What is temporary car insurance?
Temporary car insurance is flexible, short-term cover that lets you drive a car for short periods of time. It can be helpful for when you’re borrowing a vehicle or learning to drive.
Your temporary car insurance policy is standalone, so it won’t affect the car owner’s usual insurance. If you needed to make a claim, their no claims discount would stay protected.
We’ve partnered with Dayinsure – specialists in short-term car cover – to bring you comprehensive temporary car insurance that gives you complete peace of mind® for as long as you need it. Get on the road in just 15 minutes, with instant proof of cover from the moment your policy starts. You can get temp insurance for just an hour or up to 30 days. And you can extend it easily if you need cover for longer.
If you need insurance several times a year, or for more than 30 days, our standard annual car insurance may be a better option.
Why choose RAC short-term car insurance?
Comprehensive
You’re fully covered with a temporary car insurance policy – for leisure or business use.1
Quick and easy
Get covered within 15 minutes. Or buy up to 28 days in advance.
Claim confidently
Making a claim on your temporary cover won’t affect the vehicle owner’s No Claims Discount.*
Flexible temporary car insurance: from 1 hour to 30 days
Short-term car insurance gives you complete flexibility. You can get one day car insurance, a policy for one week, or short‑term cover for up to a month.
Hourly insurance
Test drive: hourly car insurance for if you’re planning a test drive or driving your new car home.
Day insurance
Road trip: one day car insurance so you can share the driving for a personal or business trip.
Weekly insurance
Occasional use: weekly insurance to borrow your parents' car for a visit home or a short road trip.
Monthly insurance
Extended use: monthly insurance to borrow a car for a summer break, gap between cars, or long work project.
How much is temporary car insurance?
The cost of short-term car insurance will depend on your situation and vehicle. Things like your location and policy duration can make a difference. Also, your type of car and driving history can impact how much you pay for temporary car insurance.
Prices from:
Hourly car insurance
1 hour – £15.72
2 hours – £16.33
3 hours – £18.99
4 hours – £20.99
Day car insurance
1 day – £23.99
2 days – £32.87
3 days – £38.99
4 days – £44.99
On average, save up to 66% when you choose a 7-day policy vs 7 x 1-day policies^
Weekly car insurance
1 week – £56.99
2 weeks – £81.99
3 weeks – £96.99
4 weeks – £108.99
^10% of customers purchasing an RAC Temporary Car Insurance policy direct from dayinsure.com between 01/05/25 and 31/10/25, paid the above prices for the corresponding durations. This is based on new customer's base premium when buying cover and excludes optional extras. Premium depends on individual circumstances and the level of cover chosen.
Product information is based on policies underwritten by Aviva. Dayinsure also offer policies with Mulsanne, and cover may differ. Please ensure cover levels meet your needs. If you want to read more about what's covered read the full insurance policy document.
What our customers are saying
We partner with Dayinsure to bring you short‑term cover – and they’re rated 4.7 from more than 60,000 reviews on Trustpilot (25/03/26). Here’s what drivers think of their service.
When could you use short-term car insurance?
Test-driving or buying a new car
Temporary car insurance can be important if you’re looking to buy a new car.
If you’re buying from a private owner, make sure you have temporary cover in place for your test drive. And if you’re buying from a car dealer, make sure their insurance covers test drives.
Learner drivers also need their own insurance to test-drive a car. Check to see if you’re covered by the seller or supervising driver’s policy.
If not, you can get temporary car insurance in as little as 15 minutes.
Learner driver
Learner driver insurance allows learners to practice driving a vehicle outside of their regular lessons. It’s flexible, so you can buy it for just one day, or up to five months. And the good news is, it protects the car’s owner too. If an accident does happen, there’s no impact on the main driver’s no claims discount.
Temporary van insurance
Temporary van insurance gives you flexible cover for short-term trips in a van. You might be renting a van to move house, or want to share driving duties on a motorhome or caravan holiday. Either way, you can get insured without needing an annual policy. Cover from as little as one hour, to as much as 30 days.
