Temporary Car Insurance
Temporary Car Insurance
Get temporary car insurance quotes in just 90 seconds
Get a quoteTemporary car insurance is the ideal insurance choice for drivers looking for more flexible, cost-effective options from their car insurance.
Temporary car insurance can help you get the cover you need for the time you want and is unbelievably quick and easy. We’ll compare prices from our panel of insurers and show you the cheapest price so you’re insured and the road in minutes.
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 short term car insurance work?
Short term car insurance gives you fully comprehensive car insurance for a duration that suits you. Temporary car cover is available hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly cover.
To get short term insurance, you just need to tell us a few details about the car and drive and choose when you want your cover to begin and for how long.
The details you will need:
- The car’s reg number
- Your details (name, address, D.O.B etc)
- Your licence type and how long you’ve held it
- The value of the vehicle
- Your email/phone number (to send policy documents)
- When you’d like the policy to start and end
What does temporary car insurance cover?
With comprehensive cover as standard on temporary car insurance, you’re covered for any damage to yourself, your car and/or any third parties involved in an accident.
What’s covered with short term car insurance |
What’s not covered with short term car insurance |
| Fully comprehensive insurance on policies from 1 hour to 28 days | The excess you agreed to pay |
| Accidental and malicious damage to your car | Release from an impound (unless you buy a specific temporary impounded vehicle policy) |
| Legal liabilities for injury or damage to another person or their property | Additional drivers – we can only cover the driver named on the policy |
| Driving in the UK, and in some instances driving in the EU |
Tempcover works with a panel of insurers to ensure we can provide temporary car insurance for as many drivers as possible. Because of this, full details of cover may differ depending on the insurer. Please double-check the policy wording before purchasing to confirm what is specifically covered in your policy.
Why might I need temporary car insurance?
- It’s flexible. With many of us driving less right now, get the right cover for when you’re actually driving with no long term commitments.
- It’s cost-effective. When all you need is a few days or weeks insurance, save money by only paying for what you need with short term car insurance.
- It’s fast. Getting a temporary car insurance quote is super quick. It takes just 90 seconds online or even quicker in the Tempcover app.
- No impact on No Claims Discount. Get the highest level of cover available and peace of mind that there’s no impact on existing No Claims Discount.
A big No Claims Discount can take years to build. With temporary car insurance cover, you save in the long and short term!
Handy Tip – Not sure when you’ll be driving next? Rather than declaring your vehicle as SORN, insure your car for when you need it with temporary car insurance. As long as the vehicle is taxed and on private property, short term car insurance is a great alternative.
Whether you need hourly temporary car insurance, one day temporary car insurance, temporary weekly car insurance, or monthly temporary car insurance, you get the cover you need for the time you want.
Whether you’re borrowing a car, sharing the drive for a couple of days or a weekend away and need 2 day temporary car insurance or temporary car insurance for the weekend, you can find a temporary car insurance policy to suit.
It’s designed to suit those occasions when you need some flexibility from your insurance. Students home from university can find temporary car insurance for students and even young drivers can get cover for when they actually need it with temporary car insurance for young drivers
Am I eligible for temporary car insurance?
To get temporary car insurance cover, you must |
To get temporary car insurance cover, your car must |
| Be aged 17-78 years old | Be valued between £1,500 and £65,000 |
| Hold a UK or EU driving licence | 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) |
| Have been a permanent UK resident for the last 12 months or a British expatriate | The vehicle must be taxed (unless you are using the insurance policy to obtain tax for the vehicle immediately after purchase) |
| Have no more than 7 licence points in the last 3 years | Not be modified in any way except for those designed to aid disabled drivers |
| Have not been disqualified from driving for the last 2 years | Be a right-hand drive car |
| Have had no more than 2 fault claims in the last 3 years | Have no more than 8 seats |
| Have no criminal convictions | Not be declared SORN |
| Not have had a previous policy of insurance declared void by an insurer |
Temporary car insurance FAQs
How much does temporary 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, an annual policy on the borrowed vehicle, or 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.
Can I add an additional driver to this policy?
Unfortunately, we are currently only able to provide cover for one driver per vehicle. We may offer this feature in the future, but in the meantime, if you require cover for two drivers – you will need two separate policies.
Do I instantly appear in the Motor Insurance Database?
Once you’ve purchased your temporary car insurance policy, the details of your cover will be passed to the Motor Insurance Database (MID). This process can take up to 7 days, so in some instances, your policy may have finished before the details have been added to the MID.
To ensure you have valid proof of your short term car insurance, we recommend you print or keep a copy of your Insurance Certificate on your phone as this is all the proof of insurance you need, and gives you legal entitlement to drive the car.
Can I take out insurance for my MOT?
The vehicle you wish to insure must have a valid MOT, however, you can take out temporary car cover to drive the vehicle to a pre-booked MOT appointment.
When might I need temporary car insurance?
Here are just some of the everyday situations where temporary car insurance would be useful:
- Borrowing a car
- Sharing a long drive
- Driving on holiday (the UK and abroad)
- Test driving a new car
- Driving away a new car after buying
- Car sharing for work or pleasure
- In an emergency
- For your business
- Temporary cover for young drivers
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