Temporary Car Insurance - InsureDaily

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What is Temporary Car Insurance?

Sometimes, when a situation arises and you urgently need to be able drive someone else's car and you are not currently covered under the car owner's insurance policy, you can simply take out a separate 'independent' short-term policy with InsureDaily, just to cover you on that vehicle for the short period you need cover for.

So, unlike an annual policy, you do not need to complete loads of insurance forms or questions, a policy can be arranged within a few minutes, with minimal questions to answer. The process is all online, so you don't even need to speak to an insurance company and your Certificate of Insurance is instantly emailed to you.

Policies tend to be for short periods, like a one day insurance policy, but if you need longer, you can have up to three months cover.

Temporary Car Insurance policies can be used for any number of reasons, but here are some of the most common reasons our customers purchase short-term cover:

  • To borrow someone’s car whilst yours is not available
  • To drive a new car before arranging standard car insurance
  • To test drive a car
  • To use a friend or family member’s car whilst staying with them
  • To share the driving when going on a long journey or going on holiday
  • To insure yourself between the end of one annual policy and the start of another
  • To drive a courtesy car
  • Cover a visitor with a non-UK Licence on your car

There are many other reasons you may need temporary cover, and that's why InsureDaily provide a wide range of alternative policies to be the best solution for your temporary car insurance needs.

Get Temporary Car Insurance Quote

Instant online insurance for 1 Day up to 84 days

Whatever the situation, if you need to arrange temporary cover, InsureDaily can get you on the road in minutes. Confident in the knowledge that you have the level of cover you need, exactly when you need it.

  1. 1 Day Insurance - up to 84 Days – You select your preferred cover period
  2. Comprehensive Cover – Cover for your vehicle in the event of a claim
  3. Drivers Aged 18-75 Insured – Wide scope of ages covered
  4. Learner Drivers Aged 17-30 – Cover to practise in your own or someone else's car from 1-140 days
  5. Flexible Excess – Adjust your excess to a level that you are comfortable with
  6. Impound Insurance – Release vehicle from an impound (legal minimum 30 days cover & Third Party Only)
  7. No Claims Discount - Temporary policies are independent of annual ones and won't affect your no claims bonus
  8. Free Breakdown Cover - Free breakdown cover with every temporary car insurance policy

Learner Driver Cover

We have included insurers on our panel that offer temp cover to learner drivers, both for those wanting to practise in a borrowed car, or in their own vehicle

Our insurers can offer cover to learners aged 17 to 25 if they are looking to learn in their own vehicle. This cover is available from 1 to 5 months, or, as an annual insurance policy.

For those learners that don't yet own their own vehicle our insurers can offer cover for 1 to 140 days, this cover is available to learners aged 17 to 30.

Impound Cover

Impounded car insurance can assist you in the release of an impounded car. When you produce your car documentation at the impound, you will be required to produce insurance documentation valid for a minimum of 30 days. Not all policies are acceptable, as some standard insurance policies specifically exclude use for releasing cars from impounds.

Our impound policy meets the minimum legal requirement to release your vehicle from an impound.

Comprehensive Cover

All our temporary car insurance and short term van policies offer Comprehensive cover only - except for Impound Insurance cover (which is Third Party Only). Comprehensive cover insures you for accidental damage for the vehicle you are insuring, in addition to covering claims for Third Party damage and Fire & Theft. So, with all our policies, you can relax in the knowledge that you are in a vehicle that is comprehensively covered.

Comprehensive means the following are covered:

  • Damage to the insured vehicle following an accident
  • Fire, theft, vandalism and malicious damage – if not already covered under another policy
  • £20 million of property damage to others
  • Third Party claims for damage or injury
  • Please note – there is no windscreen cover with these policies

Instant Insurance Documentation

Long gone are the days of waiting a few weeks for your certificate of insurance to arrive. Instead, we will email your documentation to you immediately. You can print, save or store them as you wish for your records.

What you will receive:

  • Certificate of Motor Insurance*
  • Your Insurance Policy Schedule*
  • Welcome email - with all our contact details, should you need assistance
  • Claims instruction – what to do and who to contact in the unfortunate event of a claim
  • Any Add-On Policy Documentation
  • Insurance Product Information Document & Policy Wording

*please read through this document on receipt to check all is in order

Licence Types

Our Insurers can cover a range of licence types, both UK and Non-UK. This means you will be able to arrange cover for friends or relatives visiting from abroad, providing they have an acceptable licence.

