Covertime | Lending car insurance | Short term lend cover

Lend a car insurance

Cover in no time

Takes less than 60 seconds!

Why choose Covertime?

Do everything online

Insure only for the time you need

Comprehensive cover

Docs available immediately after purchase

Protect existing No Claims Discount

Cover from one hour to 28 days

Get on the road in minutes

Quick and flexible

Need insurance to lend your car?

Absolutely - No problem at all.

Lending your car to someone who needs it is a really nice thing to do, as long as you're sure you're happy to do it and feel like you can trust who you are lending it to.

The great thing is, lending a car to your friends or family has never been easier, and being able to take out a temporary car insurance policy is the reason why.

If you're lending your car to someone, you need to be able to keep things flexible, especially when it comes to how long they need to be on cover. If you're lending your car out for a short time, you probably don't want to go through the faff and expense of getting them added to your annual policy. Even if the driver you're lending your car to has an existing annual policy, whilst some annual policies can provide DOC (Drive Other Cars) cover, this is not always the norm and for most policies can come with quite a few caveats.

There are plenty of reasons, besides just being an all round generous human, why you might find yourself needing to lend your car to someone for a short time:

Someone you know needs to borrow your car

Your family are visiting and need a car to get around

Helping someone move house

Driving in an emergency

Covertime insurance is Comprehensive

What is covered?

Damage to the car you're driving

Theft or attempted theft

Fire damage

Third party: damage to other vehicles / property / injury to others

What isn't covered?

More than one driver on a temporary policy

Delivery, courier or taxi work

Theft or damage due to neglect; such as leaving the car unlocked

Wear and tear

How to get temporary insurance for lending your car

The good news is, taking out a short-term policy to lend your car is simple and only takes a few minutes. Covertime is proudly faff-free!

Need cover instantly? No problem – select that you’d like the cover to start right away and it usually only takes a few minutes to get set up and on the way! We don't waste our time or yours with a long set of never-ending questions, we only ask you the information we absolutely need to get on you on cover.

If you’re both super organised and are setting up cover in advance, you can do this by selecting the exact date and time you’d like the cover to start up to 30 days in the future.

Just let us know the vehicle reg and a few details about the driver

Then we need to know when you need the cover and how long for

Get your quote, check the terms, choose how you want to pay and you're off!

Do I need to get temporary car insurance to lend my car?

When you're lending your car to someone it is a legal requirement that you both make sure the proper insurance is in place.

There is a common misconception that all comprehensive insurance policies allow someone to drive any other car, so it is important that you don't assume that just because your friend already has an annual policy in place on their car, they are automatically insured to drive yours.

If they already have an annual comprehensive car insurance policy in their name, they might be covered to drive someone else's car under the 'Driving Other Cars' (DOC) rules.

However, this is not standard and not everyone has this cover in their Comprehensive policy. If they do have DOC, it is only meant for emergencies and not regular use.

Drivers under the age of 25 will not usually have DOC cover, so make sure they are checking with their insurer for the details.

It's important to be aware that when you drive someone else's car under Driving Other Cars, the cover changes from Comprehensive to only covering damage to the other car or other people if you have an accident - referred to as Third Party Only (TPO).

If you don't have your own insurance then you can be added as a second driver or 'named driver' to another person's policy.

However, if a second driver has to make a claim on this policy then it would impact the main driver's No Claims Discount (also known as No Claims Bonus). It could potentially increase their insurance premium at renewal.

If you only need to lend a car for a short period of time, then choosing a Covertime temporary car insurance policy could be more convenient and potentially cost effective. It also avoids risking the car owner's No Claims Discount; which will give you peace of mind when they're on the roads.

Who is temporary car cover suitable for?

Personal use

Ages 21-75

Full UK licence holders

Vehicle value from £1,500 to £65,000

*Other terms and conditions apply.

How much does a short term policy cost?

The premium you will pay for your short term car insurance will depend on things such as the drivers age, experience, where they live, when they need cover, the car they'll drive and how long they need to drive it for.

If the lucky driver borrowing your car doesn’t drive often enough to justify purchasing their own annual policy, temporary insurance offers a simple, cost-effective alternative. They'll get the coverage they need, only when they need it, without the expense and commitment of a full-time policy.

How can you get the cheapest lend a car insurance?

The golden rule to get the cheapest temporary car insurance is: Only buy the cover for the time you need.

The beauty of temporary car insurance when you're lending your car is that the driver can insure themselves at the exact time they need to start driving and set it to end when they need it to.

By only buying insurance for the time you need it, you can keep the short term car cover costs to a minimum.

Choose from as little as one hour all the way up to 28 days. If they need more time after one policy ends, then they can take out new temporary car policies - keeping things flexible and faff-free.