Temporary car insurance is just that: car insurance that only covers you for a short period of time. You might sometimes hear it called short-term car insurance, or flexible car insurance.
It’s a great option if you only need to insure yourself for a short period of time, with some policies (including Cuvva’s) lasting as little as one hour.
Temporary car insurance is usually ultra-quick to buy, too, with cover from some insurers (is it too early for another plug? 👀) beginning immediately. How handy is that!
But there are some things you need to think about before you dive in. Different insurers offer different benefits, so it’s always worth comparing temporary car insurance policies in advance. Prices and policy lengths can also vary wildly.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Taking out temporary car insurance can be a great idea if:
Can anyone get temporary car insurance?
If you can get normal car insurance, you should probably be able to get temporary car insurance. Still, there's some things to keep in mind:
Some insurers have age or licence type requirements, so make sure you check.
Others might not insure learner drivers, too, while there are often limits on the value of your car, or if your car has been modified.
It’s worth also noting that if you’re renting a van and want temporary insurance you’ll need a special van policy.
Here are some tips for comparing temporary car insurance to find the best temporary car insurance policy:
Some tips and tricks for getting cheaper temporary car insurance are:
Your temporary car insurance price depends on a huge range of factors, just like a normal car insurance premium.
Things like your age, the car you drive, and where you live can all affect the price of your premium.
To give you a bit of an idea of what you could expect, we crunched the numbers to find out the average price for insuring different cars for one hour with Cuvva.
Vehicle | Cost of 1 hour insurance |
---|---|
Ford Fiesta | £9.87 |
Ford Focus | £10.00 |
Vauxhall Corsa | £10.03 |
Toyota Yaris | £10.13 |
Volkswagen Polo | £10.24 |
Vauxhall Astra | £10.63 |
Ford Transit | £10.67 |
These days, most temporary car insurance policies are fully comprehensive. This means they cover damage to both other people’s cars and your own if you have an accident.
We’ve written a standalone guide about comprehensive car insurance and what it covers, if you'd like a little more info on this.
You might still find some third-party, fire, and theft temporary car insurance policies. These only cover damage to other people’s vehicles and property, though, not your own. It’s always worth checking exactly what your policy covers before you take it out.
Yes, sometimes. Lots of providers give you the option to add on European cover, so you’re covered to drive if you’re going away in Europe.
Some might offer breakdown cover as an add-on, too.
Is it better to get temporary car insurance or be added to someone’s policy?
When you borrow someone else’s car, you can take out temporary car insurance, or they can usually add you to their own policy as a ‘named driver’.
If you plan on regularly using their car (let's say several times a weeK), it’s maybe worth crunching the numbers to see if it's cheaper to get added to their policy.
But there are some risks for the car owner, so it might not be worth it for them. For example:
Interested in a temporary car insurance policy? It only takes a few minutes to get a quote with Cuvva.