Temporary van insurance

No you can't take out temporary insurance on a hired van. Short term insurance allows you to borrow a van and insure it, rather than insure a hired van.

You cannot legally drive a new van home without insurance. If you have an accident you won't be insured, even if it is new and you haven't sorted a new policy yet. Short term van insurance is very easy to set up from anywhere, so you want to avoid ever driving without the appropriate insurance required by law.

To get temporary insurance from us at Covertime, you'll need to have a full UK driving licence for at least 12 months.

Yes you can take out multiple temporary van insurance policies in a year, but there will come a point that if you're always insuring the same van, that an annual policy would be more cost-effective.

It’s important to know what temporary van insurance does not cover. You’re only insured for the carriage of your own goods. This means it's suitable for personal use or transporting your own tools and equipment. It does not cover any form of hire or reward, including courier work, delivery driving, or using the van as part of a delivery service. If you're earning money from transporting goods, you'll need specialist commercial or courier insurance instead.

You’re also not covered if you're driving a hired or rental van, a specific rental vehicle insurance policy is required for that.

The van must be physically located in the UK at both the start and end of the policy. Short term van insurance is not valid for importing or exporting vehicles or for driving outside of the UK, EU, or EEA.

Yes you can use temporary van insurance to get an MOT on your van, but it must be for a pre-booked MOT appointment.

Yes you can insure a van for just one week. Temporary insurance for commercial vehicles 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.

Short term van insurance is a useful option if you need emergency cover to make sure you’re driving legally on UK roads. If you get behind the wheel of a van without insurance, you risk serious trouble if you’re stopped by the police. 

It can also come in handy if you need someone else to use your van for a short period, don’t take the chance of risking it and letting someone borrow your van without being properly insured.

The risks are even greater if you have an accident without insurance. You could face large costs if you’re found responsible for damage or injury, as well as legal penalties for driving uninsured.

If you crash a van in the UK without insurance, you’re breaking the law and could face serious penalties. It’s illegal to drive without at least third party cover, and even if the van itself is insured, you must have your own insurance to drive it.

If you’re caught, you could get a £300 fine and 6 points on your licence. In more serious cases, you could face an unlimited fine, a driving ban, and the police might seize or destroy the van. Short term van insurance is a simple way to avoid this.

After purchasing your temp van insurance 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’s no fixed rule for which vans are the cheapest to insure short term. But in general, smaller and less powerful vans tend to have lower premiums.

If you’re after the cheapest temporary van insurance, it’s worth getting quotes for smaller models or older vans. Examples of vans that might fall into this category include the Ford Transit Connect, Vauxhall Combo, Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, or Renault Kangoo.

No, you don’t earn a No Claims Discount (also called a No Claims Bonus) with temporary van insurance in UK. This is because short term policies only last from one hour up to 28 days. No Claims Discount is something you build up after a full year of claim-free driving on an annual policy, which is why it doesn’t apply to temporary cover.

There’s no set rule for what security will lower the cost of temporary van insurance in the UK. The same applies to short term cover as it does for annual policies.

The best way to protect your van is to use several layers of security. No single device can guarantee your van won’t be stolen. You could use an alarm, an immobiliser to prevent the van being started, a tracker to help find it if it’s taken, or physical security like a steering wheel lock. Parking behind a bollard or keeping the van in a locked garage can also help.

While determined thieves can get past most measures, the more security you have, the harder you make it for them and the more likely they are to be put off.

The safest option is to keep your van locked away in a garage overnight. This keeps it out of sight from opportunist thieves and adds a physical barrier they would have to get through without drawing attention.

If you don’t have a garage, parking on a driveway is the next best choice. While there’s no barrier, it keeps your van close to your home so you’re more likely to hear if anything happens.

If a garage or driveway isn’t available, parking on the road is the last resort. From an insurance point of view, this is the least secure option, as your van will be more exposed and not behind a locked door.

When you get a temporary van insurance quote with Covertime, we use your registration number to look up the details of your van. This means you don’t need to work out its value or worry about things like depreciation since you bought it. Our system handles it for you.

