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TEMPORARY CAR INSURANCE

Temporary car insurance from 1 hour to 30 days

  • Flexible – add extra days online
  • Quick – get temporary car insurance within minutes
  • Comprehensive – fully covered for leisure or business use1

Existing customer? Log in to manage your account 24/7

Temporary car insurance cover

Borrowing a car, sharing the driving or taking a trip for work? Temporary car insurance is an easy, flexible way to get short term cover. You can be on the road within 15 minutes.

Temp car insurance gives you the flexibility to pay only for the time you need – whether that's one hour, one day insurance, or one month insurance. If you’ve only paid for a day and need more, no problem. You can top up instantly online to get up to 30 days. Temporary car insurance can be taken out alongside an annual policy. The vehicle owner's No Claims Discount won’t be affected if you make a claim.

Say hello to flexible short term car insurance from the RAC

Super flexible

Temp cover for 1 hour to 30 days. And add extra hours online if you need to.

Comprehensive

You’re fully covered with our temporary car insurance – for leisure or business use1.

Quick and easy

Get covered within 15 minutes. Or buy up to 28 days in advance.

How does temporary car insurance work?

Temporary car insurance is a flexible type of short-term insurance. It allows you to drive a car for a short period of time, without needing to take out an annual insurance policy. Our temporary car insurance policies offer comprehensive cover from as little as 1 hour, up to a maximum of 30 days. So, whether it is hourly, daily or monthly car insurance that you require, we’ve got you covered.

So, you can borrow a car, or share the driving on a long trip. It only takes a few minutes to apply and you can manage your policy online 24/7. Add more hours or days as you need them. There’s no annual contract, so when the policy expires that’s it.

Can I get temporary car insurance on a friend's car?

You can use temporary car insurance to borrow a friend’s car. It means they don’t have to pay more to add you to their policy. If you need to make a claim on your short term car insurance policy, their no claims discount won’t be affected either.

How much is temporary car insurance?

The cost of short-term car insurance will vary depending on your situation and vehicle.

  • Location: your postcode and where the car is kept overnight will be considered. If it's parked in a safer location, like a locked garage or driveway, the impact on your premium is likely to be less. The risk of theft or vandalism may be higher in certain postcodes.
  • Policy duration: the price of your policy is largely determined by the duration of time you need cover.
  • Type of car: cars are grouped by make and model. Usually the higher the group the more expensive and powerful the car. They’re seen by insurers as a greater risk of being stolen or being involved in an accident.
  • Driving history: if you’ve had any previous convictions or claims, it’ll impact your temporary car insurance premium.

These prices4 are a guide:

Hourly car insurance

Day car insurance

Weekly car insurance

1 hour £20.78

1 day £33.87

1 week £90.93

2 hours £22.66

2 days £49.72

2 weeks £126.92

3 hours £25.37

3 days £62.23

3 weeks £154.71

4 hours £28.49

6 days £87.80

4 weeks £169.29


Looking for learner car insurance? Take a look at our cover for provisional driver's insurance

How long can you have temporary car insurance for?

Hourly insurance

Test drive: hourly car insurance for if you’re planning a test drive or driving your new car home – from a garage, auction, or private seller

Day insurance

Road trip: one day car insurance so you can share the driving for a personal or business trip. If you’re between annual car insurance policies and need cover for a few days

Weekly & monthly insurance

Borrowing regularly: weekly or monthly car insurance so you can use your parents’ car while you’re home from university, or if you’re car sharing with a colleague

What's included with temporary car insurance?

Everything you'd expect from an annual car insurance policy. Business1 and leisure usage are included as standard. Whilst your policy is temporary, your cover is comprehensive.

What's covered

Read our full policy requirements

Loss, theft, fire or vandalism

Child seat replacement

Replacement locks

New car replacement - Of the same make, model and specification2

Accident recovery - And an approved repair service3

Legal liability - If another person is injured or dies, or their property's damaged

Personal accident - Up to £2,500 per claim (or £5,000 per insurance year)

Legal Expenses cover - Up to £100,000 cover for legal expenses following an accident that wasn’t your fault or if you need help with a motoring legal dispute

Personal belongings - Cover up to £150

What's optional

Read more about our optional cover

+ RAC Breakdown Cover - You can add RAC Breakdown Cover to your temporary insurance purchase

+ European car insurance cover - If you want to drive your car in the EU, you can add cover for that when you buy your policy

+ Excess Protection - You can add excess protection when you buy your policy. It reimburses any excess charges, if you need to make a claim

What's not covered

Read our full policy requirements

Unattended / keys in ignition - Loss or damage if the vehicle was left unattended with the engine running or the keys in the ignition

Wear and tear - Electrical and mechanical breakdown or gradual deterioration

Loss of value following a repair

Confiscation, requisition, or destruction - By or under order of any government, public or local authority

Courtesy car

Am I eligible for temporary car insurance?

