The Smart Way to Insure a Car You’re Only Using for a Week

Getting insurance on a car you’ll drive for a few days shouldn’t be that complicated but many people overpay or find themselves running around last minute trying to sort it out. If you need to borrow a mate’s vehicle, go on a test drive before you buy or just need to be covered on a quick trip, there are much better options for doing this than adding yourself onto the annual policy of someone else.

Unfortunately, all car insurance policies require the assumption that you will be driving a specific vehicle for at least one year. This is great for if you have a vehicle of your own but not if you need to be covered for just one week or less.

When You Need Short-Term Cover

There are many instances in which it might be worth your while to seek out short-term car insurance coverage instead of trying to beat the system. The first and most common might involve the situation in which you need to borrow the vehicle of someone else. This may be a friend who has said they’ll lend you their car for the weekend or even a relative who says you can use theirs while they’re out of town. Even if they tell you that you’re covered under their policy, it might not be the case and should there be an accident, you might be stuck sorting out a claim that impacts their no claims history rather than your own.

Another instance in which you might need to be covered short-term is in the instance that you are test driving a vehicle that you might be buying from a private individual. If it’s from a dealer they will usually have trade plates and cover for other drivers. If you are buying it from someone else though, you need your own insurance before you can drive it anywhere. This is another instance in which short-term car insurance will cover you and this is where getting temporary car insurance cover in the UK or nearer to you, comes into play and provides immediate and simple coverage without penalty.

Finally, there are also the situations in which people have to drive another person’s rented vehicle or something else that also requires being covered. In this case, it makes sense to have your own coverage rather than relying on someone else and their coverage.

Why It’s Not Always Wise to Add Yourself on to Someone Else’s Policy

Many people who need short-term coverage think that they can simply add themselves onto the existing policy of another person as an additional driver. While this might work in some situations, it’s not always the best course of action. First, adding another driver onto an insurance policy can increase the premiums of those who are already listed on the policy. For younger drivers especially, this could lead to quite a hefty increase and should not be avoided.

Then there are also the claims. If you’re involved in an accident while driving someone else’s car and you’ve been added to their policy as an additional driver, the claim will ultimately be against that person. This means that the no claim discount is suspended and their premiums will rise. Additionally, they could be left trying to sort out the disaster when someone else was driving their vehicle.

Furthermore, adding another named driver to a vehicle doesn’t happen immediately. It takes time to process and if you need to be driving in the next day or two, it’s not always feasible.  Most temporary insurers can sort this in mere minutes.

What You Want Covered in Short-Term Insurance

Not all temporary car insurance is created equally, so it’s important to know what you want before you sign on to any policy. The first thing that many people want is to know whether the cover that they are going to obtain applies to what they need. Most temporary car insurance policies may only include theft and fire cover as a third party but if you want complete coverage, make sure that this is included in your policy.

You also want to ensure that the insurance is flexible. There are options for many policies that allow them to provide cover for anything from a few hours to a few months which can certainly come in handy if your plans change from what they were originally.

Price will always factor in the price of the insurance but again, the cheapest plan is not always the best. Some insurance providers charge relatively low fees but they can include very high excesses or limited cover that should not be relied upon.

Sorting It Out Rapidly

One of the benefits to sorting out short-term temporary plans rather than trying to add your name to someone else’s insurance policy is that many of these providers can issue a policy very quickly.

Most policies can allow you to do it in just a few minutes online so if you are in a situation where you need to be covered right away, it can be sorted quickly. All you will have to do is enter your driving information and confirm your history and that will be it.

If you need to drive a vehicle right now or even later today but don’t have insurance, it can be sorted out much faster than you might expect!

When Temporary Insurance Is Better Than Annual Insurance

There are numerous reasons why short-term insurance is better than having long-term annual insurance but one of these reasons involves saving money. If you only need insurance for short trips each week or even once a year, then why would you want to pay for an annual plan?

Short-term coverage might not be ideal for every situation or circumstance but if you’re looking for good value without having to commit to a long-term policy, it could be one of the smartest decisions on the market! Just be sure that you are getting enough cover and that policies are aligned with what you desire.