Weekend car insurance
Instant, comprehensive car insurance for the weekend.
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
weekend car insurance?
Ever started to plan something for the weekend and found yourself wondering hey, wouldn’t it be helpful if you could get car insurance for just the weekend? You’ve already found someone to lend you their car for the weekend, but you’re not insured to drive it – what do you do?
Well, traditionally, you may have had to go through all the faff of getting yourself insured on the car owner's policy, which can be time consuming and expensive. Luckily, the way we do car insurance is changing and there are now more options than ever to insure yourself for a short time, and that includes getting comprehensive cover for just the weekend!
How much does weekend car insurance cost?
Weekend car insurance is a helpful way to keep costs down if you're only looking to insure a car for a short amount of time, because you're only paying for what you need.
The cost of car insurance by the day will depend on a few factors:
about you | your car | when you need it to start | how many days you're planning to be out on the road.
Our quote process is super quick and will only need a few details, these are then used to calculate your hourly insurance premium:
- How long you need it for: The length of time you need insurance will impact the price. Longer periods of cover will usually cost more.
- The car you're driving: The make, model, power and cost of the car you want to insure could affect the cost of your cover.
- You and your licence: Your driving experience will also play a factor in your weekend insurance premium.
How can you get cheap weekend car insurance?
To get the cheapest weekly car insurance, make sure you only purchase cover for the exact amount of time you need.
Weekend insurance allows you to insure yourself at the exact time you need to start driving and set it to end when you need it to.
Choose from as little as one hour all the way up to 28 days. When you get a quote, you can use the slider to change your cover duration to make sure you’re getting the best value for the time on cover you need.
Covertime's weekend insurance policies are comprehensive
What is covered?
- Fire damage
- Theft or attempted theft
- Damage to the car you're driving
- Third party: damage to other vehicles / property / injury to others
What isn't covered?
- Wear and tear
- Delivery, courier or taxi work
- More than one driver on a temporary policy
- Theft or damage due to neglect; such as leaving the car unlocked
How to get weekend car insurance
The good news is, getting car insurance for the weekend online is simple and only takes a few minutes - Covertime is proudly faff-free.
We don't like to waste anybody's time with a long set of questions to get covered. At Covertime, we only ask you the information we absolutely need to get you insured and out on the road.
Need weekend cover to start ASAP? No problem – select that you’d like your cover to start right away when you're getting your quote online and it usually only takes a few minutes to get you set up and on the way.
If you’re super organised and are setting up weekend cover in advance, you can do this by selecting the exact date and time you’d like your cover to start up to 30 days in the future.
Who is
temporary car cover suitable for?
Benefits of weekend short term insurance
Choose your time
You can now choose how long you need cover, whether it's two days or a long weekend, why pay for more?
Comprehensive cover
Our weekend car cover protects you, your passengers, your car as well as other people, vehicles and property.
Great for new car purchases
Sort out insurance to drive a car on the weekend, quickly and easily.
Quick, easy and affordable
Covertime is proudly faff-free! Get a quote quickly and keep costs to a minimum.
Who needs weekend car insurance?
Weekend cover is a convenient option for drivers who like a little flexibility in their lives.
You may be borrowing someone else's car for a weekend getaway, or travelling across the country for a special event - like a wedding, birthday party or reunion. If you've recently bought a new car over the weekend and sorting an annual policy feels more like a Monday problem, then temporary drive away insurance could be a great way to bridge the gap over the weekend, so you can just focus on enjoying your brand new car.
Whatever the reason, being able to take out temporary car insurance for the weekend can really come in handy.
The most common situation is using a partner's, parent's, or sibling's car for a weekend trip when it is more suitable than your own - larger boot, better on motorways, or fitted with a tow bar. A weekend policy in your own name protects their no-claims whatever happens on the road. The other situation that comes up on MSE forums is covering yourself on a family member's car to attend a wedding or occasion a few hours away: travel Saturday, return Sunday, no permanent change to anyone's annual policy.
