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While some of our providers offer daily coverage for up to 28 days, others can provide you with cover over several months.
Depending on your personal needs, you can get:
The terms for short-term car insurance work the same way as a regular car insurance policy. The difference is that short-term car insurance aims to insure drivers for a specific time.
Policies usually last from one to 28 days, although some policies will allow you to be insured for up to 90 days. After you make your payment, your coverage can start as soon as you want and will end on your specified date.
Temporary car insurance is a good option if you only need to drive for a short while. For example, you might be:
Learning to drive
Moving home
Driving test
Going on a one-off trip
Business use
Test driving a new car
Driving a friend's car
Waiting for your main car to be repaired
To qualify for temporary motor insurance, you and your vehicle will usually need to meet the following requirements:
Be between 18 and 75 years old
Hold a valid full UK driving license for at least six months (or three months if over 25 years old)
Have a permanent address
No more than one fault claim in the past 12 months
No more than nine penalty points or any disqualifications in the past 18 months
No motoring offences in the past three years with the Conviction Offence Code prefixes DR, CD, DD, UT or DG
No motoring offences in the last six months with the Conviction Offence Code prefix IN or CU80
No unspent criminal convictions
Have never been refused insurance or had a policy cancelled
Have permission from the owner to drive the vehicle
Must be registered in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man
Have a current market value of less than £75,000
No more than eight seats (including the driver's seat)
Not a type of Heavy Goods Material (HGV)
Not a Hire or Rental vehicle, or leased under an agreement lasting 12 months or less
Not a seized vehicle or in a police compound
Is not over 3.5 Tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
Has an engine size no bigger than 3999c
No engine modifications, body kits or alloy wheels – unless fitted at manufacture, or carried out for a disabled driver or passenger
Not important from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system
A typical short term motor insurance policy will usually cover the following:
Loss, theft, fire or vandalism
Third-party liability
Personal accident
Legal expenses
Loss of value after repair
Courtesy car
Wear and tear
Unattended vehicle
Temporary breakdown cover
Temporary car insurance in Europe
Excess protection
Your chosen insurer will consider a range of other factors so they can calculate how much of a risk you represent and charge you accordingly:
Some postcodes have higher rates of theft or vandalism
Certain occupations are considered higher risk by insurers
The longer you spend on the road the more likely you are to make a claim
This includes driving convictions and previous insurance claims
Cars in higher insurance groups usually cost more to cover
A higher excess tells insurers you’re less likely to make frivolous claims
To get the cheapest quote possible on your short-term car insurance policy, you can try:
A higher excess can reduce premiums
For a short time period, you may not need additional add-ons to your policy
The shorter time you’re insured, the cheaper your premiums will be
As the name suggests, short-term car insurance is an ideal solution if you need to borrow a family car, if you want cover for a business trip, or you’re test driving a car. It could be a cheaper alternative to an annual policy, especially if you only need the car for one day, for example.
However, it's worth noting that the cost of car insurance has been rising over the last year. What does this mean for those of us looking for a short-term car insurance policy? It's worth comparing quotes and considering whether you'd be better off taking out an annual policy or being a named driver on another vehicle.
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Based on your criteria, we'll search the market to offer you the best deals for policies at competitive prices
Simply click through to your chosen provider when you're ready and get covered the same day
We're so confident that we'll find you the cheapest car insurance deal with MoneySuperMarket, that we're making a price promise to you. If you find the same car insurance policy for cheaper elsewhere, not only will we refund the difference, we'll also give you a gift card worth up to £20!4
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Keep up to date and find out all you need to know with our latest guides.
One-day car insurance is a type of short-term car insurance, which allows drivers to be covered for up to 24 hours.
It's slightly different to temporary car insurance, which can cover you for longer, usually up to 12 weeks. It should work out cheaper than taking out annual cover if you don’t need insurance for the full year and it's quick and easy to organise.
Short-term car insurance is usually more expensive than if you pay annually. That’s because you pay day by day and the excess fee can often cost more, too.
Driving a vehicle without insurance is against the law, so you will need some sort of car insurance policy if you are buying a car.
Temporary car insurance can give you short-term cover when you first buy your car – this gives you time to shop around to find an insurance provider that suits your needs.
This depends on the provider, but some offer up to 84 days if you have a full license.
If you've passed your test and have held a valid full UK licence for at least six months, you usually need to be aged between 18 and 75 to get a policy.
You can also get temporary car insurance if you're a learner driver, or aged 17 years old.
You can tax your vehicle with a temporary policy. You can either do this online via the DVLA website or at a local post office, you just need the temporary insurance documentation you’ve been sent.
Yes, and you may find it a more cost-effective option than adding business use all-year round if you only occasionally use your car for work.
Temporary car insurance can also be useful for businesses including builders, plumbers, and roofers if they want to get cover for subcontractors to drive the work van.
If you are taking your car to Europe, you can ask your insurance provider to cover you on your existing policy.
In some cases you can also get temporary cover for driving your own car, a borrowed vehicle or if you’re sharing the driving of a friend’s vehicle. Make sure you check the policy and level of cover before committing. Some providers offer the minimum cover required by law in that country, rather than fully comprehensive cover.
If you want to hire a car, you’ll need hire car insurance instead.
Now that we’ve left the EU, you have to carry a Green card to drive in Europe. Find out more about driving in Europe after Brexit.
No, if you need to claim on your short-term car insurance, it won’t affect your no-claims discount.
A short-term insurance policy is a standalone policy, so any claim for the driver will be met by the short-term policy and not the car owner’s annual insurance policy. This means that the no-claims discount of both the driver and car owner would not be affected in the event of an incident.
Yes, you can become a named driver on another policy, so you can drive a family member’s or friend’s car or lend them yours. Consider things like cover, cost and convenience to see which option is best for you.
Yes, you can get temporary car insurance on someone else's car for a short time. It can be a good option if you're car sharing for a trip or you need to borrow their car for a while. If you want to get insurance on another car, you'll need to provide:
Your name
Date of birth
Driving licence information
The make and model of the car you will be driving
The exact dates you need coverage for
You need to ensure you have the car’s legal owner’s permission for you to get insured on their vehicle. You can purchase your temporary car insurance through MoneySuperMarket’s comparison tool.
Yes. Even if a car is insured under someone else’s name, it doesn’t mean you are legally allowed to drive it. If the car is insured and you would like to drive it, you should get a temporary car insurance policy in your name.
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