Temporary car insurance

The ultimate guide to temporary car insurance

What is temporary car insurance?

Temporary car insurance is time-limited cover that’s ideal for when you need to borrow a car, pick up a new vehicle or just share a long drive. Whenever you need to use a car that you’re not already insured to drive, temporary cover is the flexible and affordable option.

How does temporary car insurance work?

Unlike your standard annual policy, temporary car insurance gives you the same level of comprehensive insurance but for a duration that works for you.

It works in the same way your usual insurance does except there are no long term contracts. Once the policy duration you choose is over, it won’t automatically renew, the policy simply expires and that’s it.

You will receive a reminder when the policy is due to expire so you can quickly and easily purchase more short term car cover if you need it.

Can I get temporary car cover?

We are confident that most drivers will be able to get a temporary car insurance policy, but there are a few restrictions.

• Are aged between 18 and 78 years old
• Are the holder of a UK or EU driving licence
• Have held your licence for at least 6 months (12 months for EU licenses)
• Are looking to insure your car which is valued between £800 and £65,000.
• The vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition with a current and valid MOT (unless you are using the insurance policy to take the vehicle to a pre-booked MOT)
• The vehicle must be taxed (unless you are using the insurance policy to obtain tax for the vehicle immediately after purchase)

There’s still a good chance we can offer you temporary car cover even if you have penalty points – although time limits and certain restrictions do apply. This is specifically for our temporary car insurance scheme; the acceptance criteria for other schemes may vary.

On the other hand, there are unfortunately some occasions when we won’t be able to offer you short term cover. These include the following circumstances:

• Where car modifications are present (except for those designed to aid disabled drivers)
• The car is Left-hand drive (though we can insure left-hand drive motorhomes and caravanettes)
• If you’re trying to recover an impounded vehicle (Try our specific impounded car insurance)
• The car has more than 8 seats in total
• The car has been hired and/or used for taxi, courier or home delivery
• The vehicle is not registered in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man
• The vehicle has been declared SORN

How much does temporary car insurance cost?

You’ll be able to find quotes for temporary car cover that range from hours up to 28 days of cover. While prices will vary depending on the driver, their driving histories and the vehicle, you can expect cover to start from as little as £8.99 for 1 hour.

Do I need insurance to borrow a friend’s car?

Yes, you will always need to be insured when you borrow a friend’s car. You will need either:

• A temporary car insurance policy
• To take out an annual policy on the borrowed vehicle
• To be added to the owner’s annual policy.

If you have your own annual policy you may be covered to drive other cars, but this is unlikely.

Benefits of temporary insurance with Tempcover

Temporary insurance is cost effective

There’s no sense in rush-buying an expensive annual policy when you could give yourself some time to assess your options thanks to short term car cover. If you’re in a rush to get the car home, this could save you money in the long run.

You only pay for what you need

With options ranging from hourly policies up to renewable 28 day cover, you only pay for the time you’ll actually use the vehicle. This saves you paying over the odds for an annual policy that you don’t even need.

Is it cheaper to add someone to your car insurance?

Almost certainly not. You’d either have to be formally added to the vehicle owner’s policy or you’d have to buy a whole years’ worth of cover for that vehicle yourself. Both these options can be very expensive and would take a lot of time and effort to arrange.

Short term cover keeps the cost of insurance down while giving you and the owner of the car the reassurance that should the worst happen, it won’t impact their annual insurance.

Protect No Claims Discount

With temporary car cover, you get complete peace of mind because if you have an accident in another person’s vehicle, it will have no impact on their No Claims Discount. This is because it’s a separate policy which sits alongside their existing annual insurance (which the vehicle owner must have). This is a relief for both parties as No Claims Discount is something that takes a long time to build and can save the owner a lot of money on their annual cover.

A No Claims Discount of 5 or more years can reduce the cost of annual insurance by up to 65%, a huge expense for any driver and even more of a blow if they were to lose it without even having been behind the wheel.

Temporary cover is flexible

Temporary policies can be designed to suit your own personal circumstances. If you only want cover to pick up the vehicle, you can get hourly policies, but if you want more time to find annual insurance, temporary cover can be used as a stopgap while this is arranged.

Getting covered is fast

Getting your own temporary policy quote from Tempcover is super quick. You can get quotes from a range of insurance providers in under two minutes and once you’ve tailored the policy to suit your needs, you can get covered instantly or at a time that suits you. This means you can arrange to pick up your new set of wheels and drive it straight home knowing that you’re protected.

When would temporary car insurance be useful?

Going on holiday at home or abroad

If you’re going away a short term holiday insurance policy is a great way to only pay for the cover you need whether you’re in the UK or need cover to drive abroad. If you’re going on a day trip or are away for much longer, we’ve got you covered.

Car sharing

Sharing a car is a great way to spread driving long distances between multiple people – save money, share the responsibility, reduce environmental impact and enjoy each other’s company. If you need car sharing cover for work or for pleasure, we can help.

Driving with convictions

Getting car insurance for drivers with convictions can be tough. Convictions can increase the cost of insurance and lots of insurers won’t even quote for it. Fortunately it’s an area we specialize in so getting cover with motoring offences to your name has never been easier.

In an emergency

A temporary insurance policy is incredibly quick to buy. Most people can get cover in less than five minutes online – ideal if you need temporary car insurance in an emergency. This is much faster and cheaper than adjusting an existing policy, meaning you can focus on what’s really important.

Business use

If you use your personal vehicle for occasional business use, a temporary business use car insurance policy might be much more cost-effective than adding business use to your annual policy. Just get short term, fully comprehensive cover for individual trips to save time and money and know you’re completely covered.

Getting a car out of the impound

Impounded vehicles are considered higher risk and many insurers won’t cover them as part of a regular policy. Even short term policies don’t usually cover impounded vehicles – short term policies are only available for a maximum of 28 days and impounded cars require a minimum of 30 days cover. That’s why you need specialist impounded vehicle insurance.

Driving away a new vehicle

If you’re one of the millions of drivers looking to buy a new car each year, the last thing you want to worry about is making sure it’s properly insured to drive home.

So, when looking for drive away insurance, you’ll want cover that’s fast, flexible and cost-effective – and with Tempcover you get all three.

Expatriates returning to the UK

If you’re no longer a UK resident and are returning to see friends or family, short term expat car insurance is the ideal solution. Just get covered for the time you’re back in the UK instead of being added as an additional driver to someone else’s insurance and being responsible for their No Claims Discount.

Importing a vehicle

Buying a car in another country can save money and reduce the cost of tax, but getting it home is another matter. Insuring vehicles outside the country can be pricier than those in the UK, so getting temporary imported car insurance will help you get your car home safe and sound at a reasonable price.

Covering young drivers

It’s widely known that insurance for young drivers aged 18-25 is more expensive than for any other age group. 18-22 year-olds are the worst affected so getting just the right policy for the minimum amount of time can help save money. We also cover young people who are:

• Learning to drive

• Students driving at university or when home for the holidays

Whenever you need less cover than a full-priced annual policy

Hourly car insurance

1 day insurance

Weekend car insurance

Weekly car insurance

Car insurance for a month

As you can see there are many reasons why temporary insurance is the best option if you want to borrow a vehicle from a friend, colleague or family member.