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Temporary Car Insurance

Instant Temporary Car Cover from 1 hour up to 4 weeks

About the car you want to temporarily insure.

Vehicle Registration Logo
Don’t know the reg? Click here.

Get quotes, buy online and be on your way in less than 2 minutes!

Temporary Car Insurance

Instant Temporary Car Cover from 1 hour up to 4 weeks

About the car you want to temporarily insure.

Vehicle Registration Logo
Don’t know the reg? Click here.

Get quotes, buy online and be on your way in less than 2 minutes!

How to Quickly Get Temporary Car Insurance

1

Fill out our quick online form

2

Get an online quote & choose your options

3

Just pay online & you are instantly insured!

Short-Term Car Insurance Durations

Our temporary car insurance offering is all about providing you with flexible insurance options, so you can get behind the wheel whenever you need to. We have short-term car insurance options to suit everyone:

Hourly Car Insurance

Get insured for an hour (or more) with our hourly insurance options.

Daily Car Insurance

Insurance for a day; get covered for a full 24 hours, the weekend, or for single days at a time.

Weekly Car Insurance

Cheap temporary insurance for a full week. Get covered from one week up to four weeks at a time.

Monthly Car Insurance

Short-term car insurance by the month. Get insured for a month in a few simple steps.


What is Temporary Car Insurance?

Temporary car insurance is a fast, flexible way to get comprehensive cover on your own car or someone else’s. Whether you need to borrow a car, share the drive, get insured quickly, or cover a vehicle for business use, short-term insurance is the solution.

It avoids the hassle of being added as a named driver to someone else’s policy and protects the car owner’s no-claims discount. So, you get the cover you need without impacting anyone else’s insurance.

  • Comprehensive cover
  • 1 hour to 28 days flexible cover
  • Low Excess
  • Drivers aged 19 to 75
  • Maximum car value is £65,000
  • Protect the car owner’s No Claims Discount

MID: Please note that all our Short Term Insurance policies are submitted to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) twice a day, every day. We recommend always having a copy of your Insurance Certificate with you during the period of cover.

What Does Temporary Car Insurance Cover?

All our policies, except for impound insurance, offer comprehensive cover. Be sure to check your policy documents for specific details on what your chosen temporary insurance covers.

What’s covered may vary slightly between providers, but when purchasing a short-term car insurance policy from us, you can generally expect the following:

  • Flexible Duration – You’re covered for the exact duration you choose. For example, if you select a one-day car insurance policy, you’ll be insured for that period. If you need more time, you can easily buy a new policy for however long you need using Your GoShorty account in just 30 seconds. Very convenient!
  • Third-Party Damage – You’ll be covered if you cause damage to another vehicle or property while driving.
  • Damage to Your Vehicle – Your insured vehicle will be protected against accidental or malicious damage.
  • Theft – Your car is protected in the event of theft or damage during an attempted theft. Learn more about what to do if your car is stolen for additional guidance.
  • Fire Damage – Your vehicle will be covered in the event of fire-related damage.
  • Driving in the EU – Some of our temporary policies cover trips to the EU, provided the journey starts and ends in the UK. Typically, this cover is third-party only when outside the UK. Get full details on temporary insurance for EU travel and learn more about driving to Europe with our guides.
  • Business Class 1 Insurance – You’re covered for driving to meetings or for work purposes beyond your daily commute. Most annual policies only cover commuting, unless you have specifically opted for business cover. Find out more about temporary business car insurance and when you might need business cover for your car in our guides.

Optional Extras

While comprehensive cover offers excellent protection for the insured vehicle, there are additional options you might want to include for extra peace of mind on the road:

  • Breakdown Protection Cover – For as little as £1.49, add breakdown protection to your policy. This includes roadside assistance, local recovery, nationwide recovery, and up to £250 towards alternative transport to complete your journey if needed.
  • Excess Protect Cover – All temporary policies have a compulsory excess. This optional add-on will cover up to £500 of your excess in the event of a claim.
  • Legal Protection Cover – If you’re involved in a non-fault accident and need to take legal action to attempt to recover your uninsured losses, this extra can help cover the associated costs in some cases.

Learn more about these optional extras to customise the right policy for your needs.

Why Choose Temporary Car Insurance from GoShorty?


  • Flexible Durations – Comprehensive short-term car insurance can be purchased for one hour up to 28 days. These flexible duration options allow you to get insured for exactly how long you need. 
  • Quick and Easy to Use – You can arrange temporary car cover, any time of day 365 days a year in under two minutes. No waiting for opening hours or phone calls.
  • Instant Cover – If you need your policy to start straight away, it will. We send all your insurance documents straight to your inbox so as soon as you’ve purchased your policy, you can get on the road. 
  • We Update the MID Twice a Day, Every Day – That’s right we update the MID twice a day, every day, 365 days a year. So you don’t have to worry about MID checks
  • Trusted by thousands – We’ve provided almost one million policies – that’s a lot of drivers who’ve trusted us to provide them with comprehensive temporary car insurance, so they can get to where they need to be.
  • Wide Acceptance Criteria – our insurance panel for temporary car insurance allows us to provide quotes for 86% of users. We are determined to make car insurance more accessible with our wide acceptance criteria. Find out more about who we cover.

