Temporary van insurance

If you want to borrow a friend or family member’s car or you’re only looking to drive a car as a one-off, temporary car insurance can be a good option.

You might find temporary car insurance useful in the following situations:

• you are learning to drive in a family member’s or friend’s car
• you are borrowing a parent’s car while home from university
• you are using a courtesy car and you want more than third party cover
• you are borrowing someone else’s car to help you move home
• you’re borrowing a friend’s car while waiting for yours to be repaired
• you’re driving your new car home and haven’t yet arranged annual car insurance
• you only drive occasionally, for example if you own a classic car which you don’t use all the time.

Most short-term car insurance policies will include fully comprehensive cover as standard. However, some insurers may be able to offer third party or third party, fire and theft cover.

Comprehensive cover will normally include:

• loss or damage caused by vandalism, theft or fire
• damage to the car in an accident
• accident recovery and repair
• legal cover in case of death or injury to other people
• legal cover for damage to other people's cars or property

Fully comprehensive cover means you have cover for any damage and theft of the car you are driving as well as for any damage you cause to a third-party, their vehicle or their property. This can provide peace of mind, particularly if you don’t own the car you’re driving.

You will need some form of insurance in order to legally drive your car away from the point of purchase. A temporary car insurance policy can allow you to get insured for the day or until you've had a chance to get a longer-term policy.

Temporary car insurance policies are available from just 1 hour to 28 days.

Insurers that offer short-term car insurance will usually offer cover to drivers between the ages of 17 and 78.

To compare temporary car insurance and buy a policy you will need permission from the car owner. You will also need the following information:

• the car’s registration number or details of the make and model
• personal details including your name and address.

As a standalone policy, short-term car insurance shouldn’t impact the no claims discount of any annual insurance the vehicle owner or the car driver has.

Temporary insurance can be a more cost-effective option as you’re only paying for the time you need. On a day-by-day basis, it’s unlikely to be cheaper than an annual policy but you won’t need it for 365 days and therefore it’s often cheaper for a few days or weeks.

Most short-term car insurance policies will allow you to bolt on additional cover for an extra cost. This could include:

• Legal expenses cover - provides cover for legal costs including uninsured loss recovery for a incident that wasn’t your fault
• Excess reduction - reduce the amount you have pay if you have to make a claim

It will depend on the insurer but many do provide cover to drive in Europe at third-party or local equivalent. This could be a good option if your existing car insurance policy doesn't cover you to drive in Europe. Make sure that any temporary policy covers you to drive in Europe to the level you need.

Yes, you can get temporary car insurance policies that cover you for business use, though you'll need to check before buying your policy.

Most insurers also apply limitations on the value of the car, but you should be able to cover a vehicle worth up to £65,000.

If you have points on your driving licence, previous motoring convictions or a history of several insurance claims, you might find it difficult, or more expensive, to get temporary insurance cover, but different insurers have different acceptance criteria which you may find can cover you.

Yes, you can get temporary van insurance that works exactly the same as temporary car insurance - this can be useful when moving home.