As the driver, you must

be aged 18 to 75 years

hold a full, valid UK driving licence

have a current permanent address

have permission from the vehicle owner to drive it and you’ve agreed to insure it

have had no more than 1 fault claim in the last 12 months

have had no more than 9 penalty points and no disqualifications in the last 12 months

have had no driving offences in the last 3 years starting with the code DR, CD, DD, UT or DG

have had no driving offences in the last 6 months starting with the code IN or CU80

not have any unspent criminal convictions (other than driving offences)

have never been refused insurance or had a policy cancelled

Your vehicle must

be registered in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man

have a current market value of less than £75,000

have no more than 8 seats in total

not be a hire or rental vehicle

not be leased under an agreement of 12 months or less

not be a seized vehicle or in a police compound

not have any engine modifications, body kits or alloy wheels – unless they were carried out for a disabled driver or passenger, or they were fitted at manufacture or were manufacturer optional extras

not be imported from another country through channels other than the maker’s official distribution system

not be a heavy goods vehicle (HGV)

not be over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW)

How do I get temporary car insurance?

Get temporary car insurance and be on the road within 15 minutes
Extend your cover online

Temporary car insurance for multiple drivers

If you need temp cover insurance on someone else’s car for an hour, a day, or even up to 30 days, then our temporary car insurance has you covered. With us, you get comprehensive cover as standard. Our policies can be useful if you and a friend are sharing the driving on a road trip, or a family member is borrowing your car. You can buy cover for 1 hour up to 30 days, but each driver would need their own policy.

Also, if the person insured on your car was to damage it, it wouldn’t affect the vehicle owner's annual insurance policy.

Quick and easy

Why choose RAC Temporary Car Insurance?

RAC’s temp cover is super flexible, from 1 hour to 30 days. Short term cover is also quick and easy to set up.

Our partners Dayinsure have a 4.7-star rating, with over 53,000 reviews on Trustpilot (25/01/2024), and our policies are underwritten by Aviva, the UK’s largest general insurer. And the RAC has been looking after drivers for over 125 years. So you know you’re in safe hands with our short-term car insurance.

person draining oil from under a vehicle

Add RAC Breakdown Cover to your policy when you buy

You can add short term RAC Breakdown cover to your policy. Cover includes roadside assistance, recovery and onward travel.

What are the alternatives to temporary car insurance?

If you’re borrowing someone else’s vehicle, they could add you as a named driver on their policy. Or you could take out an annual policy on another vehicle and cancel it when you no longer need it. However, these options are likely to cost more than temp cover for you or the car owner. And they could impact the owner’s Protected No Claims Discount in the event of a claim by the person driving it.  

Other alternatives include:

  • Temporary van insurance: it could be that you need to borrow a van to move house or transport furniture. Our temporary van insurance works much like our short-term car policy, where you only take cover for the time you need. We also cover motorhomes and campervans.
  • Temporary car insurance for business use: if you need to take a business trip but aren’t covered to use your car for business on your existing annual policy, our temporary car insurance will cover for temporary business use. You can also purchase business breakdown cover from the RAC for longer term usage.
  • Test drive insurance: if you’re buying a car privately and want to test drive it, or if you’re setting up test drives for a car you’re selling, we’ll cover that.

Temporary car insurance explained

Yes, you can. RAC Temporary Car Insurance policies can be bought for as little as 1 hour up to 30 days at a time. If you need more time, you can always top this up online or take out another policy. For example, you could upgrade from one day insurance by extending to temp cover for a week. You can top up to a maximum of 30 days. Once you’ve reached 30 days, you’d need to buy a new policy.

Getting temporary car insurance is quick and easy to do online. You can be covered to drive within 15 minutes. Get a quote.

No. You cannot build up your NCD (No Claims Discount) with temporary car insurance. This is because RAC Temporary Car Insurance is a flat-rate policy for a short, fixed period. You will not, however, affect the no claims of the owner in the case you make a claim.

Yes, that’s not a problem. And if you needed to make a claim on your temporary policy, it won’t affect the no claims discount on your annual policy. You just need to make sure you declare the claim to your annual insurer.

New and experienced drivers can get RAC Temporary Car Insurance as long as you are between the ages of 18 to 75. However, if you are younger than 18 and learning to drive, our learner insurance product may suit your needs. Review our learner driver policy requirements and get a quote.

Drivers under the age of 25 need at least 6 months experience on a full licence, and drivers aged 25+ need at least 3 months experience.

New and experienced drivers can get RAC temporary car insurance as long as you are between the ages of 18 and 75. However, if you are younger than 18 and learning to drive, our learner insurance product may suit your needs. Review our learner driver policy requirements and get a quote.

Yes. Let’s face it, buying a car and insuring it can be expensive for new drivers. So, taking out a short-term car insurance policy to borrow someone else’s car can be a great alternative. Temporary car insurance is quick and easy to set up online and flexible. You can get cover for an hour, or up to 30 days. Under RAC Temporary Car Insurance, drivers must hold a current, valid, full UK driving licence and have done so for at least 6 months (reduced to 3 months if aged over 25).