The Many Uses of Temporary Car Insurance

Temporary car insurance is as versatile as it is convenient. It can save you time, cut down on high insurance costs, and ensure you’re always ready to hit the road. Whether it’s a last-minute drive or a planned trip, short-term cover is a flexible solution for all kinds of driving needs.

Here are just some of the ways our short-term insurance helps our customers out:


Borrowing a Car or Van

Need to borrow a car? Temporary insurance is quick, cost-effective, and protects the owner’s no-claims discount, no need to be added as a named driver anymore.


Test Driving

Buying a car privately? You’ll need insurance for a private test drive. Temporary cover makes it quick and easy, no delays between you and your potential new wheels.


Driving a New Car Home

You’ll need insurance to drive your new car home. Temporary cover is the perfect drive-away insurance option—get instant cover and hit the road straight away.


Sharing the Drive

Not being a named driver isn’t an excuse to get out of driving on a long journey. With temporary cover, you can get insured quickly so you can safely share the drive.


Emergencies

Even in an emergency, it’s illegal to drive without insurance. If you need to drive a car you’re not insured on in an emergency, get instant temporary cover and be on your way without delays.


Driving to Meetings

All our comprehensive temporary policies include Business Class 1 insurance, meaning you’re covered for work-related journeys beyond your daily commute.

How Much Does Temporary Car Insurance Cost?

We work with a trusted panel of insurers to offer the best prices for temporary car insurance. The exact cost of your cover depends on several factors, including:

The car you’re insuring.

Your personal details (like age and address).

Your driving history.

Insurers use this information to determine the final price.

Want a rough idea of the cost? Use our temporary car insurance cost calculator to get an instant estimate.

  • Car

  • Van

  • Learner

Temporary Car Insurance Calculator

prices from

  • Hours

  • Days

  • Weeks

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£16.98

£16.98

£17.12

£16.53

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£20.44

£21.27

£30.97

£32.57

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£42.02

£45.44

£61.42

£76.64

Temporary Van Insurance Calculator

prices from

  • Hours

  • Days

  • Weeks

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£17.64

£17.64

£17.64

£17.64

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£22.54

£30.78

£35.73

£44.49

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£58.88

£68.27

£98.30

£160.61

Temporary Learner Insurance Calculator

prices from

  • Hours

  • Days

  • Weeks

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£15.01

£15.38

£16.83

£16.66

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  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£20.09

£23.24

£25.42

£32.90

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

£43.76

£51.94

£55.55

£56.46

Prices shown are based on the lowest sold prices over the period 07/22 to 07/23

Or, check the table below for an overview of where our temporary car insurance prices start from, based on different durations of cover:

Temporary Car Insurance From:
Policy DurationStarting Price
1 hourFrom £16.98
2 hoursFrom £16.98
3 hoursFrom £17.12
4 hoursFrom £16.53
1 dayFrom £20.44
2 daysFrom £21.27
3 daysFrom £30.97
4 daysFrom £32.57
1 weekFrom £42.02
2 weeksFrom £45.44

Prices shown are based on the lowest sold prices over the period 07/22 to 07/23.

For the most accurate cost, get a personalised quote for temporary cover in under two minutes.

What You Need to Get Temporary Car Insurance

It’s so easy to get quick short-term car cover with us. All you need is to provide us with:

Car Registration
Reason, duration, and start date of your cover
Name, Address, D.O.B, Occupation
Licence Details

If you’re borrowing someone else’s car, you will also need their permission.

We have a wide acceptance criteria for our temporary car insurance policies, but to avoid frustration during the quoting process, review our eligibility criteria below, and explore our Who We Cover page for more information:

What Vehicles Can be Insured with Temporary Insurance:

  • Cars and Commercial Vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes)
  • Minimum value Cars and Vans: £500* subject to age restrictions
  • Maximum value Cars: £65,000
  • Social, Domestic and Pleasure or Social, Domestic and Pleasure + Commercial use only – usage will be restricted to social domestic and pleasure purposes, which includes commuting and personal business use only
  • Foreign use is not permitted – unless driving in the EU and the insured journey starts and ends in the UK
  • Not for exporting – journeys must start and end in the UK
  • Is not imported or left-hand drive and not modified (factory fitted extras or modifications for a disabled driver or passenger, or LPG conversions are acceptable)
  • Has no more than 7 seats and is not a rental or hire vehicle (if commercial – no more than 5 seats)
  • Must not be modified. LPG conversions and Disabled Modified are acceptable
  • Have a valid MOT, or being driven to a pre-booked MOT – if your vehicle fails it’s MOT insurance won’t be valid
  • Vehicles SORN (off-road) with DVLA can be insured only if driving them to a pre-booked MOT
  • Not to be used for impounded or seized vehicles (unless specified as impound release cover)
  • Not to be used for any form of motor racing, pacemaking, track days, motor trade usage or hire and reward
  • Not for carrying hazardous goods or use at a hazardous location
  • There is no cover under this policy for vehicles which are insured, owned by, operated by, supplied by, hired or rented from any Claims, Credit hire or Accident Management Company

