Car insurance
Short Term Car Insurance
cover bought by the day, the week or the month, as a policy in its own right
A standalone motor policy bought for a short period, from about a day up to a month or so. It is usually comprehensive, it sits alongside any existing cover on the car, and a claim normally falls on it rather than the owner’s annual policy.
- A policy in its own right
- Days, weeks or a month
- Usually comprehensive cover
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerShort term car insurance is a standalone policy that runs for days or weeks rather than a year. People use it to borrow a car, drive one home after buying it, share the driving on a long trip or cover a visitor. The important part is that it stands on its own: a claim normally falls on the temporary policy rather than on the owner’s annual one. Tell us the dates and UK providers can come back with quotes.
Need cover for a whole year? See our car insurance page instead.
At a glance
Short Term Cover, in Brief
Six things that decide how short term car insurance behaves, before any of the detail.
- Bought by the day or week
- Rather than for a year
- It is a policy in its own right
- Not an add-on to somebody else’s
- The owner’s bonus is usually protected
- A claim falls on the temporary policy
- Usually comprehensive only
- Lower levels are rarely offered
- Eligibility is tighter
- Age, licence and vehicle limits apply
- It builds no bonus of its own
- Years are not accrued on it
The basics
What Is Short Term Car Insurance?
A full motor policy with a short life. The cover works the same way as an annual one while it runs; what differs is the length, the eligibility terms and where a claim lands.
Third-party cover
Injury to others and damage to their property.
Fire and theft
Included on a comprehensive policy.
Comprehensive cover
Damage to the car you are driving.
A fixed start and end
Chosen when you buy it.
Standalone status
Independent of any annual policy on the car.
Quick to arrange
Cover can usually start the same day.
How it works
How Does Short Term Car Insurance Work?
You describe the car and yourself, choose the dates, and cover runs for exactly the period you picked and then stops.
You describe the car
Registration, model and value, and whose it is.
You describe yourself
Age, licence history, claims and convictions.
You choose the period
The start time and how long you need it for.
You choose the terms
Cover level, excess and any extras.
What it covers
What Does Short Term Car Insurance Cover?
The usual motor sections, written comprehensive in most cases, running for a period you set rather than for a year.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Injury and damage to others | Core | Included throughout the period |
| Fire and theft | Comprehensive | The car you are driving |
| Accidental damage | Comprehensive | Damage to that car |
| The cover period | Fixed at purchase | It stops on the hour you chose |
| Standalone status | The point of it | Separate from the annual policy |
| Windscreen and glass | Often included | Usually with its own excess |
| Driving other cars | Rarely included | Do not assume it carries over |
It ends when it says it ends. There is no renewal notice and no grace period. When the hour you chose passes, the cover stops, so extending has to be done before rather than after.
Exclusions
What Short Term Car Insurance Does Not Include
Short term policies carry tighter eligibility than annual ones, and the limits are set before you buy rather than negotiated afterwards.
Drivers outside the age range
Both ends of it are usually limited.
Vehicles above a value or age limit
High value and older cars are often excluded.
Undeclared claims or convictions
The duty to disclose is the same as on an annual policy.
Anything after the end time
Cover stops on the hour, not at the end of the day.
Use the policy does not describe
Business use and carriage are usually excluded.
Driving while unfit
Under the influence of drink or drugs.
Reasons people buy it
When Short Term Cover Is the Right Answer
It suits a handful of specific situations rather than being a general alternative to an annual policy.
Borrowing somebody else’s car
Without touching their annual policy.
Driving a car home after buying it
From a dealer, a seller or an auction.
Sharing the driving on a long trip
A second driver for a week.
A visitor or family member
Home for a few days.
Moving house
A borrowed car or a second vehicle.
Between annual policies
A short gap to bridge.
Just passed your test? See our new driver car insurance page.
Who it suits
Who Short Term Car Insurance Suits
It suits people who need a car covered for a short, known period, and it suits them badly if the period keeps extending.
