What is one day car insurance, and who is it for?

A common scenario in the UK that calls for temporary insurance is when shopping for a new car. For instance, you’re going to be test driving a car but aren’t sure if you want to purchase it yet. For the day that you are test driving the car, you would want it insured, but you certainly don’t want to have to go through the process of getting more permanent car insurance for that coverage.

How do you find the absolute cheapest one day car insurance?

It’s simple really. Get as many quotes as possible. How? Fill out and submit as many online insurance quotes forms as you can get your cursor on. You should get quotes back instantly or within a day. Best rate wins.

You’ll also want to ensure that you’re comparing apples to apples: ensure that the policies from different insurers and providers offer the same coverage and deductibles. The slightly more expensive short term insurance policy might be the way to go if it has less restrictions and greater coverage.

short term car insurance

What are some other circumstances under which one day car insurance is the perfect solution for your coverage needs?

Well, imagine if you are borrowing a friend’s car for one day while yours is in the shop, or if you don’t have a car but have your driver license and need to do some chores or errands that require the use of a car, such as moving into a new home. Perhaps you are going to be driving a car that is being imported to you from outside the UK and you need to have it insured very quickly before the process of more permanent car insurance gets completed. Perhaps you have just bought a new car but your permanent car insurance won’t kick in in time for you to drive it off the lot that same day. You might even be preparing for a car race and you need to insure your racing vehicle just for the day of the race. Short term car insurance policies are great options for these scenarios.

One day car insurance will be underwritten on you in merely a matter of minutes once you have been approved. The application process moves very quickly. Once you have your coverage approval, can simply have the coverage certificate e-mailed to you for you to print out. UK car insurance providers who specialise in providing short term car insurance know that they must get you covered within an hour or less from the time you submit your application. They will simply tell you what the one-day premium charge will be, charge your debit or credit card, and issue the insurance. They won’t be getting back to you with various options or quotes. They have the necessary infrastructure all set up to provide you with this special car insurance coverage.

In addition to one day car insurance, you can also get other types of specialised short term car insurance coverage. There are rolling, pay as you go car insurance policies that can remain in force anywhere from a weekend to 32 weeks. These types of policies can be a blessing to you if you want to protect your main policy’s No-Claims Discount or maintain your main policy’s low premiums while you temporarily cover other drivers on a short term basis, such as if you have young adult children who will be regularly borrowing your car while they save up the pounds to buy their own. Also, if you’re going to be doing moving using a truck or a moving van rather than your sedan or sports car, you’ll want temporary coverage on that vehicle but, once again, you may not desire to risk your No-Claims Discount or your current level of premiums on your main car insurance policy.

Typically it’s more economical to purchase one day or other temporary car insurance with a specialist insurance provider than it is to attempt to arrange this insurance with your current provider, and of course we have just mentioned the added benefit of protecting your No-Claims Discount Bonus and existing premium. Just make sure that when applying online you scrutinize the details and small print of any policy that you are pondering before you buy. Don’t hesitate to ask for professional advice if you need it to learn more about one day car insurance policies.

By Kate