Licence types we can cover:

  • Full UK
  • Full EU
  • Full EEA
  • Commonwealth Countries
  • UK Provisional

Cheapest Temporary Car Insurance: Compared in Seconds - Covered in Minutes

Temporary Car Insurance is the perfect, flexible solution to the short term problems that life can give us! If you need to borrow a car, test drive a new car, or share the driving on a long journey, temporary car insurance may be the solution for you.

So whether you need cover for a day, a week, or a month, InsureDaily offers a competitive comparison of short-term car insurance providers, and it’s quick and easy to get a quote for anywhere from 1-84 days in just a few seconds.

While yearly insurance is essential for anyone who regularly drives a car, insurance companies who provide annual car insurance don’t offer the flexibility that life sometimes requires. Sharing the driving on a long journey. Moving house. Moving furniture. Driving someone else's car when yours breaks down. Temporary Car Insurance can make your life easier when you need it most.

Best of all? Temporary car insurance is a separate independent insurance policy which means that it won’t affect your No Claims Discount on your annual policy.

Whether you’re a learner driver, an experienced driver or you need van or impound cover, we have the flexible short-term insurance policy for you, whether you need it for an hour, day, week or month. It could not be simpler. Enter just a few details and we will compare the best temporary insurers for you. Getting you the best price, in just a few seconds. We believe that if you need insurance for one day it shouldn’t take a whole week to arrange.

Instant Short-Term Insurance Cover

Temporary Car Insurance can provide the solution to cover your insurance needs, which allows for comprehensive cover on a short term basis. You pay for however long you need the insurance rather than buying an annual policy. Easy.

The beauty of it is that it takes seconds to get a quote and minutes to get covered, unlike regular annual insurance which can take ages on the phone to multiple companies, to have loads of questions to answer, only to get a really expensive quote at the end of it and having to go through the whole process again with a different company.

Whereas with temporary car insurance and InsureDaily in particular, we compare a range of short-term car insurance providers so you can get a quote in seconds to get instant cover online, whenever you need it. So if you’re a passenger in a friend’s car and decide you want to share the driving, or suddenly need to borrow your partner’s car as yours has broken down, you can get cover instantly. Convenient and sorted immediately, all online. With your documents emailed to you immediately, and the cover starting the minute you want it to. It really is insurance, when you want it, for however long you need it, and completed in just a few minutes.

A few simple questions is all you need to answer to get a quote on temporary car insurance

Can I get One Day Car Insurance?

Yes, cover for one day insurance, or daily car insurance cover, is available online from our website. The beauty of temporary car insurance is that the length of the policy and the start time is totally up to you. If you want the policy to start 5 minutes from now and to last 1 day, you can do this, and the price will be reflective of how long the period you choose is.

Alternatively, if you know you’re going to want to borrow a mate’s car for a month after selling your own car, you can buy the cover today for it to start next weekend for you to be covered for 28 days. With InsureDaily you can get temporary car insurance for anywhere between 1 day and 84 days, so you can be covered for however long you need, whenever you need it.

So, if you need one day insurance, one week insurance, monthly insurance, or even just hourly car insurance, temporary car insurance could be the easiest and cheapest solution for you.

What is the Average Cost for 1 Day Temporary Car Insurance?

1 Day Car Insurance is the most popular length for temporary car insurance policies, and this one day short term cover starts from £13. The cost for 1 day insurance depends a lot on your vehicle and your personal details, as the value of your car, your age and your location are some of the most important factors that determine the price of your 1 day car insurance. In this table below you can see some examples of how your car group can affect the price of your day insurance, and the lower the car group, the cheaper your insurance will generally be. If you are not sure what car group your vehicle is, you can use a car insurance group checker or you can get a temporary car insurance quote and we will check that for you.