Borrowers of a family car
The commonest reason by far.
Buyers collecting a car
Cover from the forecourt.
Students home for the holidays
A few weeks at a time.
Second drivers on a long journey
Sharing the miles.
People between policies
Bridging a short gap.
Anyone avoiding a named driver change
Keeping the annual policy untouched.
Driving for a living? See our hire and reward insurance page.
Short term or named driver
Short Term Cover vs Being Added as a Named Driver
This is the real comparison, and the answer usually turns on how long you need the car and whose bonus is at risk.
| Short term policy | Named driver | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose policy responds | Your own temporary one | The owner’s annual policy |
| Whose bonus a claim hits | Neither, in the usual case | The owner’s |
| Best for | Days or a few weeks | Months or longer |
| Admin involved | Bought in minutes | A change to the annual policy |
Want the annual market instead? See our car insurance page.
Cost
What Short Term Car Insurance Is Priced On
Your details, the car, the length of cover and your claims and conviction history. We do not print average premiums.
Why the length is only part of it
A day costs less than a fortnight, but not proportionally. A short policy carries the same administration and the same underwriting as a longer one, so the first day is always the most expensive one you buy.
Why eligibility is checked first
Age, licence history and the vehicle are assessed before a price appears at all. Temporary insurers set firmer limits than annual ones, so somebody outside them will not see a quote rather than see an expensive one.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- Your detailsAge, experience and licence historyBase
- The carGroup, value and ageRate
- Length of coverHours, days or weeksRate
- When it startsImmediate cover is commonRate
- Claims and convictionsRecent yearsAdjust
Buy the period you need
Extending later costs more.
Declare everything
The duty is the same as on an annual policy.
Check the vehicle limits
Value and age both apply.
The details
The Details That Decide a Short Term Policy
Temporary cover is quick to buy and easy to get wrong. Four details come up again and again.
Check the exact start and end time
Cover runs to the hour, and there is no grace period afterwards.
Make sure you meet the age and licence terms
They are tighter than on an annual policy and they are checked.
Declare claims and convictions
The duty to give accurate information is exactly the same as on any policy.
Check the car qualifies
Value and age limits rule out more vehicles than people expect.
Quote checklist
What You Will Be Asked for a Short Term Quote
Six things shape the quote: you, the car, how long you need it, when it starts, where it is kept, and any claims or convictions.
The car
Registration, model, value and whose car it is.
The drivers
Everyone who will drive, and their licences.
Claims and convictions
Recent claims and any motoring convictions.
How it is used
Social, commuting or business, and mileage.
Where it is kept
Postcode and overnight parking.
The period
Start time and how long you need it.
Comparing
Checking Short Term Quotes Side by Side
Four areas decide whether a policy suits you: the cover, the excess, the period terms and the wider terms. The price is only one of them.
The cover
- Level of cover and courtesy car
- Windscreen cover
- Driving other cars
The excess
- Compulsory excess
- Voluntary excess
- Windscreen excess
The period terms
- Exact start and end times
- Whether it can be extended
- What happens if you need longer
Terms
- No claims bonus protection
- European driving
- Paying monthly or upfront
Check the end time, not just the end date. Cover stops on the hour you chose. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
How to Reduce the Cost of Short Term Car Insurance
The levers are buying the right period first time, the car you drive and the excess. We publish no savings figures.
Buy the right length at the start
Two short policies cost more than one.
Choose a lower group car
Insurance group has a large effect.
Choose the excess deliberately
A higher voluntary excess is a lever, worth using only at a level you could pay.
Compare against a named driver
For anything beyond a few weeks.
Declare everything up front
A refused claim costs far more.
Check the annual market too
If the need keeps recurring.
Glossary
Short Term Cover Terms Explained
The words that come up most on a temporary motor insurance schedule.
- Short term cover
- A motor policy bought for days or weeks rather than a year.
- Temporary insurance
- Another name for the same thing.
- Standalone policy
- Cover in its own right, separate from any annual policy on the car.
