Temporary car insurance lets you get comprehensive cover from one hour to 28 days - without affecting any existing annual policy.
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Temporary insurance for cars gives you quick and easy short term cover for driving a car.
Ideal for borrowing someone else's car, insuring a vehicle you've just bought, covering a second car, or any short-term driving situation where a full annual policy isn't practical.
Whether it's your own or a car that belongs to a friend or family member, you can get insured quickly for the exact amount of time you need.
It can start immediately after you've paid or a chosen point within 30 days.
Our temporary cover for a car is comprehensive so it will cover you, the car you're driving, as well as other people and other vehicles.
Short term car insurance can be seriously handy for lots of different situations such as:
Short-term cover makes sense in more situations than most drivers realise.
Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover is not standard and is often restricted or unavailable, especially for drivers under 25. A short-term policy provides comprehensive cover in your own name on the specific car - without risking the owner's No Claims Discount or affecting their annual policy. For a single-day arrangement, one day car insurance gives 24 hours of comprehensive cover from a start time you choose.
Temporary insurance lets you drive a newly purchased car home, or test drive a private sale vehicle, before you have arranged annual cover. It gives you comprehensive protection from the moment you take the wheel.
If you use another vehicle only from time to time, temporary cover is often more practical than maintaining a second annual policy or adding it to an existing one. Pay only for the days you actually need it.
When sharing a longer journey, each driver can take out their own temporary policy on the same vehicle. Because each policy is independent, a claim by one driver has no effect on the other's cover or no-claims record. This also covers work-related travel where more than one person needs to drive.
Temporary insurance can be arranged quickly, making it suitable for unexpected situations where you need to get on the road straight away - for example, collecting a vehicle at short notice or covering a car that is suddenly without insurance.
Not all temporary car insurance policies are the same. A few details are worth confirming before you commit.
Policies specify what type of driving is covered. You must select the correct class when buying - using your vehicle for a purpose not covered could invalidate your insurance.
The excess is the amount you contribute if you make a claim. With temporary insurance the compulsory excess is set by the insurer and cannot be adjusted. Some providers also offer a voluntary excess option. Check the total excess before buying so you know what you would pay in the event of a claim.
All UK insurance policies include Insurance Premium Tax (IPT), a government levy on insurance premiums. The price shown at the quote stage is the total price including IPT - there are no additional taxes to pay on top.
Before buying any temporary car insurance policy, check that the provider is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can verify any UK insurer or broker on the FCA register. Some sites mimic comparison platforms without offering genuine coverage - always verify before entering payment details.
The honest answer is that it depends, which is exactly why a quote is worth getting rather than guessing from a headline price. What you pay is driven mainly by four things: your age and driving experience, what car you're covering, where you live, and how long you need the cover for. Two people in fairly similar circumstances can still land on noticeably different quotes, so the figures below reflect what customers actually paid, not a promise of what you'll pay.
Looking at Covertime policies sold between January and June 2026, 25% of customers buying hourly cover paid less than £14.39. For a single day of cover, 25% paid less than £20.96. For two days, it was £31.19, and for three days, £35.57. Customers covering four to six days saw 25% pay less than £45.98, and for a full week, 25% paid less than £67.62.
25% of Covertime's one-day customers in the first half of 2026 paid less than £20.96 for their cover, though where you land depends entirely on your own circumstances.
None of this tells you what you specifically will pay. Your age and experience, your car, your postcode and your exact dates all move the price, sometimes by a fair amount. The only way to find out is to run your own details through a quote.
If you need cover on a rolling basis, daily car insurance lets you pay per day for however many days you need.
If you drive occasionally rather than daily, pay as you go car insurance means you only pay for the days you actually use the car.
Between a week and a month, two week car insurance covers a fortnight - useful for extended trips or bridging between annual policies.
We're specialists in short-term car insurance, built by people who've spent decades in the industry.
We're specialists in short term car insurance...
We may be relatively new in the temporary insurance market but we're absolute specialists in providing short term car insurance in the UK. All our team have been working in the insurance industry for decades, with most of us working for temporary insurance providers for 20 years!
We decided to start a new and fresh temporary insurance provider and do everything in the best way possible.
Our previous temporary insurance experience has shown us how to do things the right way and of course, something we learnt are the wrong way, so that's what Covertime is here to sort out!