Car Group Ranges

Price Range From*:

 Car Group 1-10  £13
 Car Group 11-20  £17
 Car Group 21-30  £21
 Car Group 31-40  £25
 Car Group 41-50  £33

*These prices are here to give an idea of the difference in prices between the car groups, but remember that other factors such as your driving history, age and location will all influence the price for your insurance. Also, there can be a large variance between different ranges of the car groups, whilst we have put them into groupings for ease of comparison. For example, a car in group 39 will likely be more expensive than a car in group 31. To find out how much your 1 day car insurance would cost for your car you can get a temporary car insurance quote here in just a few seconds.

How to Calculate Average Price for 2 Days Car Insurance?

Similarly to 1 days car insurance, the price of 2 days car insurance is a calculation involving the risk of your insurance, taking into account the details of your vehicle, your age and location. 2 Days Car Insurance is a type of short term car insurance that is available for when you need 2 Days of Temporary Car Insurance. The price for 2 Days Car Insurance starts from around £20 but can vary a lot depending on your other personal and vehicle details. The easiest way for you to get an idea of how much 2 days car insurance would cost you is to get a quote.

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How do I get a Quote?

Most short-term car insurance providers are online-based, and it can be really easy to get a quote in seconds and be covered in only a few minutes. So you don’t need to worry about being on hold for hours waiting for your annual insurer to pick up the phone. You can be covered and on the road in minutes. To get a quick quote. you'll need the following details:

  • Personal Details - Name, Address, Date of Birth
  • Your Driving History - How long you've held your licence
  • Vehicle Details - Registration

These are the only details you'll need to get a quote, and it should only take seconds to fill these in and get an instant online quote, so you can see how much it will cost before filling in any further details. In order to purchase the insurance you will need extra details such as your driving licence number, in order to prove you have a full valid UK driving licence.

Am I eligible for Temporary Car Insurance?

Temporary Car insurance is available for lots of people, but there are a few limitations. The easiest way to find out is to run through a quote online, but you can also check the acceptance criteria instead.

The restrictions mostly include minimum periods for licence held, minimum age, vehicle types and ages, areas, licence points and restrictions, vehicle values and modifications, the purpose of driving the vehicle, and where the vehicle is being driven. There are more limitations depending on what insurer and product you go with, so make sure to check out the full acceptance criteria before taking out any temporary car insurance policy.

Am I already insured to drive other people's cars?

Often annual insurance policies allow you to drive other cars, but there are a lot of limitations and risks involved with this. They only cover you on a third party basis, and this means that the car you’re borrowing won’t actually be covered in the event that you do have a claim.

If you’re borrowing someone else’s car, the last thing you want is to not be fully covered on a comprehensive basis, and for that reason temporary car insurance that includes comprehensive cover can provide far more peace of mind for both the driver and the car owner!

Temporary Van Insurance

We offer cover for both temporary van insurance and flexible short-term car insurance. Just enter the vehicle registration and our quote system will identify the vehicle and know if it is a van or car. If you do not know the vehicle registration yet, you can get a quote based on the vehicle Make and Model, but we will require the vehicle registration in order to purchase cover.

If you want to find out more about our temporary van insurance policies, you can read more about them on our dedicated page where we answer all your van related queries.

Need Some Assistance?

Although our Temporary Car Insurance service is mainly based online and is fairly self-explanatory, if you do need some assistance, we have a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section and we offer a ‘LiveChat’ service during office hours on the website, where you can ask any questions you have. We have a Customer Service Team who will do their best to help.

Authorised Insurance Brokers

InsureDaily is a brand name of Ramasis Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduit Authority (FCA) – you can find Ramasis Ltd on the FCA Register here. All the insurance companies we use are also authorised and regulated by the FCA.

We are also members of BIBA – British Insurance Brokers Association.

Why Would I Need Temporary Car Insurance?

As more and more people become aware that the option of a temporary policy is available, you can start to see the main reasons people chose this option and the advantages it offers.

Temporary Insurance cover for you to borrow someone else’s car

  1. If you do not have your own car or you may prefer to use a friend or relative’s larger or better car for a journey, or a week away, this is the perfect solution.
  2. Advantage: this policy is a separate, independent policy, so this takes away the risk of effecting the owner’s own insurance policy.