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.
Weekend cover protects Saturday and Sunday without committing to a weekly policy - underwritten by regulated UK insurers and rated 4.8 on Trustpilot by over 700 customers. Your documents are correctly issued before you set off on Saturday. You can cancel for a full refund if the policy has not started.
Weekend insurance FAQs
Can I get car insurance for a long weekend?
Temporary car insurance for a long weekend? Just say when!
You can take out a comprehensive car insurance policy with Covertime for a long weekend, and even up to 28 days if that's what you need. You get to decide how long you need cover and not commit to a minute more than necessary. If you just need car insurance daily, we can help with that!
My family are coming to stay for the weekend - can I get them insured on my car?
Provided you're comfortable with that and they meet all the eligibility criteria, you can absolutely get your family insured on your car for their stay. In fact it's actually quite a quick, simple and often cost-effective way to get insured, depending on how long they need to use the car. It means you can avoid the faff of getting them put as a named driver on your policy and it won't affect your no claims bonus.
How will I know when my cover expires?
When you take out weekend car insurance with Covertime you'll always know the date, time and how long you're covered for.
Once you've purchased your weekend insurance policy, we'll send you a policy confirmation email which contains a link to access and download all of your policy documents. This email and those documents will tell you absolutely everything you need to know about your weekend car insurance cover.
We’ll also send you a reminder before your cover is about to expire.
I already have an annual policy on my own car, do I really need to get insurance to drive a different car?
If you’re borrowing someone else’s car, it is a legal requirement to make sure you are correctly insured.
Even if their car is insured already, that doesn’t mean that you are personally insured to drive it, and the same principle applies if you already have a car insurance policy in place – you shouldn’t assume you’re covered to drive someone else’s car.
Whilst some comprehensive annual policies can provide DOC (Drive Other Cars) cover, this is not always the norm for most policies and does often come with a few caveats.
Temporary or short-term car insurance can be a simple and often cost-effective way to get insured to drive someone else’s car for a day.
If you're looking to borrow the car for a short period of time or just a one-off, temporary car insurance is comprehensive, and it won’t affect your no claims bonus which is certainly a bonus in itself!
What happens if I need to extend my 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 day, or just a few more hours by getting a fresh quote anytime, for however long you need it.
Is car insurance more expensive on the weekend?
That's a good question. Insurance companies take a variety of factors into consideration when calculating your insurance premium. This includes details about the driver, the vehicle, the licence and yes, the date and time on cover can also be a factor. The best way to see how much your weekend car insurance will cost is to get a quote online today...
Is weekend car insurance the same as 2 day car insurance?
They are very similar. Weekend car insurance and 2 day car insurance both typically provide around 48 hours of comprehensive cover. The difference is framing: weekend car insurance is specifically chosen to cover a Saturday and Sunday, while 2 day car insurance simply runs for 48 hours from whatever start time you choose. Both run in your own name and have no effect on the car owner's no claims discount.
Can I get car insurance from Saturday to Monday?
Yes. You can choose any start time when you take out a policy, so a Saturday-to-Monday period is straightforward - set the start time to when you need cover on Saturday and the policy runs until the equivalent time on Monday. If you need cover that includes Monday, a three-day policy may give you more flexibility so you are not racing the clock.
Can I get weekend car insurance that starts on a Sunday?
Yes. Weekend car insurance does not have to start on a Saturday. You choose the start time when you buy, and the policy runs for the number of days you select from that point. If you only need Sunday and Monday, a two-day policy starting Sunday morning is the right choice.
Can I get weekend insurance to cover a bank holiday weekend?
Yes. There is no restriction on using a weekend policy over a bank holiday. If you need cover across a three-day bank holiday weekend - Friday to Monday, for example - a three-day policy will give you the full window rather than the standard two-day weekend product.
Did you know?
Since they are separate from your annual policy, temporary car insurance policies won't affect your no claims bonus.