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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
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.
- Mileage: the fewer miles you drive, the less likely you’ll be in an accident and need to make a claim on your temporary car insurance.
- 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 prices** are a guide:
Hourly car insurance | Day car insurance | Weekly car insurance |
| 1 hour £18.48 | 1 day £30.26 | 1 week £92.86 |
| 2 hours £19.24 | 2 days £46.30 | 2 weeks £124.33 |
| 3 hours £21.58 | 3 days £59.08 | 3 weeks £159.37 |
| 4 hours £24.22 | 6 days £87.43 | 4 weeks £186.55 |
Looking for learner car insurance? Take a look at our cover for provisional driver's insurance |
What's included with temporary car insurance?
Everything you'd expect from an annual car insurance policy. Business^ and leisure usage are included as standard. Whilst your policy is temporary, your cover is comprehensive.
Loss, theft, fire or vandalism
Child seat replacement
Replacement locks
New car replacement
Of the same make, model and specification~
Accident recovery
And an approved repair service*
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
Read our full policy requirements
+ 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
Read more about our optional cover
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
Read our full policy requirements
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. You can also add a person to your car insurance in the short term with temporary additional driver 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.
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 on Trustpilot (02/11/2022) and our policies are underwritten by Aviva, the UK’s largest general insurer. And the RAC has been looking after drivers for over 120 years. So you know you’re in safe hands with our short-term car insurance.
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
Q. How long can temporary insurance last?
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.
Q. How long does it take to get temporary car insurance?
Getting temporary car insurance is quick and easy to do online. You can be covered to drive within 15 minutes.
Q. Will I build up my no claims discount with temporary car insurance?
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
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. How old do you have to be to get RAC Temporary Car Insurance
New and experienced drivers can get RAC Temporary Car Insurance as long as you are between the ages of 18 to 75.
Q. Can I get temporary car insurance when learning to drive?
New and experienced drivers can get RAC temporary car insurance as long as you are between the ages of 18 and 75.
Q. Can new drivers get temporary car insurance?
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).
Q. Can I drive to Europe when I’m temporarily covered?
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.
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 than adding business cover to your annual car insurance.
Q. Can I take out insurance for my MOT?
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.
Q. Can I tax a car with temporary insurance?
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 insure a car instantly?
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.
Q. Can you get temporary car insurance on a car that's already insured?
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.
Q. How long can temporary insurance last?
RAC Temporary Car Insurance can be taken out from as little as an hour up 30 days. Beyond that you would need to take out a new policy which can easily be done in your online account.
Q. How long do you have to be driving to get temp insurance?
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.
Q. Can you get temporary car insurance on a provisional licence?
No. You need to hold a full UK driving licence to take out our temporary car insurance.
Q. Is temporary car insurance more expensive?
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.
Q. How do I insure a car for 1 hour?
With RAC Temporary Car Insurance you can get insurance for as little as an hour. Simply click ‘get a quote’ to get started.
Q. Can I insure a car for just one day?
With RAC Temporary Car Insurance you can insure a car for just a day, or even just an hour.
Q. Can I insure a car for 2 weeks?
You can get temporary car insurance for 2 weeks, or even up to a month, with the RAC.
Q. Can I get temporary car insurance without main insurance?
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.
Q. Can students get temporary car insurance?
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
Q. Can I cancel my policy?
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.
Q. How do I extend my insurance policy?
You can extend your temp car insurance policy quickly and easily online. Simply log in to your account to add more time.
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. How does the claims process work?
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.
Q. Does temporary car insurance show up on ASKMID?
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.
Q. What happens if I have an accident while I’ve got temporary cover?
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 provider*.
Q. Why have I been declined cover?
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
Q. Will I need a Green Card to drive in Europe?
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.
Q. How do I find out my temporary car insurance expiry date?
You can find out the expiry date and time of your RAC Temporary Car Insurance policy in your online account.
Q. How do I add a temporary driver to my car insurance?
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.
Q. How do I find out my car insurance expiry date?
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.
Q. Can I get temporary car insurance on a car that’s already insured?
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.
Q. How does temp cover work?
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.