Buying A Car or Van

  1. Sometimes you may not be certain that you are going to buy a vehicle before viewing it – so buying temporary cover online might be the perfect solution. Our mobile version of our website allows you to purchase temp cover from your smart phone – it is recommended to run through a quote and ‘test’ purchase (enter all your details as if going through the purchase process up to payment) beforehand, just to make sure we have an insurer who can cover the vehicle and the risk
  2. Advantage: if you like the vehicle, you can buy it and drive it home (provided all the other legal requirements like MOT, Tax, are in order) – buying temporary cover for a couple of days allows you the time to do your research on finding an annual policy – or perhaps you need extra cover whilst selling your previous vehicle.

Share the Driving on holiday or a long journey – cover a temporary driver

Many annual policy have cover for the ‘Insured Only’, so that person ends up doing all the driving all year round. If you have a long journey or a driving holiday, you may want a break from being the only driver. Simply cover an extra driver for a week.

Advantage: it is safer to share the driving, to avoid the main driver becoming tired – and after all, they need a holiday too.

'Driving Other Cars' on an annual policy only offers Third Party Only cover

When driving someone else’s car, some people really on the 'Driving Other Cars' extension from their own insurance policy as a form of cover. Not everyone is fully aware of the limits to the ‘Driving Other Cars’ extension. It purely covers the ‘Third Party Only’ – so, there is no cover for the vehicle being driven, just cover for the damage done to any that party that the driver has an accident with. Also, to clarify, the ‘Driving Other Cars’ extension only offers cover to the policyholder of the annual policy, not any named drivers covered under that policy.

Advantage: When you consider the limitations of that cover, you can see why taking out flexible short-term cover that offers fully Comprehensive cover on the vehicle being driven is well worthwhile. You potentially could end up with a large expense for the damage done to the borrowed vehicle.

Insure Daily Offer

Excess Protect

Cover for the reimbursement of the policy excess you have paid when you have made a claim on your motor insurance policy and whilst driving in the UK only.

This is an optional Add-on product for both cars and vans and can only be purchased at the same time as the actual motor insurance policy.

Full details of the specific terms and conditions for Excess Protect insurance are detailed on each individual Website where cover is available.

Motor Uninsured Loss Recovery Service

Expert advice & help will be available in the event of a non-fault accident and you have an uninsured loss to claim back from the third party. See the individual Website of the selected product for further details. Below are some of the items that would be covered under this;

  • Loss of Use
  • Replacement Vehicle Costs
  • Out of Pocket Expenses
  • Personal Injury Compensation
  • Loss of Earnings
  • Damage to Personal Effects
  • Vehicle Repair Costs

Remember, the success of any claim is dependent on proving the third party was at fault.

Motor Breakdown Cover

The standard InsureDaily day policies include Free Roadside Assistance / Breakdown coverYour vehicle will be covered for call-out charges and up to 1 hour's labour at the scene of your breakdown where your vehicle is rendered immobilised due to electrical or mechanical faults within the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands and Scottish Islands.

Short Term Van Insurance

There are a number of reasons why you might need to insure a van for a single day or a week. Our comparison site has a selection of insurers offering temporary van insurance cover from 1-28 days.

This can be very helpful for when you are moving home or need to borrow a larger vehicle for a short period.

Additional Driver Cover

Sometimes, you may need to insure more than one temporary additional driver for the period of cover. Our comparison site has options available for this situation.

Temporary Car Insurance for Learner Drivers

Learner Driver Insurance is a useful product for learners who want to gain some extra practice in a parent’s or friend’s car in addition to taking driving lessons with an DVSA approved instructor – or sometimes have all their lessons with a parent.

With the average learning period of several months, it works out more efficient to purchase short term learner driver insurance as a separate policy.

Not only is it cost efficient – it also prevents any accidents affecting the bonus of the main policy held by the car owner. With this type of cover, it is imperative that the car is already insured by the owner and that policy is running for the full period of the temporary learner cover; as this is purely ‘top-up’ cover. You can read our dedicated learners page to find out all about our learner driver insurance where we answer any other questions you may have.

Impounded Car & Van Insurance

We are now able to offer you a solution in retrieving a seized car or van under S165A of the Road Traffic Act from a police pound providing immediate 30 day third party insurance. Instant cover is available for the legal owner of the vehicle ONLY holding a full UK, EU, EEA or Swiss driving licence for 12 months or more. You can find out more on our dedicated page for impounded car insurance

Test Driving A Car?

