Temporary car insurance is the ideal insurance choice for drivers looking for more flexible, cost-effective options when borrowing a car, or driving a new or different vehicle temporarily.
When you need just a few hours, days, or weeks insurance, get the cover you need for the time you want with short term car insurance.
In these unpredictable times, choose temporary car cover to get an insurance policy that’s flexible to suit your situation with no long-term contracts or commitments.
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.
Just like your usual yearly insurance policy, temporary car insurance cover gives you fully comprehensive cover, but you only pay for the time you want cover for – from just one hour, up to 28 days.
Getting a temporary car insurance quote is quick and easy. To get a quote you will need to tell us:
You may also need to provide your driving licence number.
Your policy will last from the minute you want and will end at the time you select. Once the policy has ended, it won’t automatically renew.
You will receive a reminder when the policy is due to expire so you can quickly and easily purchase more temporary car cover if you need it.
With comprehensive cover as standard on temporary car insurance from Tempcover, 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) |
| Accidental and malicious damage to your car | Additional drivers – we can only cover the driver named on the policy |
| Legal liabilities for injury or damage to another person or their property | |
| 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.
There are hundreds of reasons why temporary car insurance could be the right insurance for you.
A big No Claims Discount can take years to build. With temporary car insurance cover, you save in the long and short term.
Not sure when you’ll be driving next? Rather than declaring your vehicle as SORN and taking it off the road completely, insure your car as and 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 to declaring a vehicle SORN.
Here are just some of the everyday situations where temporary car insurance would be useful:
Because Tempcover works with a panel of insurance providers, we are able to offer temporary insurance to a wide range of drivers. There are however some requirements you must meet in order to be 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 driving licence, an EU or International 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 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 |
Please be aware that each insurer on our panel has its own eligibility criteria and so you should pay close attention to their Proposer’s Declaration.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Looking for temporary insurance for a different vehicle? Tempcover offers a range of temporary insurance products, including:
Since its inception in 2006, Tempcover has been dedicated to providing the best temporary vehicle insurance possible to hundreds of thousands of drivers.
We currently have a 5 star, 4.6/5 rating on the consumer review website TrustPilot and here’s what just some of the drivers who’ve used Tempcover before thought of our service.
Hands down the most convenient way to get hassle-free, short term motorcycle insurance! A few short questions, and then on the road! Simple! I use the app for my car and van occasionally too! Can't wait for bikes to be in there as well so it will be even easier!
DanThis is the second time I have used Tempcover.com and once again the policy could be arranged in minutes, all exceptionally easy to complete online and documents are emailed to you on completion. Whats not to like great service for short term cover.
AnonymousLove this company i use them often when test driving cars or borrowing a car, van or bike cheep reliable. doing it on line is so easy
PaulDoes exactly what you want. I needed temporary insurance it was cheap quick and easy. Nice touch with the text reminding when it was about to expire. Would definitely use again if the situation required it many thanks
Damyon
It couldn’t be simpler to get a short term insurance policy.
You can buy a policy online anytime you need it, and with our speedy quote process, you can get prices and policies in just a couple of minutes – whether you want cover for a few hours or it’s weekly car insurance you need.
Once you’ve got your temporary car insurance quote, you’re just a few quick clicks away from being covered.
We all know that comparing prices is the best way to save money and to make sure you’re getting exactly what you’re looking for at the fairest possible price.
There are countless comparison sites for annual cover, but when it comes to short term car insurance, Tempcover is the only site that compares prices from different insurers. We compare prices and policies from a panel of leading insurance providers and show you the cheapest price possible.
Get fully comprehensive cover on our standard short term policies - plus it won't affect your no claims discount
Choose the duration you want with 1-12 hour and 1-28 day cover available - don't pay for cover you don't need
Customise your policy to suit your specific situation - get the policy you want and even choose the minute you want your policy to begin
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