Three day car insurance
Instant, comprehensive car insurance for three days.
Get a price in under 60 seconds!
Why choose
Covertime?
- Do everything online
- Comprehensive cover
- Protect existing No Claims Discount
- Get on the road in minutes
- Insure only for the time you need
- Docs available right after purchase
- Cover from one hour to 28 days
- Quick and flexible
What is
three day car insurance?
Three day car insurance does exactly what it says on the tin - gives you a comprehensive car insurance policy for just three days.
Sometimes two days isn't enough and a week can simply be too much, but three days could be just right - especially for those lovely long weekends and occasional spontaneous getaways. Car insurance for three days is also ideal for maybe those slightly less exciting and glamorous occasions, such as moving house, borrowing a car to run errands or bridging a gap between annual insurance policies.
What we love about temporary car insurance is how flexible it can be. You get to decide how long you'd like to be covered and not a minute, hour or day more - so if you need cover for three days, we can help with that.
Being able to get insurance for three days could be a game-changer for a number of reasons:
How much does three day car insurance cost?
The premium you will pay for your 3 days car insurance will depend on things such as your age, experience, where you live, when you need cover, the car you'll drive and how long you need to drive it for.
If you only need to drive a car for three days, then a 3 day car insurance policy might be an affordable option for you. However, the longer you need to insure yourself on the car for, the more it will cost.
You can buy multiple 3 day car insurance policies throughout the year, but at some point an annual car insurance will become more cost effective, if you're always using the same car.
How can you get cheap three day car insurance?
The golden rule to get the 3 day temporary car insurance cheap is: Only buy the cover for the time you need.
The beauty of three day car insurance 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 3 days 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.
Our policies are 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 three day car insurance
Getting insurance for 3 days really couldn't be easier!
At Covertime, we are proudly faff-free, which means we like to keep things simple to get you on the road as quickly as possible.
We only ask the basics - when you get a quote online we need to know some things about you, the car registration, how long you need your three day cover & when you'd like cover to start.
Who is
temporary car cover suitable for?
Benefits of 3 day car insurance
Choose your time
You decide when your cover starts and ends, providing complete control and flexibility.
Comprehensive cover
Our short term car insurance protects you, your passengers, your car as well as other people, property and vehicles.
Great for emergencies
In a hurry? Get on the road in minutes, driving a car you don't own (with the owner's permission of course!).
Quick, easy and affordable
Get a quote quickly, with a minimal amount of questions for just the length of time you need to drive to keep costs to a minimum.
Who needs three day car insurance?
There are plenty of reasons why you might be looking for car insurance for the 3 days.
You could be feeling spontaneous and fancy a three day trip to the coast, or maybe you need to borrow someone's car to run errands for a few days. One of the times three day car insurance comes in particularly handy, is when you or someone you’re helping is moving house and a weekend policy might not be enough time to get it all done.
The most common situation is a house move that spills across a long weekend. You borrow a friend's or relative's estate car on a Friday, do the main move on Saturday, and still have boxes and tip runs on Sunday. Three days of cover in your own name means anything that happens during the move does not affect the car owner's no-claims discount. The same logic applies to covering yourself on a borrowed car for a family visit several hours away: drive down Friday evening, drive back Monday morning, three days of cover fits exactly.
What can you use three day car insurance for?
Three days of cover handles a specific set of situations that shorter policies cannot comfortably manage and longer ones would overkill.
Long weekend trips
A bank holiday weekend - Friday evening to Monday night - fits neatly into a three day policy. Whether you are borrowing a friend's car, using a relative's vehicle, or driving a car you have recently bought, three days of cover means you are insured for the full period without paying for a week.
Helping someone move house
Moving usually takes more than one day once you factor in packing, driving, and unloading across different locations. A three day policy gives you flexibility to use the car across the full process without rushing or taking out multiple separate policies.
Collecting a car from a distance
If you are collecting a car privately from another part of the country and want a few days before your annual policy kicks in, a three day policy bridges that gap. You have cover for the drive home and a buffer while the paperwork completes.
A defined road trip
A planned three-day drive - a specific route, a particular destination - is exactly the kind of use three day cover is built for. You are insured for the full trip in your own name, and the car owner's annual policy is unaffected.
Working away from home
If you need to borrow or use a different car for a few days of work travel, a three day policy keeps things simple. No need to add yourself to someone else's annual cover, and no financial commitment beyond the days you actually need.
If you only need cover for two days, two day car insurance is available at the same speed. If the situation looks like it may extend further,
weekly car insurance covers a full seven days from the outset.
Regulated, trusted and independently reviewed
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.
Three-day cover gives 72 hours on a vehicle you do not own - underwritten by regulated UK insurers and listed on the major comparison platforms. Your documents are legally valid for all three days from the exact start time you choose. You can cancel for a full refund if the policy has not started.
Three days car cover FAQs
Can I get 3 day car insurance to bridge a gap between policies?
Yes you can use temporary insurance to bridge a gap between annual insurance policies, that's actually one of the most popular reason people might need cover for 3 days.
Can I drive someone else’s car with three day insurance?
Yes, you absolutely can insure yourself on someone else’s car for three days with temporary car insurance, that is one of the main reasons people get it. Just make sure you have the owner’s permission, obviously.
Can I take out multiple three day insurance policies in one year?
Yes you can take out 3 day car insurance 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.
Can I drive my car abroad using a three day policy?
You have comprehensive cover as standard to drive in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney.
All journeys must start and end in the UK however, if you do decide to travel a little further and you're driving inside the EU, you'll be covered for the minimum legal level required by law in that country. In the EU the minimum legal level is third party only (TPO), meaning damage to the car you are driving is not covered.
We are not able to cover countries outside of the EU.
Can I get my 3 day cover to start immediately?
Of course! Why should you have to wait around? When you're taking out your policy with Covertime, select that you'd like your policy to start right away and we'll make it happen.
What happens if I need to extend my 3 day cover?
At the moment our policies cannot be extended and do not renew. Don't worry though, we won't stand between you and the open road - you can purchase a new policy for another 3 days, just a few more hours or days cover by getting a fresh quote anytime, for however long you need it.
How can I get cheap three day car insurance?
With annual insurance you pay for the full 365 days of cover on your car insurance, whereas with 3 days car insurance you only pay for the time you need (three days!). 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 adds 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
How does it affect my No Claims Discount if I have to make a claim?
The handy thing about a 3 day car insurance policy is that in the unfortunate event of a claim arising while under the temporary policy, it won't affect your existing No Claims Bonus.
Is 3 day insurance right for me?
3 day insurance - or 3 day car insurance - is well suited to a long weekend trip, a short gap between annual policies, or any situation where you need cover for exactly 72 hours. The policy starts at the time you choose, runs to the minute, and is comprehensive as standard. If you find you need longer, you can take out a follow-on policy rather than being locked into a fixed term.
Did you know?
Three day car insurance policies give you comprehensive cover that doesn't affect your no claims bonus.