Temporary Car Insurance
Compare Temporary Car Insurance Quotes
Buy temporary car insurance from 1 hour to 28 days.
Compare insurance quotes from leading temporary car insurance providers including:
Why Compare Temporary Car Insurance Quotes?
Temporary car insurance prices vary widely between providers because each one calculates short-term risk differently. Comparing quotes is the fastest way to avoid overpaying for cover you only need for a few hours or days.
Some providers charge a flat daily rate regardless of your driving history. Others factor in your age, no-claims bonus, and the car’s insurance group, which can produce much cheaper quotes for experienced drivers.
Comparing car insurance quotes side by side also lets you spot differences in cover levels, excess amounts, and optional extras before you buy.
How To Compare Temporary Car Insurance Quotes
Enter the car’s registration number, choose how long you need cover, and see quotes from multiple providers in under two minutes.
Enter vehicle details
Type the registration number and your postcode. The system pulls the car’s make, model, and insurance group automatically.
Choose cover duration
Select anything from one hour to six months. Pick the shortest duration that genuinely covers your trip, because adding unnecessary days pushes the price up.
Add driver details
Licence type, years held, any claims or convictions in the last five years, and what you will use the car for.
Compare and buy
Review the quotes side by side. Check the excess amount and what is included before choosing the cheapest headline price.
How Long Does Temporary Car Insurance Last?
You can buy temporary car insurance for as little as one hour or as long as six months. Most providers offer hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly options.
Hourly cover
Hourly car insurance is designed for quick tasks like test drives or collecting a car from a seller. Policies start from around £16 for a single hour.
One day cover
One-day car insurance works well when you need to borrow a car for a full day. Expect to pay from around £20–£35 depending on the vehicle and your driving profile.
Weekend cover
Weekend car insurance covers Friday evening through to Sunday night. It is popular with university students visiting home or drivers borrowing a car for a short break.
Two-week cover
Two-week car insurance suits longer trips, house moves, or bridging the gap between annual policies. Prices typically start from around £40–£60.
Monthly cover
Monthly car insurance gives you 28–30 days of cover. If you only drive a few months a year, this can work out cheaper than paying for an annual policy you barely use.
Six-month cover
Six-month car insurance is the longest short-term option. Beyond this, an annual policy almost always offers better value.
Once your temporary policy expires, you are no longer insured. Driving without valid cover is a criminal offence that can result in a fixed penalty of £300 and six points on your licence.
When Do You Need Temporary Car Insurance?
Any time you need to drive a car you are not already insured on, temporary cover is usually the quickest and cheapest option.
Test-driving a car
Test drive insurance covers you for an hour or a day while you try out a car before buying. Private sellers are unlikely to let you test their car without proof of insurance.
Driving a new car home
Drive-away insurance lets you collect a car you have just bought and drive it home or to a garage for an MOT. You can arrange it on your phone in minutes before you pick up the keys.
Borrowing a car
If a friend or family member lends you their car, temporary cover protects both of you. Their annual policy and no-claims bonus stay untouched because your cover is a completely separate policy.
Moving home or furniture
Borrowing a van for moving day? Temporary van insurance covers you without affecting the owner’s policy. The same applies if you borrow a car to shuttle boxes and bags.
Business trips
If you occasionally use your own car for work trips, temporary business use cover can be cheaper than adding year-round business use to your annual policy.
Releasing a car from a Police compound
If your car has been seized by the police, you will need valid insurance before the pound will release it. Impounded car insurance lets you get covered quickly so you can collect the vehicle without delay.
Sharing the driving on a road trip
Going on holiday in a friend’s car? Temporary cover means you can split the driving without either of you needing to change your annual policies.
Should You Get Temporary or Annual Car Insurance?
Temporary cover makes sense for one-off trips, but if you need a car regularly it almost always works out more expensive than an annual policy.
Temporary vs annual: The cost comparison
| Duration | Typical Temp Cost | Annual Policy Equivalent |
| 1 hour | £16–£25 | £0.07/hour (£600/yr) |
| 1 day | £20–£35 | £1.64/day (£600/yr) |
| 1 week | £40–£70 | £11.54/week (£600/yr) |
| 1 month | £80–£150 | £50/month (£600/yr) |
| 3 months | £200–£400 | £150/quarter (£600/yr) |
| 6 months | £350–£600 | £300/half (£600/yr) |
The break-even point is usually around two to three months. If you expect to need a car for longer than that, get an annual quote and compare.
When a named driver is better
If you regularly borrow the same person’s car, being added as a named driver on their policy is cheaper long term. It also builds your driving record, which helps when you come to insure your own car.
When you cannot use temporary cover
Temporary insurance does not cover hire cars, rental vehicles, or any car used as a taxi or for ride-hailing. You need separate hire car insurance or private hire insurance for those.
If you are not driving at all, you do not need insurance, but the car must have a SORN and be kept off public roads.
What Does Temporary Car Insurance Cover?
Most temporary policies provide fully comprehensive cover as standard, which is the highest level of protection available.
What is included?
Damage to the car you are driving, damage to other vehicles and property, fire, theft, and personal injury. Recovery to an approved repairer after an accident is normally included too.
The cover level matches a standard fully comprehensive annual policy, but only for the duration you have selected.
Whats not included?
