Buying car insurance for 7 days is remarkably easy. Of course, the most common type of car insurance is an annual policy: you buy a car, fork out for an insurance policy, and then forget about it for the next twelve months. It is often expensive, particularly for young and/or inexperienced drivers, but unfortunately car insurance is a necessary evil if you want to be legal on the road. However, there are plenty of occasions when temporary cover, for a few days only, is a better solution for a variety of reasons. You can get a quote within less than a minute from our partner Safely Insured*.
Why would I consider short-term car insurance?
Owning a car is expensive these days and unless you need a car on a daily basis, it might be an expense you can live without. However, there may be the odd occasion when you might wish to have use of a car, perhaps borrowing a family member’s vehicle. In such an instance, taking out a short-term car insurance policy for seven days or so would be the solution.
Even if you do have a car, there will be times when you don’t have access to it (perhaps because it’s broken down for the millionth time), but you still need a vehicle for a few days.
Or perhaps your kids are home from university and rather than play “taxi” for the week, it is prudent to insure them temporarily on the family car—assuming it isn’t a top of the range Jaguar or similar!
Car insurance polices taken out for a seven day period are also very useful for holiday cover—instead of driving yourself into a coma navigating across Europe, share the burden with a friend and insure them on your car for a week.
Are short-term car insurance policies easy to obtain?
Insuring a vehicle for a short period of time is very easy and you can even compare prices. The application process is incredibly simply and will take no more than a few minutes to complete. There are a few restrictions, but having a couple of minor convictions won’t affect your eligibility and most drivers will be covered for driving in the UK (and EU if required). And remember, paying for a temporary car insurance policy is always better than driving around with no insurance—and ending up with a fine as well as banned from driving!
What are the main restrictions on short-term car insurance policies?
Most of the restrictions placed by insurers on this type of policy are unlikely to affect the majority of regular drivers. As with any standard car insurance policy, you will not be allowed to use the vehicle for anything other than social, domestic or pleasure, so running a taxi service for the week is not an option. You are also prohibited from transporting hazardous or illegal materials or driving the vehicle anywhere dangerous, so if you had plans to enter the Paris-Dakar rally for a laugh or your mate has asked you to pick up a mysterious package on a one day trip from Amsterdam, think again!