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Temporary car insurance

1 hour 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

1 hour 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!

Get instant online cover from 1 hour to 28 days, in three quick & easy steps

1

Fill out our quick online form

2

Get an online quote & choose your options

3

Just pay online & you are instantly insured!

Temporary Car Insurance


Need temporary insurance to drive a car for an hour, a day, a week or a month? Use our quick and easy quote form to find cheap, affordable short-term car insurance.

Protect the owner’s No Claims Discount by taking out your own policy as an additional driver, and ensure you are legally and adequately insured. And with your insurance documents delivered straight to your inbox, you could be covered to drive away in minutes.

  • Fully 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

What is Temporary Car Insurance?

By taking out short term cover you are preserving any other insurance policies you have, as well as protecting the vehicle owner’s No Claims Discount.

We provide short-term cover from as little as 1 hour and up to 1 month (28 days). This affordable approach allows you to only pay for the cover you need.

Our easy to follow quote form does the hard work for you, finding you the best temporary car insurance available, allowing you to get a quote and buy cover in minutes.

Customer surveys reveal that UK motorists’ second biggest car-related concern is the cost of insurance. You could save money by using a short term policy. By taking out temporary cover car insurance, you have the flexibility to only pay for what you use, saving money.

How Much Does Temporary Car Insurance Cost?

Temporary car insurance can be a cost-effective option for both new and experienced drivers. The exact cost will vary depending on certain factors. These include:

  • Previous accidents – Even if an accident wasn’t your fault, prior claims can affect the cost of short-term car insurance. 
  • Personal details – At GoShorty, we pride ourselves on our attractive acceptance criteria, which means we’re able to insure more people. That said, your personal circumstances – i.e. your age and driving history – can still impact the cost of your cover.
  • Location – It’s a fact of life that you’re more likely to make a claim depending on where you are. Some locations are deemed to be higher risk than others, which will be taken into account when you receive your quote. 
  • Type of vehicle – Your vehicle size and model can impact your quote. Whether you drive a car or a van, vehicles with smaller engines are often cheaper to insure.
  • Car insurance excess – The amount of excess you choose to pay can impact the cost of your claim. Make sure not to select an excess over your budget.
  • Length of policy – Naturally, the longer you need cover for, the more your policy is likely to cost. 

It’s important to understand how many variables go into determining the cost of your policy. GoShorty makes all of this quick and easy for you. 

Our temporary car insurance calculator also gives you an idea of how much your policy could cost. It takes seconds to generate an estimated price.

Give it a try…

  • 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

  • 1

  • 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

Get Temporary Car Insurance by the
Hour, Day, Week & Month

Who needs Temporary Car Insurance?

There are a whole host of reasons you may need to take out a short-term insurance policy, including:


Borrowing a Car or Van

If you’re borrowing a vehicle from a friend or family for a one-off trip, then temporary insurance is perfect for you.


Occasional Driver

If you only drive a car every now and then, with one main driver already insured, then you may only need to grab short term car insurance for your journeys.


Sharing the Driving on a Long Trip

Temporary car insurance is perfect for car sharing on long road trips where you’re all taking it in turns to get behind the wheel but don’t want to risk affecting the owner’s no claims discount.


Using a Courtesy Car

Not driving your own car? Temporary cover is here to help.


Emergency Usage

When an emergency strikes and you find yourself at the wheel of someone else’s car, put your mind at ease with temporary cover.


Moving to a New House or Office

Temporary cover is perfect for short one-time journeys where you just need car insurance short term.


Young Drivers back from University or College

We have temporary student car insurance that’s perfect for students making individual trips.


Collecting or Delivering a Vehicle

While some car sellers give you drive-away insurance, many don’t. Make sure you’re covered when picking up or dropping off a car.


Test Driving a New Car

Want to try before you buy? Make sure you’ve got yourself hourly car insurance to help you avoid a sticky situation.


Learner Drivers and Young Drivers

If your kids are learning to drive, then  temporary car insurance for parents’ cars could be their ticket to practising in their own time without a hefty bill.

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What you need to buy a Temporary
Car Insurance policy

Vehicle Details

The car’s registration number, make and model for example.

Cover Requirements

When you want insurance to start and end – you can take cover from 1 hour to 28 days.

Your Information

Your name, date of birth, address and your driver’s license number, for example.

Your License Details

We will need to know what type of license you hold and for how long you’ve had it.

Are you Eligible for Temporary Car Cover?

Before you get a temporary insurance quote, you need to know that you’re eligible.

At the very least, you need a valid driving license and the vehicle owner’s permission, but there’s more to it than that. If you’re still working out whether short term car insurance is right for you, have a look at our checklist.

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

Vehicles:

  • Cars and Commercial Vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes)
  • Minimum value Cars and Vans: £1* subject to age restrictions
  • Maximum value Cars: £65,000
  • Maximum value Vans: £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
  • Vehicle must be registered in the UK
  • Foreign use is not permitted
  • 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 (if required), is NOT declared as SORN (off-road) with DVLA and has NOT been seized by the police.
  • Not to be used for impounded or seized vehicles (unless specified as impounded 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.

Drivers:

  • Private Car – driver aged 19 to 75
  • Commercial Vehicle – driver aged 21 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)
  • Has not ever been refused insurance, had a policy cancelled or voided
  • No driving ban in the last 60 months
  • No conviction for any criminal offence or any possible prosecution pending

What is Covered with Our Temporary Car Insurance?

Short-term car insurance can be just as secure as an annual policy. 

Your quote can cover:

  • Cars and commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
  • Cars and vans up to £65,000.
  • Social, domestic, pleasure and commercial journeys (subject to restrictions).

Our policies also protect whoever’s behind the wheel including:

  • Private drivers aged 19 to 75.
  • Commercial vehicle drivers aged 21 to 75.
  • Drivers with a current permanent address as stated in their application.
  • Drivers who have never been refused an insurance policy or had one cancelled or voided.
  • Drivers who have received a ban in the last 60 months.

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

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


What do our Experts Say?

Andy Moody – Founder and Managing Director

“Temporary car insurance represents a flexible, affordable and efficient option when it comes to getting covered to drive a borrowed car. With the cost of annual insurance premiums skyrocketing over the past year, we have seen a huge rise in drivers opting to get temporarily covered in order to borrow a car or car share. Reduce your annual miles, fuel and maintenance expenses, as well as lowering your carbon footprint, by choosing temporary car insurance. Whether you’re looking to split a long drive with a friend, or just require a car for a short time, GoShorty’s temporary car insurance policies allow drivers aged between 19-75 to drive whenever, wherever, while adhering to the UK’s road laws.”

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.

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