Temporary car insurance

Temporary car insurance is short-term cover that can be used to borrow someone else’s car, lend your own, or get a new car home from the dealership before sorting an annual policy. It’s separate from the car owner's annual policy, and there are no deposits, interest or credit checks. You just pay up front, then you’re free to drive when your cover starts.

Unlike adding a [named driver](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/named-driver) to an existing policy, a temporary policy protects the vehicle owner's no claims bonus in case of an accident. It’s also much quicker to sort, and could be much cheaper too, depending on how often you need to drive.

Heads up, though: you won’t be able to work towards a no claims bonus from a temporary car insurance policy.

It’s completely legal. Like annual insurance, temporary policies are listed on the same [askMID](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/is-my-car-insured-check-askmid) database that the police use for their ANPR detection technology. It's all fully legit and regulated ([our FCA number is 690273](https://support.cuvva.com/en/articles/6460908-is-cuvva-legit-from-fca-and-trustpilot-to-our-customer-reviews)).

However, it’s important to understand that it is illegal to leave the car uninsured when you're not driving it. You can use temporary insurance to [borrow](https://www.cuvva.com/car-sharing/borrow-a-car) or lend a car, or as part of a ride-sharing group, but the car must be covered by an underlying policy - even if it's just parked up outside your house or in a garage in-between rides. Put simply, you can't just insure a car when you want to drive it, and leave it uninsured otherwise.

Pretty much. Cuvva’s temporary car insurance allows you to pay for your own standalone policy in your name when you borrow anyone’s car - and the car owner, whether it’s your friend, family member or colleague, won’t have to pay anything.

The car can be valued up to £60,000, unless you're a learner driver in which case it's up to £30,000. For vans, it's up to £40,000. Depending on a few different factors, you may not be able to get a quote for cars in higher insurance groups.

Lots of [modifications](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/car-modifications) are accepted, including any that aid a disability, but some aren’t.

However, be aware that temporary insurance isn't available for private hire vehicles (like taxis), rental cars, or fleet vehicles, even for personal use. This restriction extends to courtesy and most company cars.

Yes, that’s one of the biggest appeals! In under 5 minutes, you can get comprehensive short-term car insurance for hours, days, or weeks on most cars and vans. This is ideal for borrowing a vehicle, ride-sharing, or learning to drive with a provisional licence. Just remember, the policy is tied to the vehicle, not the driver - so you'll need to get a separate policy for each car you want to drive.

You can also get temporary car insurance for vehicles on finance (‘Personal Contract Plan’), or long-term leases (‘Contract Hire’), whether you're the car’s owner or just borrowing it for a while. Just don’t forget, the car can’t be left uninsured once your policy ends.

If you own a car and you're considering adding a temporary driver to your annual insurance policy, you have a couple of options. First off, you could contact your insurer and add them as a named driver. However, this process could be lengthy, might jeopardise your no claims bonus, and potentially increase future premiums. If the named driver had an accident while using your car, the claim would be associated with your policy, not theirs.

An alternative option is to have the borrowing driver buy their own short-term insurance policy. They could easily buy a separate, fully comprehensive policy in their name that starts instantly and is manageable right from their phone. Your no claims bonus would be protected and your policy wouldn’t be impacted if they have to make a claim while driving your car. 1m+ UK drivers have already taken this route with the Cuvva app.

Yes, you can get a new temporary insurance policy to drive a car to a pre-booked MOT.

When looking for a [cheaper temporary car insurance quote](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/cheaper-car-insurance), several factors play a role in [determining the price](https://support.cuvva.com/en/articles/5904197-how-does-our-pricing-work). While Cuvva considers many factors each time you request a quote, the most influential ones typically include your age, driving licence details, the [vehicle type](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/insurance-groups-explained) and its insurance group.

You’ll typically get a cheaper quote with a car in a [lower insurance group](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/top-10-popular-cheap-cars). Your location and the time also impacts the premium. Generally, the price tends to rise as the day progresses - so if you need to borrow a car to run an errand, try and do it in the morning if you want to keep the cost down.You can use the 'What affects your price?' tool located at the bottom of the quote screen in the app to gain insights into your own price fluctuations as you enter your details.

With Cuvva, you can add 24/7 breakdown cover, with nationwide roadside assistance and recovery services, to a policy from an additional £1.03 per hour. This service is available if you break down more than a mile away from your home or departure point.

To cover a car with Cuvva’s temporary insurance, you must be 19 and 70. For those under 21, you may have to have held a full licence for at least one year and have no at-fault or joint-fault accidents or claims. For Cuvva’s learner driver policies, you must be between 17 and 40 years old and have possessed your provisional driving licence for no more than 5 years.

You can buy Cuvva’s temporary car insurance policies using a GB licence in England, Scotland, or Wales, and you'll be covered for comprehensive driving in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. Our temporary insurance will also cover you to drive in the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.

It's crucial, however, that your policy starts and finishes within England, Scotland, or Wales. You also can’t extend your policy once you’re outside of England, Scotland, or Wales. So you could start a policy in Wales, travel via car ferry to Ireland and drive there for a few days, before returning to Britain before your policy ends. To steer clear of potential risks, try and build in a buffer in your coverage, like an extra day at the end of your trip.

Yes, it’s a great way to use Cuvva’s temporary insurance. Sure, if you're [buying a car](https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/buying-your-first-car), some dealerships might have their own 'demonstration' or 'trade plate' insurance for test drives, though it's wise to approach with caution. This isn't the standard, fully comprehensive insurance you're likely familiar with (for example, the type Cuvva offers on all its policies). The insurance offered by dealerships usually only protects the dealership, covering potential damages to their vehicles and certain third-party liabilities during test drives. However, if a mishap occurs, you could find gaps in coverage, particularly for personal injuries. This might leave you with unexpected costs, high excesses, or even legal disputes. Test driving a car from a private seller usually involves no insurance cover whatsoever, so you’ll need to sort your own.

For a more transparent and safer choice in both scenarios, Cuvva’s short-term cover could offer the solution. Within minutes, you can secure temporary, fully comprehensive car insurance, with a standalone policy just for the test driver. Plus, all policy details are easily accessible from the app.

You need a GB licence to use Cuvva. This means a licence from England, Wales or Scotland. This is because when you sign up to Cuvva and scan your licence, the app pulls your licence details from the DVLA’s MyLicence portal. This is a GB-only service, meaning we can’t accept licences from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. We’d like to insure different licences in the future - but we’ll have to wait for other licensing agencies to start providing online access to their licence data, first.