Is It Possible To Get Short-Term Or Temporary Car Insurance?
Are you borrowing a family member or friend’s car for a short period of time, or are you planning to sell your own car soon?
You may be looking for temporary car insurance that will cover you for just a few days, weeks, or months.
The bottom line is that reputable insurance companies don’t sell temporary car insurance for a short time only. You can generally only buy car insurance as either a six-month or one-year policy.
If you do see advertisements for temporary or short-term car insurance, be sure to research the company well.
There are companies that will market a one-day, one-week, or one-month car insurance policy, however either these companies are not legitimate, or they will be overpriced.
What Is Temporary Insurance Coverage?
A temporary car insurance policy is generally marketed as a car insurance policy that will provide you with temporary auto insurance for a period of one week, two weeks, or one month.
In reality, temporary coverage like this does not exist.
While there are websites that will lure you in with the promise of temporary auto insurance, these companies will likely send you to a regular, licensed insurance agent who can only offer six-month car insurance policies.
If you are in a position where you only need temporary coverage because you do not own the car that you are driving, a non-owner car insurance policy, pay-per-mile policy, or rental car insurance may be your best bet.
How to Get Temporary Car Insurance
Most car insurance companies sell car insurance as six-month or one-year policies. This means that you cannot purchase temporary car insurance coverage on a monthly basis.
What you can do is purchase six months of standard car insurance, which you can then pay for on a month-to-month basis. You would then simply need to pay your standard car insurance policy premium every month.
Should you need to, you can cancel your car insurance policy. If you have paid your car insurance in full, you will be able to request a refund.
When you do cancel, be sure to get a cancellation confirmation number and make a note of the time, date, and representative that you spoke with.
Auto insurance companies will typically not charge you a cancellation fee and will often refund any unearned monthly premiums.
To get cheap car insurance for temporary auto insurance coverage, always get quotes from multiple companies to ensure you’re getting the cheapest car insurance rates.
To begin this process, simply head to the top of this page, insert your zip code and provide us with a few details. We will give you a list of all the insurance companies and their rates for you.
When Would You Typically Need Short-Term Car Insurance?
You’ll find that there are a few cases where you will only need car insurance for a short period of time.
Let’s take a closer look at some scenarios where you would contact your car insurance company to adjust your policy:
Temporary coverage for students
If your child is attending college or university and drives your car often, you will need car insurance for under 25s and not temporary car insurance.
But if they only drive your car when they are back home for summer or winter breaks, then you may be able to adjust your car insurance policy to reflect those needs.
If you remove them from your car insurance while they are at school, remember to add them back on when they are going to be at home.
Be sure to check with your insurance provider about this as some car insurance companies will require all licensed members of a household to be listed on your car insurance policy, even if they don’t use the car frequently or at all.
It’s also a good idea to ask your car insurance company for a discount here. If you call your insurance agent and explain your situation, they may offer you other coverage options that will work out cheaper.
Temporarily adding a driver to your car insurance
If you are loaning your car to a visiting family member, or perhaps even a babysitter, friend, or roommate, you will want to add this person to your car insurance policy.
Although most reputable car insurance companies don’t offer temporary car insurance, they can assist you with car insurance options in these situations.
You will need to contact your car insurance company and provide them with a few details about the driver. This includes their:
- Name.
- Date of birth.
- Gender.
- Social security number (SSN).
- Occupation.
- Driving history (such as traffic tickets or accidents).
- Driver’s license number.
When this person stops using your car regularly, you can then remove them from your insurance policy.
Short-term car insurance for a rental car
If you’re planning on hiring a car from a rental car company, you may need temporary auto insurance to cover you while you have the rental car.
Most rental car companies offer insurance along with their cars, but it is a good idea to check with your own car insurance company to see whether you’ll have enough coverage for a rental car as well.
Your insurance company may not cover a car rented for business purposes. If you’re on a trip for work, you may want to purchase some temporary car insurance from the rental company to cover your needs.
Short-term international car insurance
If you’re planning on traveling overseas, you may need to add a car insurance policy that will cover you when you are driving internationally.
Many major insurers will cover you in selected countries outside of the U.S., but you will need to contact your insurer to find out which countries are covered.
