What is Temporary Car Insurance Policy?
You are residing in the UK and own a four-wheeler? Perhaps you have heard about ‘Temporary Car Insurance’ and want to know more about it. It is also referred to as ‘short-term auto insurance’ and offered to car owners in certain conditions. You cannot drive any vehicle without valid insurance. It is illegal and you will only invite hefty fines as well as six points in the license. What if you don’t own a vehicle, but have plans to rent it out or borrow from someone you know? What will you do if you own a car and are required to lend it to someone else for a day or two? This is where short-term or temporary insurance gets you covered!
Know your risks
The truth is that majority of the drivers in the UK face risks assuming that their vehicle is covered with comprehensive insurance. This means, family and friends may drive it. The truth is, insurance should be on the name of the borrower to drive it legally on the road. Otherwise, the borrower and the owner, both are likely to face driving bans and thousands of pounds as fines.
What fact you should be aware of?
Do not even think that it is possible to drive using the owner’s existing insurance, even it is a comprehensive one. This is because such policies are likely to cover the vehicle for 3rd party damage in case the driver is not on the policy. This means any damage made to other vehicles or property will have been \ borne from the owners’ pocket. However, the borrowed vehicle is not likely to be covered. Moreover, any acceding occurring will be only held against the ‘no claims bonus’ of the owner. It means the owner has to repair the vehicle from his/her own pocket and also shelve out more for insurance in the future.
Possible solutions
The owner might include you as the named driver in the insurance policy. However, it is likely to affect his/her ‘no claims bonus’ in case you are the driver at the time of the accident. You may have insurance for a different vehicle type than the one that is proposed to drive. In such a case, your own policy might not cover the accident.
About Temporary or Short-Term Car Insurance
Temporary cover can be availed to drive legally a specific vehicle. Based on your needs, you can avail of it for 1 hour to 4 weeks. This way, you can get fully covered against car accidents, be it you are driving your friend’s vehicle or sharing it with your friends. Most short-term policies do help safeguard the ‘no claim’s bonus’ of the owner. This again might vary between different providers something that you should properly research upon.
About One-day car insurance
This insurance policy provides coverage for 24 hours. It offers comprehensive coverage similar to that of any annual policy in the UK. It is also referred to as ‘short-term’ or ‘temporary’ car insurance. If your main car has an annual auto insurance policy, then 3rd party coverage may be derived to drive a borrowed vehicle. But it should have a “DOC’ (Driving Other Cars) clause. In spite of having a DOC clause in the policy, damage occurring to the driven vehicle will not be paid. Rather, only the other driver will be covered. Hence, to derive peace of mind, it will be wise to avail of one-day auto insurance with fully comprehensive coverage.
Such insurance policies are quite affordable and also a simple way to derive coverage. It is a better option than tweaking the existing policy for including another vehicle. Moreover, the main policy’s no-claims discount will remain unaffected while making claims.
Is it possible to avail of one-day auto insurance for all types of vehicles?
Such coverage is provided on all vehicles, but with a valid MOT. Temporary insurance might not be available from on vehicles that are over specific market value like £50,000 or £75000. A specialist provider can provide coverage if it is in excess.
How to get Temporary Car Insurance?
You can get Temporary car insurance of up to 6 months. You need to approach a reputed insurance provider to buy one. They are likely to take into consideration a few factors. It includes the city where you plan to drive, speeding, the mileage you are eager to achieve, driving time, driving license, purpose, type of car, etc. These factors will determine if you can get temporary insurance. Moreover, the policy premium will be based on the above-given factors since no fixed premium is set by the regulators.
Eligibility
You should be between the age of 17 and 78 and is to have held a valid UK license at least for 6 months. Also, you should have qualified for your test. Learner drivers may also apply for this type of insurance.
Cost involved
Short-term car insurance rates will vary based on your vehicle, situation and provider approached. The below-given rates are just a fair guide!
- 1 hour: £16.02
- 2 hours: £16.84
- 3 hours: £19.75
- 4 hours: £22.09
- 1 day £28.45
What’s included in the short-term car insurance?
You can expect just about everything that is otherwise offered with the annual auto insurance policy. Leisure and business usage also are a standard inclusion.
What is covered:
- Child seat replacement
- Vandalism, fire, theft, or loss
- New car replacement of similar specification, model and make
- Replacement locks
- Legal liability
- Accident recovery
- Personal accident to about £2,500 per claim
- Personal belongings to about £150
- Legal costs to about £5,000,000
What’s optional to choose to enhance protection?
- European Car insurance coverage if the desire is to drive the vehicle in the EU.
- Breakdown coverage
- Excess Protection to reimburse excess charges on making a claim.
https://www.rac.co.uk/insurance/temporary-car-insurance is one such provider that you may look into.
Happy shopping!!
Like with everything, doing some research on the web is sure to help you come across a variety of deals. Find some reputed providers and compare their policies offered. Choose one that offers comprehensive coverage as well as a value worth your money. This should be in terms of no claims bonus protection and coverage offered.