- Cover period
- The fixed start and end of the policy, usually set to the hour.
- Eligibility limits
- The age, licence and vehicle terms you have to meet to buy it.
- Named driver
- Somebody added to an existing annual policy instead.
- Main driver
- The person who drives the car most.
- Named driver
- Someone else allowed to drive the car under the policy.
- No claims bonus
- A discount built up through claim-free years.
- Compulsory excess
- The part of a claim the insurer sets that you pay.
- Voluntary excess
- An extra amount you choose to pay on a claim.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Compare Short Term Car Insurance with MyMoneyComparison.com?
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces drivers to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one car
Describe the car once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Short Term Car Insurance FAQs
Answers on how long you can cover, no claims bonuses, borrowed cars and eligibility.
What is short term car insurance?
A standalone motor policy that runs for a set short period, commonly from about a day up to a month or so. It works like an annual policy while it runs, then simply ends on the date and time you chose.
How long can I cover a car for?
Providers differ, but the usual range runs from an hour or a day at one end to a few weeks or a month at the other. Beyond that an annual policy or a named driver arrangement generally makes more sense.
Will a claim affect the owner’s no claims bonus?
Normally not, and that is the main reason people use it. Because the temporary policy stands in its own right, a claim falls on it rather than on the annual policy covering the car.
Can I insure a car I do not own?
Yes, and it is the commonest use. You need the owner’s permission and you will be asked whose car it is, but you do not need to be the registered keeper to hold temporary cover on it.
Does the car need its own insurance as well?
Not for you to be covered, though most cars on the road already have an annual policy. Your temporary policy covers your driving of it for the period you bought, independently of any other cover in place.
What cover level do I get?
Comprehensive, in most cases. Lower levels are rarely offered on temporary policies, which is part of why the daily cost looks higher than a daily share of an annual premium would.
Can I extend it if I need longer?
Sometimes, and sometimes you have to buy a second policy instead. Either way it has to be arranged before the first one ends, because there is no grace period once the end time passes.
Does it build a no claims bonus?
No. Years are earned on annual policies, so a run of short term cover leaves you no further forward when you come to buy a full year. That is worth weighing if you expect to need cover regularly.
Who can buy it?
Eligibility is tighter than on an annual policy. Expect limits on age at both ends, on how long you have held a licence, and on the value and age of the car. The checks happen before any price appears.
Can a learner get short term cover?
Some providers write temporary cover for provisional licence holders practising in a family car, and it is a separate product from the standard one. Check that the policy names provisional drivers rather than assuming.
Is business use covered?
Usually not as standard, and carrying goods or passengers for payment is a different class again. If the trip is for work, say so at the quote rather than after the journey.
How quickly does cover start?
Often within minutes, which is much of the appeal. You can normally choose an immediate start or set it for a time later the same day, which suits collecting a car from a dealer or a seller.
What happens at the end of the period?
The cover simply stops at the hour you selected. There is no renewal notice and no grace, so driving after that point leaves you uninsured in exactly the way driving without cover would.
Is it better than being added as a named driver?
For days or a couple of weeks, usually, because the owner’s policy and bonus are left alone. For months, a named driver addition or your own annual policy is normally the better arrangement.
Are all cars eligible?
No. Value limits, age limits and certain vehicle types are commonly excluded, and imports and high-value cars are the ones most often turned down. Check the car before planning around the cover.
How do I compare short term quotes?
Look past the headline at the exact cover period, the total excess, the eligibility terms and whether the policy can be extended. A lower figure on a shorter period is not the same offer.
Ready when you are
Get Quotes for Your Car
Tell us the car, the dates and who is driving. UK providers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
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About this page
This page explains UK short Term Car Insurance: what it covers, what it leaves out, and how the length of cover and the eligibility terms decide a claim. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK temporary motor policy summaries
- Cover periods, eligibility limits and how claims fall
- Financial Ombudsman material on motor insurance complaints
Legal & Regulatory Information:
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