List of temp car insurance companies

Getting insurance cover for a short period has become increasingly popular because of the flexibility that it offers. So whether you're looking to get insured on a car you've borrowed for the day, looking for driveaway insurance or just want to get cover for a couple of days rather than committing to a long term contract, temporary car insurance is the way to go.

Insurers that do short term car insurance

1. InsureDaily.co.uk (21-75)
2. Swinton (provided through providentinsurance.co.uk / 21-75)
3. Aviva (23 or over) - restrictions may apply
4. DayInsure.com (23 minimum but that may change depending on vehicle)
5. TempCover.com (24-75)
6. DayCover.com (24-75)
7. DailyCover.co.uk (24-75)
8. eCarInsurance.co.uk (25-75)

As you can see above, there are not that many insurers at the moment. You may come across other websites which offer short term insurance but from what I've seen, they either redirect to one of the insurers listed above or are just a search panel which would try to get quotes for the same ones listed above.

Drivers' Eligibility for Temporary Insurance

• You have a full driver's licence which is still valid (for a minimum of 1 year)-(Australian or USA/Canadian licences are unacceptable)
• You are aged 21 - 75 years
• You have no more than 6 penalty points on your licence in the last 3 years
• You have not been disqualified from driving in the last 5 years
• You have not had more than one fault claim in the last 3 years

Vehicle Criteria for Short Period Insurance

• The vehicle to be covered has not been modified, has no more than 8 seats in total, is registered in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man
• You don't plan to use the vehicle for carrying passengers or goods for hire or reward.
• You require cover for a vehicle which you would be permitted to drive using a standard full UK licence
• The minimum market value of the vehicle to be insured is £1,500
• The maximum amount payable under this policy in respect of loss or damage to the vehicle is £40,000

Most of the insurers use the above criteria to see if a driver is eligible for coverage for the vehicle he wants to drive but some of them may use slightly different criteria though. Nevertheless the problem that many face is that no cover is available for young drivers under 21. It is not that they are being quoted high premiums but they are being refused car insurance at all. Under these circumstances, what younger drivers can do is ask someone else who qualifies for temp cover to get the policy and drive instead. Although this is not a solution as such, it is better than driving without insurance and getting caught as this will have detrimental effects for the convicted driver afterwards such as increased in premiums, points on licence and fines to pay.