When it comes to our temporary insurance with Covertime, you can choose exactly the right amount of time you want to insure the car for. You'll be able to set up short term cover on a car you own or don't own, in just a matter of minutes.
You can get a quote in less than 60 seconds, we took out all of the unnecessary questions and made it almost effortless to get a short term car insurance quote with us!
We don't have a huge call centre with long wait times to get through; instead we opted to make it so easy to deal with us, that you can fully get your temporary insurance cover online in no time!
If you are stuck and have some temporary car insurance questions, then we are available on live chat. If you decide that you really must speak to us, then we will happily give you a call if you request it.
We're proud to be offering UK drivers one of the quickest and easiest methods of insuring a car; we put our customers interests at the heart of everything we do. You've just found your favourite temporary insurance company.
The golden rule to getting cheap short term cover is: Only buy the cover for the time you need.
The beauty of temporary cover is that you can insure yourself at the exact time you need to start driving and set it to end when you need it to.
By only insuring yourself on the car for the time you need to drive it, you can keep your short term car cover costs to a minimum.
Choose from as little as one hour all the way up to 28 days. If you need more time after one policy ends, then you can take out new temporary car policies.
We cover a huge variety of cars on temporary insurance up to a maximum value of £65,000. Just enter the registration of the car and a few details about you, and we'll look up the rest.
The UK's most popular family car shape: nimble, fuel-efficient and easy to park. Perfect for everyday driving and short-term cover.
Examples: Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, MINI Cooper
Classic three-box silhouette with a separate boot. A great choice for longer drives, business use or when you need extra cargo space.
Examples: BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volkswagen Passat, Vauxhall Insignia, Skoda Superb
Saloon footprint with the extended rear of an SUV, with huge boot space and none of the extra height. Brilliant for family trips, dog walks and weekend escapes.
Examples: Volvo V60, BMW 3 Series Touring, Skoda Octavia Estate, Audi A4 Avant, Volkswagen Passat Estate
Tall, roomy and practical, with raised seating for great visibility. Plenty of space for family, kit and longer journeys.
Examples: Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, BMW X5, Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90
A hatchback's footprint with the higher driving position of an SUV. Compact enough for the city, comfortable enough for the motorway.
Examples: Ford Puma, Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008, VW T-Roc, SEAT Arona
Sometimes called a people carrier. Flexible seating and big interior space make this the go-to for bigger families and long trips.
Examples: Citroën Berlingo, Ford Galaxy, Volkswagen Touran, SEAT Alhambra, Renault Scenic, Peugeot Rifter
Drop the roof and enjoy the rare British sunshine. Stylish, sociable and made for top-down weekends.
Examples: Mazda MX-5, BMW Z4, Audi A5 Cabriolet, MINI Convertible, Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet, Fiat 500C
Two doors, sloping roofline and a sportier stance. A more driver-focused take on the saloon or hatchback.
Examples: Audi TT, BMW 2 Series Coupe, Mercedes CLA Coupe, Toyota GR86, Ford Mustang, Porsche Cayman
Built for performance, handling and the joy of driving. Quick acceleration, tight cornering and standout looks.
Examples: Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type, Nissan GT-R, Aston Martin Vantage, Lotus Emira, BMW M4
Rugged, capable and built for rough terrain, with proper four-wheel drive and high ground clearance. Equally at home on a country lane.
Examples: Land Rover Defender, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser, Suzuki Jimny, Mercedes G-Class, Mitsubishi Shogun
Tiny, nippy and a dream to park. Designed for urban traffic, narrow streets and standout fuel economy.
Examples: Fiat 500, Toyota Aygo X, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Volkswagen Up!, Citroën C1
Fully electric cars across nearly every body shape, from city runabouts to family SUVs. Zero tailpipe emissions and instant torque.
Examples: Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6, MG4, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq 5, BMW i4, Polestar 2
Whatever you drive, just pop your registration plate into our site and we'll get your temporary insurance quote in seconds — and have you covered in minutes.
When you take out your annual car insurance policy you will usually select one of three levels of cover.
Either Comprehensive, Third-Party Fire & Theft (can be referred to as TPFT) and then the lowest level of cover that allows you to drive legally on UK roads, Third Party Only (sometimes referred to as TPO).
Third Party basically means people other than yourself, so if you have Third Party Only cover your insurance will only cover other people's vehicles, injury and property, not your own.
