Short term car insurance (also called temporary or temp car insurance) covers you for a limited period — hours, days or weeks — without a 12-month contract. InstantCover offers short period cover from 1 hour to 28 days with an online quote.
What is short term car insurance?
Short term car insurance is motor cover sold for a fixed, limited duration. Unlike annual insurance, you choose how long you need — for example 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week or up to 28 days.
UK drivers also search for short term insurance, short time car insurance, short period car insurance and temporary car insurance. They all describe flexible cover for a specific need.
When short term cover is the right choice
Short term policies suit drivers who:
- Borrow a car for a day or a week
- Need cover while arranging annual insurance
- Collect or deliver a vehicle
- Want legal driving without adding a named driver to someone else’s policy
Short term vs hourly, daily and weekly
Short term is the umbrella term. Within it, hourly car insurance fits a few hours, 1 day car insurance fits a single day, and weekly car insurance fits about seven days. Pick the shortest option that covers your plans.
How InstantCover short term insurance works
Enter the registration, confirm licence details, choose start time and duration, then pay online. Cover documents are issued digitally. SDP and business use are available on temporary car policies; hire and reward is excluded.
Does short term insurance affect no claims?
A claim on this standalone temporary policy is handled on InstantCover cover and typically does not touch the No Claims Discount on a separate annual policy. Always check your documents.