There’s no need to calculate what you paid, how old the van is or how its condition or mileage might affect the value; but be sure to carefully check the maximum indemnify limit listed in the insurer’s declaration on the terms and conditions page.

Most temporary van insurance providers offer cover from one hour up to 28 days, so six months is longer than what short term policies provide.

If you’re thinking of cancelling an annual policy part way through, keep in mind that you may have to pay a cancellation fee, you won’t earn a year’s no claims discount, and the refund is unlikely to match six months’ worth of unused cover. It’s always best to check with your insurer first to understand any costs or other effects before making changes.

We can only offer temporary insurance on a van if you hold a full driving licence. You’ll also need to have had your licence for at least six months before we can provide a short term van cover quote.

Here at Covertime we required you to have a full UK driving licence to be able to take out our temporary van insurance. We cannot currently provide short term van insurance for non-UK driving licence holders. 

You can insure yourself to drive a friend’s van with short term van insurance in the UK (with the owner's permission of course!) If you need to use a friend’s van, simply get a short term insurance quote from us today and be ready to drive within minutes.

The process is quick and straightforward; most people get a quote in under a minute, as long as you have your driving licence and the van’s registration details ready. 

With short-term van insurance you can legally and safely insure yourself to drive a van that isn’t yours. The main advantage is that you only pay for the time you actually need to be covered, which could potentially save you money.

If you find you need to drive the van for longer than planned, you can simply take out a new temporary van insurance policy to stay fully covered for the remainder of your journey.

We’ll also send you a reminder email before your policy expires, making it easy to purchase another policy by following the link back to our site. 

Temporary van insurance cannot be transferred between vehicles or drivers, because these policies are designed to be flexible and straightforward. The simplest option is to get a new shortterm policy for the different van or driver. If your current policy hasn’t started yet and you no longer need it, you can get in touch with us to discuss a possible cancellation and refund, provided cover has not started.

Unfortunately, you cannot insure a modified or custom van, such as a campervan using our temporary van insurance.

Temporary campervan or motorhome insurance is different product, and you will need to insure such vehicles with the correct policy to cater for the usage and specifications of your vehicle.

You can insure more than one van with temporary insurance, but you will need to insure each vehicle on its own policy. Therefore, you could have one temporary policy on one van and then have another temporary policy on another van. It would not be van fleet insurance, but instead multiple short term van insurance policies.

At Covertime, we’ve made the process simple enough that you won’t usually need to talk to anyone. However, we are available via Live Chat and email if you have questions. If you prefer, you can contact us, and we’ll call you back by phone.

Please be aware that we can’t set up the policy over the phone, you’ll need to get your quote online. Our online quote process is quick and typically takes less than a minute to see your price. 

When you take out a short term van 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. Your documents are provided on the Policy Confirmation for you to download / screen grab / print and also sent via email.

If you need help, our team is here to assist. Claims should be reported to your insurer as soon as possible.

Temporary van insurance can often be cheaper because you only pay for the period you actually need cover, whether that’s for a few hours, a day, or several weeks. Unlike annual policies, you’re not locked into a long contract or paying for coverage you’re not using.

Many providers offer temporary van insurance through efficient online systems, cutting down on administration costs and making the policies more cost-effective and flexible for drivers.

Yes, you can insure a van for occasional use. This type of insurance is designed precisely for people who only need to drive a van now and then, rather than all the time. It is called temporary van insurance or short term van insurance.

The idea is that you only pay for the time you actually need to be covered, whether that’s a few hours, a day, or a few weeks.

This makes it a flexible and affordable option if you don’t use the van regularly or only need it for specific trips. It’s also useful if you want to drive a van that isn’t your own, perhaps a friend’s or a work vehicle, without committing to a full annual insurance policy.

Temporary van insurance UK is popular because it provides the legal cover you need without the cost and commitment of a long term contract. It’s simple to arrange online, usually with a quick quote process that lets you get insured in minutes.

So, if you only need insurance for a short time or occasional trips, temporary van insurance is worth a look.