TPFT will be the same as TPO but also covers your vehicle for fires and theft.
Comprehensive is the higher level of cover of the three and covers you, your vehicle and the levels included in TPFT and TPO.
When you take out temporary insurance with Covertime, we only offer Comprehensive cover.
The Cambridge Dictionary states that the definition of the word comprehensive is 'complete and including everything that is necessary' which is why it's used in insurance terminology.
It covers you in the most complete way of all the three main levels of cover.
Seven days of cover is available as weekly car insurance - useful for borrowing a car for a week or bridging between annual policies.
For exactly 24 hours of cover, 24 hour car insurance provides comprehensive protection from the precise minute you choose.
All Covertime temporary policies include comprehensive cover - comprehensive temporary car insurance explains in detail what that protection includes.
Because a Covertime policy is a separate contract in your name, any claim you make on it does not affect the no-claims discount (NCD) on the car owner's annual policy. The car owner's insurer never becomes involved. This is one of the main reasons temporary cover is preferable to being added to a friend's or family member's annual policy for a short period - their NCD stays intact regardless of what happens while you are driving.
Getting temp insurance really couldn't be easier. With Covertime's simple quote process, you can get insured and on the road in just a few simple steps.
Pop in the car's registration and a few details about yourself
Choose how long you need cover for, from one hour to 28 days
Get your online quote, choose how to pay, and you're off!
Many drivers assume comprehensive insurance lets them drive any car, but this is often not the case. Whether you need temporary car insurance depends on your existing cover and how long you need to use the vehicle.
When buying insurance online, always check you're using a legitimate provider. Read our guide on ghost broking and how to spot fake insurance websites to protect yourself.
Some comprehensive policies include Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover, but it is not guaranteed and is becoming less common. Where DOC does apply, cover is usually Third Party Only, meaning damage to the car you’re driving is not covered. Drivers under 25 are often excluded entirely, so it’s important to check your policy carefully.
You may be added as a named driver to someone else’s policy, but any claim you make could affect the main driver’s No Claims Discount and increase their premium at renewal.
You may be added as a named driver to someone else’s policy, but any claim you make could affect the main driver’s No Claims Discount and increase their premium at renewal.
Once you buy a car privately, drive away insurance covers the journey home before a full annual policy is in place.
Pay securely and easily
Pick the exact window you need, whether it's a quick airport drop, a weekend away or a 4-week project.
Cover is in your own name, so claims won't touch the car owner's No Claims Discount.
Comprehensive protection. No third-party-only compromises.
Pop in the reg, a few details and your dates, and you'll be on the road in minutes.
Can you use temporary insurance cover for commuting?
Temporary insurance can be used to commute.
The definition of commuting for insurance purposes, means travelling to or from a single or permanent place of work, for either all or part of the journey i.e. driving to a train station as part of the commute.
If you have a job where you must travel to more than one single place of work, then you will need what is referred to as 'Business Use'.
Can you use temporary insurance for Business Use?
Unfortunately, you cannot use temporary insurance for Business Use purposes for your car.
The definition of Business Use is driving / commuting to multiple locations, such as visiting clients or prospects. It's again different to 'Commercial Use'.
Can you use temporary insurance on a car for Commercial Use?
You cannot use temporary insurance for Commercial Use on a car.
Commercial Use means using your car for transporting goods or people for what is referred to as 'Hire or Reward' which basically means when you're being paid for it, i.e. as a job / source of income.
Can I use temporary insurance cover in Europe?
Yes, you can use temporary insurance when driving your car in Europe, but you must start and end the journey in the vehicle in the UK.
Our temporary insurance is comprehensive but when you drive in Europe it will revert to the minimum level of cover required in that country.
Check what the minimum level of cover is in the country you’re travelling to / driving in, and whatever that is, is what the policy will provide.
As a general rule of thumb, the minimum level of cover required in most European countries is Third Party Only.
You must also double check the country you are travelling to is covered in your policy booklet.
You can view our IPID on our quote page before you purchase a policy which shows the country exclusions and inclusions.
You can view our Policy Wording on our declaration page before purchasing a policy, where you can read the full terms and conditions of the policy.
When using a reputable and reliable temporary insurance provider such as Covertime you can be safe in the knowledge that you are properly insured.
We use a trustworthy panel of insurers, who are experienced in providing short term insurance to UK drivers.