Driver Eligibility for Short-Term Insurance Policies:

  • Private Car – driver aged 19 to 75
  • Has a current permanent address as stated throughout this application (please note you may be asked to provide proof of residence in the event of a claim)
  • You must hold a UK licence (issued by DVLA or DVA) or an EU EEA driver’s licence
  • Has not ever been refused insurance, had a policy cancelled or voided
  • No conviction for any criminal offence or any possible prosecution pending
  • No driving ban in the last 60 months

Why We Offer Temporary Car Insurance

Phil Evans – Managing Director

“Sometimes you just need insurance for a short time, whether it’s to borrow a friend’s car, share the driving on a long journey, or cover a one-off trip. That’s why we offer temporary car insurance, giving you the flexibility to get insured for as little as one hour or up to 28 days.

Our policies are designed to be quick, simple, and hassle-free, letting you arrange comprehensive cover in minutes. Perfect for those moments when you need to get behind the wheel without the commitment of an annual policy. Drive safely, legally, and on your terms—only paying for the time you actually need.”

Temporary Car Insurance FAQs

What does temporary car insurance cover?

When you get temporary car insurance with GoShorty, you instantly get fully comprehensive car insurance. Comprehensive cover for temporary car insurance covers:

  • Loss, theft or damage
  • Accident recovery
  • Legal liability

How much does temporary car insurance cost?

Here you can see a breakdown of temporary insurance costs for some popular car models. Temporary cover is also available for other vehicles up to the value of £65,000. Get a quote for short-term insurance in under two minutes to find out how much it will cost for your car.

Car Model1 Hour1 Day1 Week
Volkswagen GolfFrom £16.98From £24.22From £49.63
Ford FiestaFrom £17.04From £24.22From £45.02
Vauxhall AstraFrom £16.98From £24.22From £47.58
Vauxhall CorsaFrom £16.98From £24.17From £43.62
Ford FocusFrom £16.98From £24.38From £45.51
Volkswagen PoloFrom £17.32From £24.22From £45.30
Audi A3From £17.98From £25.97From £53.72
BMW 3 SeriesFrom £19.04From £26.34From £60.32
BMW 1 SeriesFrom £17.25From £25.26From £48.35
Mercedes-Benz CFrom £19.07From £25.71From £72.17

Can I use temporary car insurance for my own car?

Yes, you can. If you have a car that you only use from time to time, that you store off-road, you can opt to insure your car for each journey or just on weekends, for example. If you are doing this, your car won’t be insured between policies, and you’ll need to keep it off the road and get a ‘Statutory Off Road Notification’

When is temporary insurance not suitable?

There are several instances where short term car insurance isn’t the right solution. When you hire or rent a vehicle, these will come with their own insurance or specialised hire car insurance. Temporary car insurance policies do not cover a hire or rental vehicle.
You also can’t use it if you’re using the car to make money. I.e. you can’t use it for a taxi or to transport goods.

What does temporary car insurance cost?

There are three main factors that affect how much your short term car insurance will cost:

  1. Your age
  2. The vehicle you want to cover
  3. The length of the policy

While these are the main factors, other things will come into play, too, like points on your license and any extras you want to add to your insurance.

Can I get temporary van insurance?

Yes, you can! You can get temporary van insurance through GoShorty.

Can I be added to another person’s car insurance policy?

Yes, you can, and for a long time this was your main option, but it can be costly. Temporary car insurance is a short term and affordable solution that lets you instantly get insured on someone’s car, without affecting their policy. Also, rather than being added for a long chunk of time, you can do it for short bursts, like an hour or just a couple of days.

Can I use temporary car insurance abroad?

At this time, you can’t drive abroad with our short term cover. The insurers we work with only allow you to drive within the UK.

What’s the shortest time I can insure?

You can insure a car for as little as 1 hour with GoShorty. Check out our hourly car insurance for more information.

What’s the longest time I can insure on a temporary car insurance policy?

While we specialise in short term car insurance, you can actually insure a car for up to 28 days or one month with us. Check out our monthly car insurance.

Why can’t I get temporary car insurance?

While we try our best to offer everyone the best short-term insurance quote, we can’t always promise this. Factors such as your age, how long you’ve held your licence for and the vehicle you want to insure can affect your quote. While we can’t change this, we do hope you return if your circumstances change so that we can provide you with a flexible and affordable policy.

Can I tax my car with temporary car insurance?

Yes, you can. For your car to be taxed you need a valid insurance policy and an up to date MOT. Once your temporary insurance policy is in place you will be able to tax your car. This can be done online, over the phone or via the post office.

How do I extend my insurance policy?

Extending your policy is simple, easy and quick. It takes as little as 90 seconds to get covered. So once your policy comes to an end, simply repeat the super-quick process so you can get back on the road in no time.

Not found the answer you’re looking for? Either get in touch or checkout our other FAQs

Discover the Latest News about Temporary Car Insurance

Want to learn more about short term cover? Discover if you’re eligible and take a look at our blogs to see if temporary car insurance is right for you.