Temporary Car Insurance

  • Short term cover: 1 hr to 30 days
  • Get covered within minutes

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Temporary Car Insurance

Borrowing a car? Sharing the driving? Taking a trip for work?

Temporary car insurance is a flexible way to cover a car, van or motorhome for just a short time. With us, you’re covered almost instantly – and 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

Available for 1 hour to 30 days. And add extra hours online if you need them.  

Quick and easy

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

Fully comprehensive

You’re covered for loss, theft, fire or vandalism – for leisure or business use†

How to get covered

It takes minutes to apply for our short-term car insurance. And once it’s sorted, you can manage your policy online 24/7.

1. Tell us about you and the car you want to insure
2. Add the date and time you need your cover to start and finish
3. Option to upgrade your policy with RAC Breakdown Cover or cover in Europe
4. Download your certificate of insurance immediately – and you’re good to go
 

Get a quote 

What’s included with temporary car insurance?

What's covered

  •  Loss, theft, fire or vandalism
  •  Legal liability if another person is injured or dies, or their property’s damaged
  •  Damage to the insured vehicle in the event of an accident
  •   New car replacement
  •   Accident recovery and an approved repair service
  •  Legal expenses cover up to £100,000

What's optional

  • + RAC Breakdown Cover
    RAC Breakdown assistance with Onward Travel options
  • + European car insurance cover
    Comprehensive cover while you’re on the road in the EU
  • + Excess Protection
    So you're not out of pocket if you need to make a claim
  • Read more about our optional cover

Looking for Learner Car Insurance? Take a look at our cover for provisional drivers
 

Are you eligible?

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

Read our full policy requirements here

Get a quote 

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 or 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 of 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 cover 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW)
  • have an engine size of 3999c or less

Read our full policy requirements here

Get a quote 

A provider you can trust

Our partners Dayinsure have a 4.8-star rating on Trustpilot. And we’ve been looking after drivers for over 120 years. So you know you’re in safe hands.

What is temporary car insurance for?

There are all sorts of reasons where short-term car insurance is a useful option. Here are a few examples.
 
  • Borrowing a car – so you can use your parents’ car while you’re home from university, or you’re car sharing with a colleague for a short while
  • Sharing the driving – if you’re planning a road trip and want to share the driving. 
  • Moving house – if you’re borrowing a van to move house or furniture.
  • Getting your new car home – so you can drive it from a garage, auction or private seller.
  • Taking a test drive – to have cover while you’re test driving an unfamiliar car.
  • Business use – if you need to use your personal vehicle for occasional short business trips.
  • Bridging the gap – if you’re in between annual car insurance policies and need cover for a few days.
 

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.

Get a quote

Temporary Car Insurance Explained

Q. Can I get temporary insurance if I already have an annual policy?
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.
Q. Can I insure myself on someone else’s car?
Yes. If you need to insure yourself on someone else’s car for an hour, a day, or even up to 30 days, temporary car insurance is ideal. With us, you get comprehensive cover as standard.
Q. Can someone else insure themselves on my car?

Yes. Someone else can insure themselves on your car with temporary car insurance. It can be useful if you and a friend are sharing the driving on a road trip, or a family member is borrowing your car. They can buy cover for 1 hour up to 30 days.

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

Q. Can I get temporary car insurance when learning to drive?

No. RAC Temporary Car Insurance only covers qualified drivers who have held a full and valid driving licence for over a year. Read our full requirements for temporary car insurance.

If you only have a provisional licence, you can get RAC Learner Driver Insurance for your car or a friend or family member’s car. Cover is available from 2 hours to 5 months.

Q. Can I tax my car with a short-term certificate?
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.
Q. Can I get RAC Temporary Car Insurance for more than 30 days?
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 or call us on 0330 159 1019.
Q. Does temporary car insurance cover business use?

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 then adding business cover to your annual car insurance.

Q. Will I build up my no claims discount with temporary car insurance?
No. RAC Temporary Car Insurance is a flat-rate policy for a short, fixed period. This means you won’t build up any no claims discount on this policy, even if you don’t make a claim.
Q. Can I use temporary insurance to drive in Europe?
Only if you 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.
Q. Will I need a Green Card to drive in Europe?
Yes. For full details on the requirements for Green Cards, please see the detailed list of FAQs on our Brexit page.
Q. I’m driving less miles now, could I be saving on my car insurance?
If you drive under 6,000 miles a year and are over 21 Pay by Mile car insurance may save you money. Every driver and vehicle combination is unique so we can’t promise it'll be cheaper but you could be paying as little as 4p per mile. If your mileage increases, then you can cancel the policy at any point. Don’t worry, there are no cancellation fees. Get a quick quote and find out if you could save.
Find out more

Find out how to amend your policy, make a claim, and obtain proof of insurance

  

Both short-term Breakdown cover and European driving cover is available when you buy Temporary Car Insurance

  

Unsure if you need to insure your temporary car for business use? Read more about when and why you need business use cover for your car.

  

RAC Temporary Car Insurance protects your vehicle with pay as you go comprehensive cover from 1 hour up to 30 days

  

RAC Learner Driver Insurance offers flexible, short term cover whilst you gain experience behind the wheel. Buy comprehensive cover online 24/7

  

RAC Test Drive Insurance offers cover from 1 hour to 30 days for drivers looking to test drive a vehicle. Buy cover online 24/7

  
We also offer

Our comprehensive Car Insurance Plus is packed with features and benefits and has a Defaqto 5 Star Rating.

  

Motorbike Insurance UK from the RAC, bringing competitive motorcycle insurance quotes online with the optional extra of Motorbike Breakdown Cover for your quote.

  

Black Box Insurance saves new and young drivers money by rewarding safe driving.

  

Specialist insurance for your classic car with free agreed value cover at no extra cost.

  

Protect yourself from unexpected costs when hiring a car. Daily cover from the equivalent of £2.99††

  

RAC's Legal Care Plus Protection for just £15 a year is there to provide the cover you’ll need if you’re involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault.

  

Multi-car breakdown cover enables you to get breakdown cover for several vehicles under one policy.

  

How does Brexit affect RAC Car Insurance customers? Our handy guide explains what you need to do and when.

  

Provides van drivers with short term cover for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Cover from 1 hour to 30 days.

  

A new kind of car insurance for lower mileage drivers.

  
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03 numbers are charged at national call rates and included in inclusive minute plans from landlines and mobiles. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded.

† Excludes use for hire or reward, such as couriers or taxi drivers.

††Based on UK resident buying a single trip policy to cover 10 days car rental in Europe.

RAC Financial Services Limited act as an introducer to Dayinsure.com Ltd for RAC Day Insurance. RAC Financial Services Limited is registered in England No. 5171817. Registered Office: RAC House, Brockhurst Crescent, Walsall WS5 4AW. RAC Day Car Insurance is arranged and administered by Dayinsure.com Ltd, which is registered in England no. 4996289, registered office: Mara House, Tarporley Business Centre, Nantwich Road, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 9UY. Both companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. RAC Day Insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland, No 2116. Registered Office: Pitheavlis, Perth PH2 0NH. Aviva Insurance Limited are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
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