Simply check your policy confirmation email that we send over to you and refer to the documentation contained within it for further info.
You can also look at the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is the UK's official provider of insured vehicle data.
Due to the fast nature of temporary insurance, your policy may begin before your insurance is showing on the MID. As long as you have access to your Certificate, you are covered and safe to drive.
For a full breakdown of how the Motor Insurance Database works and how to check your policy is registered, read our guide: What is askMID?.
Understanding who you are actually dealing with when you buy temporary car insurance.
An insurer is the company that underwrites your temporary policy. They take on the risk and pay out if there is an accident, theft or damage involving the vehicle. Think of them like the car manufacturer - they build the product and take responsibility if something goes wrong. When you buy through a broker or comparison site, an insurer is always the company providing the actual cover behind the scenes.
A broker offers policies from a range of different insurers rather than underwriting cover themselves. They handle the sale, setup and often the ongoing management of your policy - think of them like a car dealership. Brokers are responsible for customer service, handling any changes during the cover period, and answering questions. Many temporary insurance providers operate as brokers, working with specialist underwriters on your behalf.
Comparison sites list policies from multiple brokers and insurers in one place, making it easier to browse your options - think of them like Auto Trader for insurance. They do not sell or manage policies directly. Once you choose through a comparison site, you typically deal with the broker or insurer from that point on. The comparison site's role ends at the handover.
Most temporary car insurance policies are issued in the name of one driver and cover that person on one specific vehicle. Unlike annual policies, you generally cannot add a named driver to an existing temporary policy - the product is designed for individual, short-term use.
If more than one person needs to drive the same car - for example, sharing the driving on a longer trip - each driver typically needs to take out their own separate temporary policy on that vehicle. Because each policy is independent, a claim made by one driver has no effect on the cover or no-claims record of another.
With Covertime, each policy covers one driver on one car. If a second person also needs to drive, they should get their own policy. If you are unsure whether named drivers can be added to a specific product, check directly with the insurer before you buy.
Whether you can extend a temporary car insurance policy depends on the provider. Many insurers do not allow extensions once a policy is active - if you need more time, the standard approach is to take out a new policy when your current one ends.
The process is usually straightforward. When your existing cover expires, you buy a fresh policy for however long you need. There is no requirement to wait between policies, and your new cover can start immediately, so there is no gap. If you buy through an app, you can often do this from wherever you are.
With Covertime, policies cannot be extended once they have started. You can buy a new policy at any point - including from the app if you are already out with the car. If you are unsure whether extension is available on your current policy, contact your insurer directly.
Covertime Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under Firm Reference Number 1022738. You can verify this on the FCA register. Covertime is also a member of the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) - the UK's leading professional body for insurance brokers and intermediaries. You can view our BIBA listing in their broker directory.
Over 700 customers have rated us 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Our temporary car insurance is also listed on Compare the Market, GoCompare and MoneySupermarket - each of which independently vets the providers they feature before making them available to customers.
Our car insurance policies are underwritten by a panel of FCA-authorised UK insurers, including First Underwriting, Allianz, KGM and Somerset Bridge.
Buying insurance from an FCA-regulated firm means you have defined protections. If you have a complaint that Covertime cannot resolve to your satisfaction, you have the right to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service - a free, independent service for consumers. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) may be able to provide compensation if a regulated firm cannot meet its financial obligations. If your policy has not started, you can cancel for a full refund.
This matters when arranging cover for a borrowed vehicle, after a gap in your annual policy, or for a one-off journey where you cannot lean on existing cover. Underwritten by regulated UK insurers including First Underwriting, Allianz, KGM and Somerset Bridge, your policy carries the same legal standing as any annual certificate.
Short term car insurance is completely flexible, not only does it allow you to drive the car of a family member or friend, it allows you to choose the exact amount of time you need to use the car for.
You can insure a car for as little as one hour to 28 days.
Yes. Temporary car insurance is added to the Motor Insurance Database (MID), which is the UK’s official record of insured vehicles. Because temporary policies are short-term, there can occasionally be a short delay before the MID updates. As long as you have your insurance certificate or confirmation email, you are legally insured and safe to drive
Yes, you absolutely can insure yourself on someone else’s car with temporary insurance, that is one of the main reasons people get it. Just make sure you have the owner’s permission.
