Short-term learner insurance
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Need flexible car insurance? Get short-term cover.
Short-term car insurance gives you the flexibility to only buy the cover you need:
Temporary car insurance can cover you to drive a car for as little as one hour.
So it can be ideal for things like one-off trips, driving someone else’s car in an emergency, or for collecting a new car and driving it home.
If you need cover for a bit longer, you can take out temporary cover by the day.
This can be a useful option for things like moving house or if you need to use the car for the weekend or a longer outing.
Car hire can be expensive, so it can be cheaper to get short-term cover and borrow a friend or family member’s car for a week or more.
Temporary car insurance can also be useful if you’re teaching a learner driver in your car.
Short-term car insurance covers you to legally drive a car for anything from one hour up to 28 days.
You set the duration of your policy when you take out your cover. Once that time expires, you won’t be able to drive the car on public roads anymore. If you need longer, you must ask the insurer if they can extend your cover for an additional premium.
Temporary car insurance is most suitable for covering just a few days or weeks of driving. Any longer than that and an annual policy may be cheaper and more practical.
Short-term car insurance policies are usually for fully comprehensive cover, although some providers might be able to offer quotes for third party only, or third party, fire and theft.
This is the highest level of protection.
It covers you and your car, even if an accident was your fault.
It also covers any damage you might cause to someone else’s car or property, and any personal injury claims made against you.
And it’ll cover your getting stolen, as well as any damage that might be caused by fire.
This will cover any damage you may cause to other people, their car, or their property.
But it won’t cover any damage to your car or the cost of any medical treatment you might need after an accident.
This type of policy will also cover your car if it gets stolen or damaged in a fire.
This is the minimum level of cover you’re legally required to have.
It will cover any damage you may cause to someone else, their car, or property, but you’ll have to cover the cost of any damage to your own car and any private medical treatment you might need.
This can vary between providers and will depend on the level of cover you choose, so make sure you check your policy documents. But typically you’ll find that most policies:
There are also some other things that temporary car insurance might not cover. This includes the theft or damage of any tools and business-related goods that are kept in the car.
You’re also unlikely to be covered for the cost of your car’s tyres if they get damaged, or for breakdowns that are a result of an electrical fault.
Always check your policy wording carefully to understand what protection your temporary cover will provide.
The cost of short-term car insurance will depend on a few factors, including:
To help find you quotes for temporary cover for your car, you’ll need to answer a few questions about:
Your name, address, date of birth and driving history. And information about the car you want to cover - like its make and model, for example.
Choose how long you’ll need cover for, this can be from as little as one hour up to 28 days.
You might want it to start immediately, or to arrange it for a specific time when you’ll be using the car.
There are short-term insurance policies available that include business use but not all will, so it’s always best to check.
You’ll be asked how you’ll be using the car when you get a quote, so it’s important to tell your insurer that you’ll be using it for business.
Adding business use to standard car insurance can make it more expensive. This is because insurers will assume you’re spending more time on the roads during busy periods of the day.
So, if you only need a few days of business use, it might work out cheaper to take out a temporary policy instead.
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Page last reviewed: 10 August 2023
Reviewed by Holly Thomas
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