If you are buying a car, you may wish to Test Drive this first. We realise that most people would like test drive insurance at short notice that can be arranged quickly – without the need for complicated forms – but still providing Comprehensive cover.

Short Term Car insurance is the answer and can be purchased in minutes. You can also check out our dedicated page for Test Drive Insurance if you want to find out more

Drive Away Cover

Sometimes, when purchasing a new vehicle, you may need to arrange instant temporary insurance in order to drive home – this Drive Away cover can be purchased online using a PC, Tablet or Smartphone.

This short term cover can be helpful to cover the gap between buying the vehicle and getting insurance arranged on a more permanent basis.

Courtesy Car Cover

If a garage supplies you with a courtesy vehicle, but without providing the insurance cover, some of our products will be able to cover this for you. See individual product websites for confirmation.

European Cover

If you are looking to extend your temporary comprehensive insurance cover whilst driving within the European Union, our comparison site has insurance policies that can provide you with this extra cover.

The vehicle must normally be based in the UK and have valid Road Tax throughout the journey. Your trip must be of a 'temporary' nature and it has to start and end in the UK. The European Cover extension involves an additional premium payable from the standard basic cover.

Full details of the specific terms for European Cover offered are detailed on each individual Website if the option is available.

UK/ EU/ EEA/ Commonwealth Licences

We have policies that can offer cover for drivers with a full UK, EU, EEA or certain Commonwealth licences - held for the past 12 months. Check with each individual insurer's Website for further details. You can also check for further details on our dedicated page for non-uk licences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Temporary Car Insurance?

Temporary Car Insurance is there for when you only need car insurance for a short-term period and allows you to pay for how long you need that cover for. So, if you need to drive a different vehicle for a day, a week, or a month this could be a cheaper and easier alternative to annual insurance for you.

Do I need Temporary Car Insurance?

If you need to drive a car for a short period of time, on a vehicle that you are not insured to drive, for any number of reasons, then temporary car insurance may well be the best solution for you, rather than taking out an annual policy that you don't need.

How do I get Temporary Car Insurance?

Most short-term car insurance providers are online-based, and it can be really easy to get a quote in seconds and be covered in only a few minutes.

Can I Get One Day Car Insurance?

One Day Car Insurance One day policies are the most popular and frequently used short-term policies due to the convenience and demand for being able to drive a different car to normal for one day, whether it’s to go on holiday, visit a relative or go to work whilst your car is in the garage, these are by far the most common policies and we compare one day car insurance providers to make sure you get the best price.

Can I get temporary Van Insurance?

You can get temporary van insurance for anywhere between 1-28 days, and getting a quote and getting cover is just as easy as for a car. So, whether you need short-term cover on a van while you’re moving house or just to use whilst your van is being repaired, you can get a quote in seconds here.

Can I get Temporary Learner Driver Insurance?

You can get temporary insurance if you’re learning to drive too. This can be helpful in learning to drive quicker whilst also saving money on lessons. You can get learner insurance from anywhere between 1 day and 1 year, so whether you just want to practice for an afternoon or you want to learn in your own car or a borrowed car for a year, you can get the right insurance for you here.

Does temporary car insurance show on MID?

It can take up to 7 working days for temporary insurance to show on MID which with short-term policies can mean the policy will have expired before it shows on MID. However, just because your cover does not show on MID yet does not mean you are not insured. The best way to know if and when your car is insured is to check your documents after you have purchased insurance and to keep a copy of these on you or make sure you have access to them on your email.

Why is temporary car insurance so expensive?

Temporary car insurance can be expensive depending on your circumstances. For insurers, the risk for insuring for 1 day and 1 year can be the same, so sometimes it can be more expensive than you might expect for short term policies. However, at InsureDaily we strive to offer the best, cheapest temporary car insurance on the market.

Is temporary insurance better than adding someone to my annual policy?

You could add someone to your annual policy on a short term basis with most insurance policies, however doing so can affect the price of your annual cover and would affect your NCB on that policy, so the better option and usually cheaper option is often to take out a separate temporary insurance policy.

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