Yes you can take out multiple temporary policies in a year, but there will come a tipping point that it would make more sense cost-wise to take out an annual policy.
No you can't take out temporary insurance on a hire vehicle. Short term insurance allows you to borrow a car and insure it, rather than insure a hire car.
You cannot legally drive a car home without insurance.
If you have an accident you won't be insured and the excuse that it's a new car and you haven't had chance to insure it yet, wouldn't cut the mustard.
You can use temporary car insurance or drive away insurance as it can also be referred to, to get a new car insured.
This way you can give yourself more time to find a competitive and suitable annual car insurance policy.
Yes you can use temporary insurance to tax a car - this is one of the beauties of short term cover. Remember that a car needs an MOT in order to tax it.
You can take out a temporary car insurance policy to get your car insured on the MID (Motor Insurance Database) then tax your car (as it has to be insured to tax).
You can MOT a car without tax. but the journey must be purely to and from the MOT test centre.
Brand new drivers ie you passed your test two days ago, unfortunately cannot get temporary insurance. But new-ish drivers can.
You need to have held your full UK driving licence for at least six months. So, if you've just passed your test, congratulations, but you'll need to wait for six months before you can get a temporary insurance policy.
Temporary car insurance is perfect for short term needs, but if you require cover for a longer duration, an annual policy may be more cost effective.
It doesn't cover you for driving a rental or hired car; you'll need a specific hire car insurance policy for that.
Short term cover also is not suitable if you're planning on using it to be a cabbie - you'll need proper taxi insurance to do that. It's also not to be used for deliveries or courier work.
Temporary car insurance is also not suitable for releasing a vehicle from a Police or Local Authority impound, learning to drive, driving outside of the EU/EEA and for importing / exporting cars; the vehicle must be in the UK at the start and end of the policy.
With annual insurance you pay for the full 365 days of cover on your car insurance, whereas with temporary insurance you only pay for the time you need. That is why it's worth checking to see if a short term policy is cheaper for you.
There are also a few ways that you can try and get the cheapest temporary car insurance.
- Don't purchase add-ons you don't need; for example, you may have breakdown cover with your bank account
- Have a choice of cars to borrow? It might be worth getting quotes to see which car produces the cheapest quote for you
- Build your experience; the longer you've held your licence claim-free, the better
Temporary insurance UK is important as it can help drivers get emergency insurance to make sure they are legally covered whilst on the road in the UK.
If you drive a car that you are not insured on there could be big consequences if you are pulled over by the police.
The consequences could be even worse if you have an accident and are not covered by any insurance.
You could be left with severe consequences, such as large bills if you are found liable for any damage or injuries caused by you if you're at fault.
If you crash a car in the UK without insurance, you're breaking the law and could face serious consequences.
Driving without at least third-party insurance is illegal, and even if the vehicle is insured, you must also be personally insured to drive it.
If caught, you could receive a £300 fixed penalty and 6 points on your licence.
In more serious cases, you could face an unlimited fine, a driving ban, and the police may seize or even destroy the uninsured vehicle.
After purchasing your policy from us, you'll receive a set of important documents to view and download.
These include your Insurance Certificate (proof of cover), Policy Schedule (key policy details), Statement of Fact (information used to create your policy) and the Policy Wording (full terms and conditions).
You’ll also get an Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) for comparison purposes, our Customer Terms of Business, and the Covertime Contract, which outlines our role in arranging your policy and the admin fee payable.
There is no hard and fast rule for the cheapest cars to insure on a short term basis. As a rule of thumb within the UK insurance industry, smaller, cheaper and low powered cars usually command the lower premiums.
Therefore, used cars and cars with smaller engines are worth getting quotes for it you're looking for the cheapest temporary car insurance as a UK driver.
Cars that fall into this category could be the Hyundai i10, VW UP, Skoda Fabia, Kia Picanto, SEAT Ibiza, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Panda or the Toyota Aygo X to provide just a few examples.
Due to the fact that you can only insure a car for between one hour to 28 days on temporary car insurance, you do not earn No Claims Discount (or what some may call No Claims Bonus) with short term cover. No Claims Discount is earned after you have had a full year's worth of claim free driving on an annual policy, so this is why you don't earn it with temporary insurance in UK.
There is no standard approach for using security to get lower car insurance premiums and this is still the case with short term car insurance in the UK.
