Short Term Car Insurance Information

You can apply 24 hours a day, 52 weeks of the year. Getting a quote takes seconds, then buying a policy should only take a couple of minutes if you have your driving licence (and passport if you are a non-UK resident) and car registration details available.

If you want to book your cover in advance you can do so up to about a month beforehand.

This varies from one insurer to another. If you have a full driving licence policies can last between a single day and at least 84 days but some insurance can cover you for up to 12 weeks on a single policy. If you require longer than this you can apply for another policy straight after the existing one expires.

Hourly policies are not provided here. There is always a chance that journeys can last longer than expected owing to traffic conditions, accidents, changes in plans, or many other unexpected delays, potentially leaving drivers uninsured, so they may not be a good idea. So, 24 hours is a minimum length of cover on offer.

Some providers on the panel provide it as standard, and others may offer it as an optional extra.

This varies from one insurer to another. Check the policy details of your chosen insurer to find out. If it is allowed, then the journey must be a round trip, and begin, and end, in the United Kingdom.

These vary from one car class, insurer, or policy type to another. As a rule of thumb applcants with full licences should be between 21 and 70, and learner drivers from 17 upwards. If in doubt apply for a quote; it will only take a few seconds and you will not have to provide any personally identifying details unless you are offered, and proceed with, a quote.

Yes. Policies for practicing in someone else's car alongside a suitably qualied driver can last for up to three months.

Special car insurance policies are available for cars that are held in police pounds. They last for 30 days and provide more affordable cover that is acceptable to the pound staff, which is third party only.

You can specify that they are sent to you by post if you wish. They will in any case be sent by email.

It may be as well to be able to show that you have insurance cover, either by printing out your downloaded certificate, or by having your mobile phone with you. This is because the Police use information from the Motor Insurer's Database (MID) to check whether or not a motorist is insured and although your policy details will be sent to the MID by the next working day we have no control over how quickly they update their system, although it is normally visible by the next working day. Weekends and holidays can interfere with this schedule though.

If you book your insurance a few days ahead of when you actually need it (you can do so up to a month beforehand) this should not be a problem but having your proof of cover available is still advisable.

Applications are welcome from motoruts with most EU licences as well as those from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In addition to your driving licence, you will need one other official identity document, such as a Passport.

A UK contact address will be necessary. If you are a visitor from abroad or an ex-pat the address of the actual car owner will usually be enough.

If your licence is a full one which was issued in the UK then 6 months may be enough but this depends on the vehicle group of the car you wish to insre, but it may be longer.

If you are a learner with a UK provisional licence then you could be covered as soon as you had received that licence.

If your licence was issued in the EU, EEA or the Commonwealth, then you would need to have held a licence for at least 3 years.

Yes you can apply for cover for a car that doesn't belong to you, provided that you have the owner's express permission to drive it.

No, it is essential that the registration number (numberplate details) are provided before cover can be provided.

No. The car to be insured must be registered, and usually kept, in the UK; and the journey must both begin, and end, in the United Kingdom.

Only UK registered vehicles can be covered and journeys must begin and end in the UK. As a security measure bookings can only be accepted from people who are currently in Britain.

Each insurer has a list of cars that it will insure, which usually includes most modern vehicles. Cover for particularly old, rare or expensive cars may not be available.

To find out if the car you want to be insured is on an insuer's list just apply for a quote and you will find out straight away; it only takes a few seconds.

If optional extras are fitted to the car by the manufacturer, at the time of manufacture, these are OK, as are modifications to comply with the needs of disabled drivers or passengers. Any other modifications, however, whether these are to alter the performance of the car or for purely cosmetic reasons, however, will invalidate the cover.