There are various reasons why you might need temporary car insurance in this day and age when you think about it.
Perhaps you’ve been invited to attend for an interview on the other side of the country and, not wanting to rely on the dubious train services or your own unreliable car, you instead ask your friend if you can borrow theirs for the trip.
Same rules apply if you’re leaving university and returning home, and know for a fact that your rapidly ageing Renault Clio isn’t up to the trip. Nor is it spacious enough to accommodate your worldly goods AND your university mascot.
Alternatively you may have just splashed the cash on a new car and require cover to get you home from the dealer, or until the renewal date of your existing car’s policy is up.
Or maybe you’ve agreed to move an item of furniture for a friend, only to realise that the Welsh dresser doesn’t fit into the back of your Smart car after all; and therefore you need to lend your dad’s seemingly Tardis-like Volvo estate.
Bob’s tip:
“The cost of temporary car insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your age, years of No Claims and where you live. So it pays to shop around for the right level of cover for your needs.”
Of course, some people’s minds might turn to short term vehicle hire when met with scenarios like these, only hiring a vehicle is not always the cheapest option.
Otherwise known as ‘short term car insurance’, temporary car insurance is necessary for anyone looking to borrow someone else’s car for a transient period of time. By borrowing we mean having a friend, family member or work colleague offer you use of their vehicle as opposed to hiring a car from a reputable vehicle hire company, just to clarify.
The lion’s share of temporary car insurance policies are fully comprehensive in terms of standard of cover, which protects all parties to all ends rather than simply relying on third party only preservation. Another assurance from the borrower’s perspective is that in the event of an accident occurring while their car is driven by a third party, the benefactor’s no claims bonus won’t be affected according to many leading insurers. However it’s crucial that you check this with your insurer beforehand to be on the safe side.
Do I Need Temporary Car Insurance?
Yes, as it’s against the law to drive any vehicle in the UK without the appropriate insurance cover in place. Failure to comply will ultimately end in a deal of trouble, a lot of tears and probable prosecution/potential stay at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.
On an altogether serious note, the outstanding question as to WHOmight need temporary car insurance is roughly answered as someone who needs to arrange something in a relatively short space of time and who doesn’t wish to organise a more conventional 12 months motor insurance cover at short notice.
In the majority of cases adding either a car – or a driver – to an existing policy (and for short term reasons) can be painless and quick to arrange with most leading car insurance providers.
You probably WILL need temporary car insurance if you are making preparations to undertake any of the suggestions we mentioned earlier, or any of the following…
Like for example if you’re selling your car soon, readying yourself to move abroad, insuring a cherished/classic car which you only intend to insure/drive during the summer months or work away from home for long periods of time. The list is endless. If any of the above tick your box as to the very reason underpinning your decision to seek temporary car insurance then you’ll be pleased to learn that for the most part short-term vehicle insurance policies can be designed to be effective anywhere from 1 day to 3 months in total, with regular top-ups also an option with certain specialist insurance providers.
How Much Does Temporary Car Insurance Cost?
The good news is it that it doesn’t have to be too expensive to arrange up to 3 months car insurance cover, yet having said that it’s not the most competitively priced way to insure your vehicle in an ideal world. But we don’t really live in an ideal world, and sometimes have to make the best of the options we’ve got available to us.
With that in mind, if you’re only looking for a few day’s car insurance cover then temporary motor policies could end up saving you hundreds when compared to a full year policy. Typically starting in the region of £10 per day, short term vehicle insurance could potentially escalate when the insurer takes into account a host of dependent factors which could compromise their ability to deliver a notably cheap deal.
These factors rarely differ from the pre-agreement questions car insurers put to all prospective policyholders and include determining the driver’s age, the area in which you live and the make and model of vehicle.
Please note that European cover is often an optional extra should you be borrowing the vehicle with a view to driving abroad and usually incurs an average 20% surcharge on top. In the same way as conventional car insurance, those of you who unfortunately have previous motoring convictions, a history of making claims and/or points on your driving licence will find it more fraught to arrange temporary car insurance cover.
What Can I Do To Reduce The Cost of Temporary Car Insurance?
Our advice to anyone deliberating over taking out temporary car insurance for whatever reason would be to think on your feet and keep ever vigilant. Although nine times out of ten this advice manifests itself as sitting in front of a laptop or tablet and browsing the vast amount of online insurance comparison websites out there. Rather than simply settling for the first quote which comes your way.
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Then there are the differentials which require even less effort on the driver’s part, such as whether you possess a full clean driver’s licence and a decent No Claims Discount, while if the type of car you wish to be temporarily insured on is a small, fairly economic, unmodified make and model of passenger transportation (compared to the polar opposites) then this will please the short-term motor insurance provider and hopefully result in a more competitive quote.
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