The best way to stop your car being stolen is to use multiple layers of security, as no single method of stopping your car being stolen is guaranteed or a 'silver bullet' solution.
You can use a car alarm, an immobiliser to stop the car being started, a tracker which can help you to find your car in the event of it being stolen, steering wheel locks or physical security such a bollard on your drive or keeping your car locked out of sight in a garage.
All security solutions can be got around if the thieves really want your car, but the more layers of security you have then better chance you have of stopping them or putting them off!
There's no doubt that keeping your car locked out of sight in a garage overnight is the best method of keeping it out of the hands of car thieves. Not only does it keep it from being spotted by opportunists but also put a barrier between them and your car that they'll need to get past without making a noise!
If you can't store your car in garage, then your drive is your next best bet; there isn't usually a physical barrier, but it'll be close to your home and will allow you to be nearby to hear any suspicious activity.
If you don't have a garage or a driveway, the final option is to keep your car parked on the road, which is the least desirable overnight storage location from an insurance perspective, as your car will be out of sight, won't be behind any sort of locked door and potentially not within as close a proximity to your house as a driveway.
When you get a temp car cover quote with Covertime, we use a registration look up which automatically passes us the information about your car. This means that you don't have to spend any time looking up details or working out its current value with depreciation since purchase, our clever system does all of the work for you.
Forget the days of calculating what was originally paid for the car, how old it is, the depreciation due to mileage, condition, demand etc. with Covertime you can get a quote in less than 60 seconds.
Most temporary insurance providers offer cover from one hour to 28 days; therefore, six months is a little past that.
Be aware that cancelling an annual policy part way through may incur a cancellation fee, you won't earn your year's NCD, plus your refund probably won't be for six months' worth of remaining cover.
Always check with your annual insurer before making these types of changes or cancellations; to find out what implications and costs are associated with it.
You can only obtain short term car insurance from us once you have a full licence. We will also require at least six months on your licence to be able to provide you with a short term car insurance quote.
Here at Covertime we required you to have a full UK driving licence to be able to take out temp cover on our car insurance. We cannot currently provide short term insurance for non-UK driving licence holders.
You can't drive a car on public roads without insurance. If you were to drive a car without insurance, it would be illegal, and you could see points on your licence or fines if you were caught.
If you're buying from a car dealer, then they may have cover for test rides included on their motor trade insurance, this could cover accompanied demonstrations or unaccompanied demonstrations cover.
For private sales, temporary car cover can be really useful to make sure you can test the car that you're considering purchasing but ensure that you are properly insured to do so and not driving it illegally.
Yes, you can insure yourself on a friend's car with temporary insurance for a car in the UK! If you want to drive a friend's car, then you can get a short term car insurance quote from us today and get on the road in minutes; it doesn't take very long at all to get a quote, most people do it under 60 seconds when you have all the relevant details to hand such as your driving licence and car registration!
By using short term car insurance UK, you can absolutely insure yourself safely and legally on a car you don't own.
The biggest benefit to this is that you only have to insure yourself on it for the time you need, so you can potentially save money by insuring only for the time you're driving.
Should you need to drive the car for a little longer than expected, then you can simply purchase another new temporary insurance policy and get to your destination, insured comprehensively.
We will send you a policy expiry email ahead of your policy finishing, so you can follow the link back to our site to obtain a new policy if needs be.
You cannot transfer temporary cover to another car or person. As temporary insurance is so easy and flexible, you would just take out another policy for the other car or other person on a short term basis.
If your previously policy is no longer needed and the inception time hasn't started, then you can contact us for a potential refund if no cover has commenced.
Unfortunately, you cannot insure a modified or custom car using our temporary insurance. This is because a modified car could have performance enhancing modifications which are unacceptable to our insurer panel for their short term policy underwriting criteria. Modified cars can have a different value or power to their manufacturer specifications that our premiums are calculated on.
You can insure more than one vehicle with temporary insurance, but you will need to insure each vehicle on its own policy.
Therefore, you could have one temporary policy on one car and then have another temporary policy on another car.
It may well be a pretty unusual situation where this would occur, but it is possible.
We try to make everything so easy to do here at Covertime you don't actually need to speak to us.
However, we are available on Live Chat and email and if that doesn't suit your needs, then you can get in touch with us.
We can call you via telephone, but we will not be able to administer the policy for you.