Wear and tear, mechanical or electrical breakdown, and damage caused by negligence. Leaving the car unlocked, with keys visible, or with valuables on display will also invalidate a claim.
Temporary insurance only covers the specific car on the policy. You cannot switch vehicles mid-policy, and each driver needs their own separate cover.
Some providers let you add breakdown cover, legal expenses cover, personal accident cover, and excess protection. Check whether these are worth the extra cost for a short-term trip.
How Much Does Temporary Car Insurance Cost?
Prices start from around £16 for one hour of cover and increase with duration. The exact cost depends on your age, driving history, and the car’s insurance group.
Typical prices by duration
| Cover Duration | Typical Price Range |
| 1 hour | £16–£25 |
| 1 day | £20–£35 |
| 2 days | £28–£50 |
| Weekend (Fri–Sun) | £30–£55 |
| 1 week | £40–£70 |
| 2 weeks | £55–£95 |
| 1 month | £80–£150 |
| 6 months | £350–£600 |
Prices are based on a 30-year-old driver with a clean licence insuring a car in insurance groups 10–20. Younger drivers, higher-group cars, and drivers with convictions will pay more.
What affects the price?
Your age is the biggest factor. Drivers under 25 pay considerably more because insurers treat short-term policies for young drivers as higher risk.
The car’s value and insurance group, your postcode, your claims history, and the voluntary excess you choose also affect the quote. Agreeing to a higher excess reduces the premium but means you pay more if you claim.
Who Can Get Temporary Car Insurance?
Most providers cover drivers aged 17 to 75 who hold a full UK driving licence or a UK provisional licence. You do not need to own the car.
Young and new drivers
Young drivers and new drivers can get temporary cover, though premiums are higher. Some providers require you to have held your licence for at least 30 days before they will quote.
Learner drivers
If you are learning to drive in a friend’s or family member’s car, temporary learner driver insurance covers you for practice sessions without affecting the car owner’s policy.
Students
Student temporary car insurance is popular during holidays when you need your parents’ car for a few days or weeks rather than all year.
Convicted drivers
Temporary cover for convicted drivers is available from specialist providers, though you will pay more. Most standard providers require no more than six penalty points and no disqualifications in the past two years.
Non-UK residents
Visitors to the UK who hold a valid driving licence from their home country can get temporary car insurance for non-UK residents. EU, EEA, and international licences are accepted by most providers.
All temporary insurance providers must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Check a provider’s FCA registration before buying if you are using a brand you have not heard of before.
Can You Use Temporary Car Insurance in Europe?
Yes. Most temporary policies include the minimum third-party cover required to drive in the EU as standard.
If you want fully comprehensive cover abroad, check with the provider before you travel. Some European temporary car insurance policies offer full cover across the EU; others limit it to third party only.
You no longer need a Green Card to drive in the EU since 2021, but you should carry your insurance documents with you.
If you are driving in Northern Ireland and crossing the border into the Republic, check that your policy covers both jurisdictions. Temporary car insurance in Northern Ireland is available from the same providers as the rest of the UK.
Can You Tax A Car With Temporary Insurance?
Yes. You can tax a vehicle using a temporary insurance policy either online through the DVLA website or at a Post Office.
When you tax online, the DVLA checks the Motor Insurance Database to confirm the car is insured. It can take up to seven days for a new temporary policy to appear on the database, so you may not be able to tax online immediately.
A Post Office will usually accept your temporary insurance certificate, which is emailed to you as soon as you buy the policy. All vehicles driven on public roads must have valid vehicle insurance and road tax.
Temporary cover also works if you need TPFT cover to drive to a pre-booked MOT, though most temporary policies default to fully comp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Within minutes. Once you complete the quote and pay, your cover documents are emailed straight away and you can be driving within five minutes.
Yes, you do not need to be the registered owner or keeper. You just need the car owner’s permission to drive it.
No, a temporary policy is completely separate from your annual cover and will not affect your no-claims bonus. However, you will need to declare any claims when renewing your annual policy.
Yes, most providers allow you to extend your cover for an additional fee. You will need to do this before the original policy expires, not after.
Cars, vans, motorhomes, campervans, and some motorbikes. The vehicle must be registered in the UK and have a valid MOT if it is over three years old.
Most temporary policies are fully comp as standard, covering damage to the car you are driving plus third-party damage, fire, and theft. Check the policy wording to confirm before you buy.
Cancellation policies vary by provider. Some offer a cooling-off period with a full refund, while others do not offer refunds once cover has started.
Not on that specific car, because being a named driver means you are already covered. Temporary insurance is for cars you are not currently insured on.
Yes, provisional licence holders can get temporary cover to practise in a friend’s or family member’s car. This is often cheaper than being added as a named driver for occasional practice sessions.
You claim through your temporary insurance provider, not the car owner’s insurer. The owner’s no-claims bonus is protected because your policy is separate, though you will need to declare the claim on future annual applications.
Yes, a temporary policy gives you the valid insurance you need to collect a seized vehicle. Take proof of insurance, the seizure notice, and valid ID to the pound.
Yes, temporary policies are underwritten by FCA-regulated insurers and meet all the same legal requirements as annual policies.
GoShorty is a specialist short-term insurance provider that arranges temporary car insurance policies through SimplyQuote. They are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
