It’s easy to secure temporary car insurance – just jump on the web, find your favourite price comparison site and just pick the best option that suits your needs. The days of shopping around for days, and entering your details countless times, are now thankfully behind us.
But, when you come to book your temporary car insurance policy, you’ll still to make sure of a few things. Firstly, you need to know the size of your vehicle – some insurers won’t offer temporary cover to cars which exceed certain dimensions (for example, the website insuredaily.co.uk won’t provide temporary insurance for any vehicle over group 20), so if you don’t have the class and measurement details you could end up wasting your time.
You need to be clear in your mind exactly how long you need the cover for. If you only need it to take a test drive, use a company car on a one-off basis, or driving a car away from a showroom, you only need one-day car insurance; there’s no need to book a longer policy as you’ll just be wasting money.
You also need to be certain of exactly how many people will be using the car, and whether the temporary cover is required on an ongoing basis. If you’re likely to require temporary car insurance again in the near future, you may wish to look at ‘pay-as-you-go’ policies which allow you to take up the cover as and when you (or your fellow drivers) need it, and avoid the need to take out several short-term cover plans.
If you or one of the other drivers is under 21, you may want to search a bit longer to get the best price on your temporary car insurance policy. Some companies offer special deals for students and new drivers, which negate the heavy price hikes these particularly groups often suffer when looking for motor insurance; many companies charge through the roof for younger drivers, so it’s best to take a good look before you buy.
Finally, you should think carefully about what kind of add-ons you need. If you’re going to be driving on unfamiliar roads, or in rural areas, you may want to get additional breakdown cover; if you’re ferrying goods, you’ll probably want to get them insured; and if you’re planning a trip to the continent, you’ll need specialist European travel cover.
Things to bear in mind when purchasing temporary car insurance
The first thing to bear in mind is that temporary insurance does NOT replace one’s annual insurance – so if you were thinking that buying interim cover would replace your main vehicle plan, think again!
If you’re booking temporary car insurance at the last minute, and you require a physical certificate of your policy, you’ll probably be ok – most online insurers offer to post your certificate the next business day. But it’s definitely wise to check this before you complete the deal.
Perhaps most importantly, you need to check the exclusions and restrictions on any temporary car insurance policy you buy. No matter how good a temporary plan looks, it is bound to have some exemptions, so make sure you know exactly where you stand before you drive away.
Where to look and how to buy
There are so many places to look for temporary car insurance, you should find what you need within minutes.
As well as the major price comparison sites (Go Compare, Moneysupermarket, Compare the Market) every major insurer runs their own dedicated car insurance section, and several offer walkthrough explanations to help you through the purchasing process.
When you come to buy a temporary car insurance policy, you’ll need your credit/debit card details, your vehicle registration document and your annual insurance policy (several websites will ask you to specify the start date).
If you have all these details, you should be able to complete the transaction without difficulty.
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