If you are visiting the U.S. from another country, you will need to have temporary car insurance coverage if you are planning on driving.
If you are renting a car, the rental company will provide you with the insurance you need.
However, if you are borrowing the car of a friend or family member, you will need to buy an insurance policy from an American car insurer.
Placing your vehicle in storage
If you will be placing your car in storage for a few months, temporary car insurance may be a good option for you.
It is important to remember that even though your car is in storage, it could still be at risk for theft or damage, which your comprehensive insurance will cover.
You may also need to check with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in your state, as they may require you to maintain your liability insurance. Their alternative may be for you to deregister your car and surrender your license plates.
Temporary car insurance for driving test
If you are a permit driver and you’re learning to drive, your car insurance needs should be covered by your parent or spouse’s policy.
The car that you take your driving test in should be insured, so in most cases, there will be no need to purchase additional car insurance.
Short-term insurance for car sharing services
Because you are temporarily converting your private vehicle to a commercial car, insurers will treat your insurance needs differently than if you were only driving your car for personal reasons.
You can check with your DMV about the laws that apply to services such as Lyft and Uber to see how you need to be covered if you are offering a ridesharing service.
Your car insurance company will also be able to advise you of your auto insurance options when using your car for this purpose.
Is Non-Owner Coverage an Alternative to Temporary Auto Insurance?
If you don’t own a car, and therefore tend to drive cars that aren’t yours, non-owner car insurance will provide you with both bodily injury and property damage liability coverage.
These fall under the banner of liability car insurance, which is mandatory in most states.
Because liability insurance covers you and not the car, you will always be covered regardless of who the car that you are driving belongs to.
Non-owner car insurance will save you money in the long run. If you buy traditional car insurance and you are not driving a car every day or don’t own one, then your car insurance will be more expensive than if you buy non-owner car insurance.
If you are living with someone and use their car regularly, then you would need to be listed on their car insurance policy.
An insurer may refuse to cover an accident if you are not listed on the policy of the car owner that you live with, even if you do have a non-owner car insurance policy.
Always be aware that non-owner car insurance is a secondary coverage. This means that it only kicks in if the main insurance policy, which is held by the car’s owner, is not sufficient to cover any damages.
Why Auto Insurance Companies Do Not Like Short-Term Car Insurance Policies
Most reputable national and regional car insurance companies will not offer short-term car insurance policies.
The reason for this is because the risks of offering temporary coverage outweigh the benefits of selling this type of coverage.
Insurance companies pool the resources of all members to pay for any unforeseen events that may occur with a single member.
In other words, if you are involved in an accident, the chances are that the damages will exceed the premium contributions that you have made to your insurance company.
Insurance companies do their best to protect the financial interests of the members of their company and to ensure that there are funds available when the time comes to claim.
Pay-Per-Mile Insurance as an Alternative to Short-Term Car Insurance Coverage
If you were looking for temporary car insurance because you do not drive very often, you may benefit from getting pay-per-mile insurance.
Pay-per-mile insurance policies include a base rate that enables your coverage, plus a small fee per mile that you drive.
If you do drive a longer distance, the insurance company will cap your miles and will not charge you for any distance beyond that cap.
If you feel that pay-per-mile car insurance coverage is not the ideal option for you, you can also enquire about a low-mileage discount from your insurance company.
Get Cheap Car Insurance Coverage for Your Vehicle Today with CheapInsurance.com
Whether you are looking for temporary car insurance, non-owner car insurance, or pay-per-mile car insurance, finding a good car insurance rate is essential.
At CheapInsurance.com, we recommend that you compare as many insurance quotes as possible, regardless of the type of insurance coverage you need.
But getting the best insurance for your car can be hard work. Fortunately, we are here to help you find the car insurance coverage you need—at the best possible price.
All you need to do is head to the top of this page, enter your zip code, and answer a few short questions about your driving habits, requirements, and history. We will then provide you with a wide selection of insurance quotes to choose from.
Once you have an idea of the auto insurance premiums that you could be paying, contact the insurers that are offering you the cheapest rates to get a formal quote.
Getting car insurance should be quick, simple, and stress-free, and you deserve to get the best insurance rates possible.
At CheapInsurance.com, we’ve got you covered!