Moving house
Temporary car insurance can be useful when moving house. If you need to hire a bigger car or van, it gives you the flexibility to insure the vehicle for just the hours or days you need it. This means you can safely and legally drive a car large enough to move your belongings.
Temporary car insurance for business use
Do you have to travel to multiple places of work? Check that your normal car insurance policy covers you for business use. This could include driving between offices or to visit clients. If not, get temporary business car insurance for your trip.
Who is eligible for a temporary car insurance policy?
To qualify for a temporary car insurance policy, both the driver and the vehicle must meet specific criteria.
As the driver, you must
have a current permanent address in the UK
hold a current, valid, full GB driving licence and have done so for at least 6 months (3 months if aged over 25)
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 & reward 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)
What’s covered in RAC Temporary Car Insurance?
RAC short term insurance provides fully comprehensive cover for the vehicle you're driving, meaning all you need to do is pick your duration and you can be on the road within 15 minutes. There are certain things that are and aren't covered regardless of duration – check these out below:
What's covered
Loss, theft, fire or vandalism
RAC Temporary Car Insurance is comprehensive cover, so you’re insured for repairs or a replacement.2
Child seat replacement
If you make a claim the cost of your child seat will be covered, even if there’s no apparent damage.
Replacement locks
If your keys are lost or stolen, you’ll be covered for the cost of replacing the locks on the insured vehicle.
New car replacement
If your car’s written off or seriously damaged during your policy, you’ll get a replacement of the same make, model and specification.2
Accident recovery
After an accident, we’ll recover and repair your vehicle through an approved repair network.3
Legal liability
If another person is injured or dies, or their property’s damaged, you’ll be protected against legal liability.
Personal accident
If you or your partner is seriously injured while driving, you’ll get financial protection up to £2,500 per claim (or £5,000 per insurance year).
Personal belongings
Any personal items lost during your policy are covered up to £150, giving you extra peace of mind.
Protects the owner's No Claims Discount*
Claims on your temporary car insurance policy won’t impact the vehicle owner’s no Claims Discount on their main car insurance policy.
What's not covered
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
Damage to tyres by braking or by punctures, cuts or bursts
Driving the car without a valid, full GB driving licence
Product information is based on policies underwritten by Aviva. Dayinsure also offer policies with Mulsanne, and cover may differ. Please ensure cover levels meet your needs – read the full policy requirements.
What our expert says
"If you're on a short trip, temporary car insurance is one of the best and cheapest ways to keep you covered. It's quick to set up, flexible, and means you only have to pay for the days you need. Perfect for borrowing a car, road trips, or occasional driving."
Insurance Expert
Optional extras for temporary car insurance
We want your cover to be tailored to exactly what you need so there are a few optional extras that you can add to make sure it's perfect:
RAC Breakdown Cover
Give yourself peace of mind when on the road with our 5-Star Defatqo breakdown cover. We'll come out to you if you run into any complications on your short-term trip.
European car insurance cover
Planning a short road trip in Europe? You can get car insurance that covers travel in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. This means you’re protected if you have an accident.
Excess protection
Reimbursement for any excess charges, if you need to make a claim during your short-term trip with our excess protection.
Still not sure? Find answers to your questions
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, 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 guarantee to update the MID every 7 days and, in some cases, more often. It’s still legal for you to drive during this period – but it’s always worth double-checking that you’ve received and checked your insurance documents.
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.
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.
You can get temporary cover for more than one driver, but you need a policy for each person. Every driver who isn’t on the owner’s policy needs their own temporary car insurance policy.
As soon as your temporary car insurance policy starts, you’ll get instant proof of cover.
You will need the vehicle owner’s permission before taking out a temporary car insurance policy on their vehicle.
More about your 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.
Note: If Excess Protection is purchased no refund is given on that part of the policy if cancelled.
You can extend your temp car insurance policy quickly and easily online. Simply log in to your account to extend your policy.
If you didn’t create an account when you bought your policy, you can still extend it by clicking ‘manage policy and view documents’ in your email confirmation and following the steps online.
Please note: Extensions are only available for policies underwritten by Aviva.
The Motor Insurance Database (MID) will be updated 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.
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.
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Page reviewed by: David Buxton
Last updated 01/04/26