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.
Find out more about our breakdown cover
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 the same day, within 15 minutes.
Temp cover 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 one day car insurance and need more, no problem.
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.
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, or short-term insurance, allows you to drive a car for a short period of time, without needing to take out an annual insurance policy.
Can I get temporary car insurance on a friend's car?
Yes, 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 are our average prices4:
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?
Our short-term car insurance offers you the flexibility you need for whatever your situation.
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 covered in our temporary car insurance?
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
Read our full policy requirements.
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
Read our full policy requirements.
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?
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.
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
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.
Yes, new drivers can get temporary car insurance. This is a great option for those looking to borrow a car, take over driving on a long trip or just get some more practice in.
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 Ireland, France, Spain, Italy or anywhere in Europe.
In most cases, you can't insure a car without a valid MOT. And driving an uninsured car, even to get an MOT, is illegal. Thankfully, you can get temporary car insurance for short periods. Even if it’s just for an hour to drive your car to the garage for its MOT. But check your temporary insurance policy carefully. Some might not cover driving to the garage without an MOT – making your insurance invalid.
Yes, you can get your car taxed with temporary insurance. 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.
Yes, temporary insurance will begin immediately once you’ve taken it out. This process usually takes 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.
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.
Yes. You don’t need another insurance policy to be eligible for temporary insurance – 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.
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.
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.
You’ll be covered in the case of any crashes or damage to the vehicle up to the car’s current market value. 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.
When you're declined temporary car insurance, it's usually because of a few things. It might be because of where you live or not meeting age rules. It could also involve past convictions or modifying your car.
Also, if your previous car insurance got cancelled, other insurance companies may say no to covering you.
The quickest way to find out when your RAC Temporary Car Insurance expires is by checking your online account.
To find out when your car insurance expires, you can also check your policy documents or insurance certificate. Or in your emails for e-receipts.
No, you can’t add an additional driver to your temporary car insurance. If you want to add an additional driver, they will have to take out a separate policy.
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.
