car for more than a month per year, it’s worth investigating alternatives and comparing costs.
To get a temporary car insurance quote, you’ll need the details of when you need cover to start and stop, plus most of the other information you’ll usually need to give to get any car insurance quote, including:
You can get many of the same extras on a short-term basis as would be available with an annual policy. The following are some of the most common add-ons that might be available:
As with a standard car insurance policy there are a number of factors that will affect what you pay in premiums for temporary car insurance, such as:
Temporary insurance can often be quite expensive, particularly if you’re a young driver. Other than choosing to drive a less powerful car (not always something you have much control over if you’re borrowing a car), there are a few ways you can lower your insurance premiums.
Finding the cheapest temporary car insurance really boils down to your own circumstances. Many factors will influence the cost of your premiums such as the length of time you need cover for, your age and driving history as well who the insurance provider is.
Even just a little bit of research will throw up some different deals on offer. And from these, you’ll be able to compare them to find the best. Price alone isn’t always a good indicator of the best policy as you’ll need to also check the features of the policy against what you require.
| Response | 55+ | 45-54 | 35-44 | 25-34 | 16-24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New interior | 4.43% | 7.6% | 12.71% | 25.47% | 40.78% |
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