When might you need temporary car insurance?

Simon Wells
Authored by Simon Wells
Posted: Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - 20:37

With one car registered for every two people in the UK, around 20 million households have motor insurance in the UK. Given the number of drivers, and the number of cars sitting in driveways for much of the week, this represents millions of pounds in car insurance which could be staying in consumers’ pockets.  Temporary car insurance is an often-overlooked method of insuring yourself, with many different use cases and the potential to save you lots of money in the process. But what is temporary car insurance?

In essence, temporary car insurance refers to a kind of car insurance policy, with a shorter span than standard car insurance policies which may last from six months to a year at a time. Temporary car insurance policies enable you to get covered for a given vehicle, for any number of potential situations, for a specified period of time. They are flexible, and allow you to pick exactly when you’d like to be insured for – saving you valuable money on insurance coverage for times you might not be driving anything. But when exactly could these kinds of policy be useful?

Moving House

If you’ve arranged to move house, and you’re tackling the removal and delivery of your belongings yourself – that is, without the help of a removal or man-and-van service – you’ll probably be hiring or borrowing a van to carry out that removal. Temporary car insurance would be incredibly useful here, to give you short-term cover and hence peace of mind in driving a vehicle you might not be otherwise familiar with – whether a van, larger vehicle or larger car with a roof rack installed.

Going on a Road Trip

If you have a long-haul trip planned with friends or family, temporary car insurance could be a vital purchase for you. You are likely to be sharing the trip between several drivers, meaning that insurance will be required to cover the drivers not on the insurance plan for the car in question – whether a rental, or belonging to one of the drivers. Temporary car insurance allows you all to get covered for the trip, without having to amend an annual insurance plan or add costs to rental fees.

Using Your Personal Car for Business

You might find yourself in a position where you’re using your personal vehicle for work-related purposes, whether transporting materials, visiting clients or carrying business out from it. Your personal insurance plan might not cover some of these business activities, meaning you could be liable for a costly bill if something were to go wrong while carrying them out. Temporary car insurance can cover you for things not currently on your insurance plan for a short-term basis, enabling you to drive safe in the knowledge you’re covered for the time being.

Coming Home for the Holidays

If you’re a student, heading back home after a semester of study and hoping to get around in the family car, temporary car insurance may be your best bet for doing so. Staying on the car’s annual insurance plan can be extremely costly, especially if you’re only using that car for several days out of the year. Taking out a temporary car insurance plan means you’ll be covered only for the time you use the car, saving you and your family money and giving you the freedom to use the car whenever you need.

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