Temporary Car Insurance

Over the last few years, temporary car insurance has become extremely popular because drivers have recognised that they now are more at risk on the roads with the ever increasing number of vehicles and careless drivers, so driving without appropriate cover is a big NO-NO. Consequently the number of companies offering this type of insurance cover has increased and this has made getting cheaper quotes easier than ever.

With a larger pool of insurers providing car insurance for temporary needs, the competition has really increased and all companies are fighting to attract new customers. This means that the short term car insurance quote that each company provides is likely to be very competitive so that they are able to lure customers into purchasing from them, otherwise they will be losing their potential clients to their rivals. And that's not something which businesses like to do! Therefore, cheap temporary car insurance can be obtained if you shop around properly.

Benefits of a policy which runs on a temporary basis

There are times when longer car insurance policies (annual contracts) do not make much sense like when you need a one day car insurance cover to drive your aunt's car over the weekend. Such situations arise more often than you can probably think and a short car insurance contract is more suited then. Other circumstances where temp cover is great are when you go to test drive a car, borrowing somebody else's car to help you move out or any situation where you need to drive a car on which you are not currently insured.

Restrictions of the short term car insurance policy

Unfortunately, not everyone qualifies for the 1-28 days car insurance scheme. If you are under 21, temporary car insurance is not for you yet because there are no companies at the moment which are willing to insure young drivers falling into your age group.

You will also need to have held your full driving licence for at least a year. This is rather unfair and discriminating against younger drivers. First these young drivers face higher premiums when they set out to insure their cars and now they are being deprived of temporary insurance cover because of their age!

It leaves us to think about the flaws in this rigid and unfocused motoring & insurance law system here in the UK, doesn't it? As a matter of fact, it encourages young people, who are not over 21 yet, to drive without car insurance.

List of companies offering temp cover

• Tempcover Ltd
• eCar Short Term Insurance
• Aviva
• InsureDaily

Don't run the risk of being stopped by the police for not having an adequate level of insurance cover whilst driving but try to get some quotes in first. You might be surprised to see the quotes are quite affordable.

If not, ask yourself what you're putting at stake for not buying the policy and whether it justifies the costs. You may not be worried about incurring points on your licence but there's a fine to pay and if you have an accident that was your fault, you could be liable for all the damages done and end up spending a lot more than what the temporary car insurance was going to cost you. Therefore think well!