Yes. You will need to buy our additional cover for Europe (this is an optional extra). Journeys must start and finish within Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man, and cover is only available for cars registered in the UK. We can only provide temporary car insurance for travelling to countries within the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. See the government website for a list of countries.

It’s worth getting European breakdown cover for your trip so you can get help if you break down abroad. The RAC offers the best cover in the market for UK drivers in IrelandFranceSpainItaly or anywhere in Europe.

Yes, as long as you’re not using your vehicle for transporting goods or people for hire or reward (for example, a taxi service or courier).

Our short-term cover is ideal if you’re insuring a car for a few days away at another office or business conference. It’s also a good solution if you only travel for business now and then, as it can be more cost effective than adding business cover to your annual car insurance.

You can’t drive a car to get an MOT without insurance. That is where a temporary car insurance policy could help. You can take out a short-term policy from as little as an hour.

You should check your insurance policy wording if you’re planning to drive a car to a garage without an MOT. Some policies don’t cover this, potentially making your insurance void.

Yes. Just keep in mind that, if you’re taxing your car online, you’ll have to wait for the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to update. We notify the MID of all new insurance policies within 24 hours. It’s still legal for you to drive during these 24 hours – but it’s always worth double-checking that you’ve received and checked your insurance documents.

RAC Temporary Car Insurance can be taken out online and your cover can be active within 15 minutes. Get a quick quote. You can manage the policy in your online account 24/7 and top up if you need more time, up to 30 days maximum.

Yes you can. Also, if you need to make a claim while you have a short term car insurance policy on somebody else's car, their no claims discount won’t be affected.

RAC Temporary Car Insurance can be taken out from as little as an hour up to 30 days. Beyond that you would need to take out a new policy which can easily be done in your online account.

To take out a temporary car insurance policy you need to be a minimum of 18 years old. Drivers aged 18 to 24 are required to have held a full UK licence for a minimum of 6 months, this is reduced to 3 months for drivers 25 and over.

No. You need to hold a full UK driving licence to take out our temporary car insurance.

Temporary car insurance tends to cost more day-by-day than an annual policy. But if you don’t need car insurance for a whole year, then it’s usually much cheaper to just get temporary car insurance for the time you need it.

With RAC Temporary Car Insurance you can get insurance for as little as an hour. Simply click ‘get a quote’ to get started.

With RAC Temporary Car Insurance you can insure a car for just a day, or even just an hour.

You can get temporary car insurance for 2 weeks, or even up to a month, with the RAC.

Yes, for example if you’re getting temporary insurance to cover your car until you’ve arranged a normal insurance policy. But cars have to be insured at all times, unless they have a Statutory Off-Road Notice (SORN). So unless your car has a SORN, you can’t just get temporary car insurance for whenever you drive your car, and leave it uninsured the rest of the time.

Yes – you can get temporary car insurance to:

  • drive someone else’s car (with their permission)
  • insure your car until you arrange full-time insurance
  • insure a car with a SORN (as long as it’s taxed and roadworthy)

Your temporary car insurance policy FAQs

Yes, you can cancel your policy at any time. You’ll be entitled to a full refund of your premium, if you cancel the policy before cover has started. If you cancel the policy after cover has started, you’ll be entitled to a partial refund.

You can extend your temp car insurance policy quickly and easily online. Simply log in to your account to add more time.

Yes, even though our maximum policy length is 30 days you can purchase multiple policies. If you require annual cover then get a quote for RAC Car Insurance by clicking here or call us on 0330 159 1019.

For more information on how to make a claim, see our Existing Customers page. Our claims line provides 24-hour temporary car insurance support. You must contact the police if the car has been stolen or if anyone has been injured as the result of any claim.

We guarantee to update the Motor Insurance Database (MID) every 7 days and in some cases more often, but we recommend always having a copy of your Insurance Certificate with you during the period of cover. You can drive the vehicle legally between the dates and times shown on the insurance certificate issued to you.

RAC Temporary Car Insurance offers fully comprehensive cover. That means you’ll be covered up to the car’s current market value if you need to make a claim. Also, the no claims discount of the vehicle’s owner won’t be affected, so you don’t need to worry about that. Repairs are covered and will be carried out by an approved provider3.

Car insurance cover is declined for several reasons. These could include:

  • your location
  • you may not fit into the age restrictions
  • previous conviction
  • vehicle modifications

No, from 2 August 2021 you don’t need to have a Green Card, please see our Brexit related FAQs page for more information on driving in Europe.

You can find out the expiry date and time of your RAC Temporary Car Insurance policy in your online account.

You can add additional drivers to some annual car insurance policies. You'll need to check with your insurer to see if this is possible.

Please refer to your email from the RAC when you started your policy. If you’re looking to extend your temp cover, please click here to log in and see extension options.

Yes you can. Also, if you need to make a claim while you have a short term car insurance policy on somebody else's car, their no claims discount won’t be affected.

Temp cover gives you the flexibility to pay only for the time you need – whether that's one hour, one day, or one months insurance. If you’ve only paid for a day and need more, no problem. You can top up instantly online to get up to 30 days.

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