You’ll need to get a quote for your temporary insurance online; our quote journey takes less than one minute to get a price!
When you take out a short term car insurance policy with us, we will send you all of your insurer documentation via email immediately.
If you’re involved in an incident that may result in a claim, contact your insurer directly as they will handle the process.
Claims should be reported as soon as possible. If you need help, our team is here to assist.
There are various different advanced driver courses in the UK that you can attend. These include various courses offered by IAM Road Smart including their Advanced Driver Course, Young Driver Assessment and Mature Driver Review; you can also use other providers such as the Pass Plus Scheme or RoSPA Advanced Driving Course.
These courses could be of great value to improve your driving and keep you safer on the roads, but unfortunately, they won't provide a discount for your short term car insurance.
As a new company, we are concentrating on our main offering which is temporary insurance.
However, we have various optional extras for our temporary insurance policies in the pipeline.
These may include Legal Expenses which would help to cover uninsured losses in the event of a claim where you are not at fault, such as reclaiming the costs of your excess payments.
We are also looking into providing breakdown cover for your temporary insurance, to help you get back on the road or to your destination if you have issues with your car.
Temporary insurance UK may be a cheaper solution because you're only paying for the exact time you need cover. Whether it's for an hour, a day, or a few weeks. Unlike annual policies, you’re not tied into long term contracts or paying for unused cover.
Many temporary insurance providers in the UK use streamlined digital platforms to reduce admin costs, making policies more affordable and flexible for drivers.
There are a number of insurers in the UK who underwrite temporary car cover policies in the United Kingdom.
These include, but are not limited to: Allianz, KGM, Eridge, Somerset Bridge, First Underwriting, ERS, Haven, Granite and Aviva.
Yes, of course you can absolutely insure a car for occasional usage. It's why we exist and probably why you're on our website!
Yes, you can insure a car without road tax in the UK because insurance and vehicle tax are separate legal requirements. However, the vehicle cannot be legally driven or kept on public roads until it has both valid insurance and road tax in place.
No. A temporary car insurance policy covers you on one specific vehicle - the registration number you enter when you get your quote. It does not give you any entitlement to drive other vehicles. If you need to drive a different car, you would need a separate policy on that vehicle.
No. Temporary car insurance is a standalone policy. You do not need to hold an annual policy on the vehicle or on any other car in order to take out temporary cover. The temporary policy provides comprehensive cover in its own right, independently of any other insurance that may or may not exist on the vehicle.
It depends on your insurer. With Covertime, European driving is covered, but the level of cover reduces to third-party only for any time spent outside the UK. All journeys must also start and end in the UK - cover is not available for one-way trips or permanent export. If you are planning a trip abroad, check the territorial limits of your policy before you travel.
Yes. All Covertime policies are registered on the Motor Insurance Database (MID), which is the central record that police and the DVLA use to check whether a vehicle is insured. There can be a short delay of up to 24 hours before the database updates after you buy. Your policy certificate - sent by email immediately when you purchase - is proof of cover in the meantime. If you are stopped by police before the MID has updated, show your certificate.
Temp insurance cover is shorthand for temporary car insurance - a short-term policy that insures you to drive for a set period rather than committing to 12 months. Temporary car insurance UK cover works in the same way as a standard annual policy: you get comprehensive protection, your details appear on the Motor Insurance Database, and you receive a certificate of insurance. The only difference is the duration, which can be as short as one hour.
Yes. 2 day car insurance gives you 48 hours of cover from the time you choose. It is useful if you need to drive a borrowed car over a weekend, make a two-day trip, or cover a journey that spans two calendar days without paying for a full week. Cover is comprehensive as standard and there is no minimum mileage.
It depends on how often you need to drive. For drivers who use a car every day, an annual policy typically works out less expensive per day than a series of short-term policies. For occasional drivers - such as those who only need cover for a few days or weeks at a time - temporary car insurance may be the more cost-effective option, since you only pay for the time you actually drive. The main trade-off is that temporary cover does not build up a no claims discount in the same way as an annual policy, which can affect the cost of future annual cover. If you are deciding between the two, it is worth comparing the total cost of the cover you actually need rather than the headline daily or annual rate.
Driving Other Cars cover on an annual policy only insures as Third Party Only, meaning the car and the driver aren't covered, only other people and other cars. Temporary cover is comprehensive.
