Hourly Car
Insurance

Quotes for 1-12 hours in under 2 minutes

Why choose our hourly car insurance?

1 Get the cover you need with policies that last from just 1 hour
2 No long-term contracts, just a separate policy for the time you need
3 No impact on your No Claims Discount. Plus, get fully comprehensive cover as standard

What is 1 to 12-hour car insurance?

For all those quick journeys home, round-the-corner trips, and emergencies, you can get hourly car insurance that gives you the cover you need without having to pay for anything more.

The journeys may be short, but you still need to ensure you’re properly insured to use a vehicle you’re not already covered on. Whether it’s borrowing a friend’s car or driving a new motor off the forecourt, there are many scenarios where car insurance by the hour is the safe and sensible option.

Quick, easy, and affordable hourly car insurance can let you use another car legally right away, avoiding any possible penalties for being caught without cover. It also gives you and the vehicle owner complete peace of mind that you’re covered if there’s an incident.

Benefits of hourly car insurance?

It’s flexible

You only pay for what you need. With one hour car insurance, you can get cover for a 1 to 12 hours.

It's simple

Set your start time and pay for the service. You then receive your documents and you’re good to go.

It's quick

All we need from you is a few details; it could take under 2 minutes to get your quote!

Your No Claims Discount is protected

Because the hourly car insurance policy is totally separate, there is no impact on the annual No Claims Discount.

For more information on how we can help you get temporary car insurance, get in touch with us seven days a week!

How does hourly car insurance work?

1-hour insurance is designed to save you money by offering cover for the duration you actually need.

And you won’t just save money with 1-hour car insurance, you’ll also save time. Getting a quote online takes under 2 minutes. There are no difficult or intrusive questions; you just need to provide some basic information about yourself (or whoever you want the named driver on the policy to be) and the car you want to insure.

Once you’ve entered your information, we’ll search a range of quotes from the insurers we work with and show you the cheapest price. You’ll find options ranging from 1 to 12-hours plus optional extras you can add to your policy.

We do the comparison work for you to ensure you get the best deal for your circumstances. Once you buy, your certificate of insurance is emailed to you instantly upon payment, so you can get on the road the minute your policy begins.

When might I need hourly insurance?

Going home

You may be a university student who only drives when back home for the holidays.

Taking a test drive

Make sure you're covered if you want to try out a car from a private seller.

Borrowing a car

If you're briefly using a vehicle belonging to a friend or family member, you can both get peace of mind with a 1-hour car insurance policy.

What does hourly car insurance cover?

Getting comprehensive car insurance by the hour covers you for damage to yourself, your car, and any third parties affected by an accident.

What's covered with hourly car insurance?

Fully comprehensive insurance on policies from 1 hour to 28 days
Accidental and malicious damage to your car
Cover for injury or damage to another person or their property
Driving in the UK
In some instances driving in the EU with the third-party or equivariant level

What’s optional with hourly car insurance?

Legal Expenses Cover providing up to £100,000 cover for legal costs including uninsured loss recovery for accidents that are not your fault
Excess Reduction Cover, reducing your policy excess to as close as £100 as possible

What's not covered with hourly car insurance?

The excess you agreed to pay
Release from an impound (unless you buy a specific temporary impounded vehicle policy)
Additional drivers – we can only cover the driver named on the policy
A sole claim or separate cover for broken/damaged glass including the windscreen

Tempcover works with a panel of insurers to ensure we can provide temporary car insurance for as many drivers as possible. Because of this, full details of cover may differ depending on the insurer. Please double-check the policy wording before purchasing to confirm what is covered in your policy.

Need more information on how you can get the short-term car insurance to suit your circumstances? Simply get in touch with the team. Alternatively, get a quote in just 2 minutes.

Am I eligible for an hourly car insurance policy?

Like all temporary policies from Tempcover, 1-hour car insurance is available to a wide range of drivers. Having sold millions of temporary car insurance policies, we’re confident that most drivers can get cover with us.

To get temporary car insurance, you must

Be aged 17-78 years old.
Hold a full UK or EU driving licence with no more than 7 points in the last 3 years.
Have been a permanent UK resident for the last 12 months or be a British expatriate.
Have no criminal convictions.
Not had a previous policy of insurance declared void by an insurer.

To get temporary car insurance, your car must

Be valued between £1,500 and £65,000.
Be taxed and in a roadworthy condition with a valid MOT.
Not be modified in any way except if designed to aid disabled drivers.
Be a right-hand drive car with no more than 8 seats.
Not be declared SORN.

Each insurer on our panel has its own eligibility criteria. Please pay close attention to the Proposer’s Declaration.

Temporary car insurance calculator

Get your price estimate

Please select a duration below

1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week

It couldn't be simpler to get a short term insurance policy.

You can buy a policy online anytime you need it, and with our straightforward quote process, you can get a price in under 2 minutes!

The price for your selected duration is from:

£13.05

Prices based on the average price 19,765 policies for the displayed durations (January 2023)

Quick and easy insurance, built around you

The details you will need:

The car's reg number
Your details (name, address, D.O.B etc)
Your licence type and how long you've held it

The value of the vehicle
Your email/phone number (to send policy documents)
When you'd like the policy to start and end

You can pay for your short term insurance policy in several ways. Using our secure payment system, you can use the following payment methods:

After you’ve bought your policy, your documents will be emailed to you instantly so there’s no waiting around.

The cover you need for the duration you want

Full cover, no impact

Get fully comprehensive cover on our standard short-term policies with no impact on your No Claims Discount!

Hourly, daily, weekly

Choose the duration you want, with cover available for anything from one hour to 28 days. Don’t pay for cover you don’t need!

All customised, nothing added

Customise your policy to suit you, from the length of time to our range of optional extras.

Can't find what you're looking for?

Hourly car insurance FAQs

We’re not always in the position that we want to be at. We’re constantly growing. We’re constantly making mistakes. We’re constantly trying to express ourselves and actualize our dreams. If you have the opportunity to play this game of life you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don’t appreciate the moment until it’s passed.

It really matters and then like it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the people who are sparked by it. And the people who are like offended by it, it doesn’t matter. Because it's about motivating the doers. Because I’m here to follow my dreams and inspire other people to follow their dreams, too. We’re not always in the position that we want to be at. We’re constantly growing. We’re constantly making mistakes. We’re constantly trying to express ourselves and actualize our dreams. If you have the opportunity to play this game of life you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don’t appreciate the moment until it’s passed.

The time is now for it to be okay to be great. People in this world shun people for being great. For being a bright color. For standing out. But the time is now to be okay to be the greatest you. Would you believe in what you believe in, if you were the only one who believed it? If everything I did failed - which it doesn't, it actually succeeds - just the fact that I'm willing to fail is an inspiration. People are so scared to lose that they don't even try. Like, one thing people can't say is that I'm not trying, and I'm not trying my hardest, and I'm not trying to do the best way I know how.

I always felt like I could do anything. That’s the main thing people are controlled by! Thoughts- their perception of themselves! They're slowed down by their perception of themselves. If you're taught you can’t do anything, you won’t do anything. I was taught I could do everything.
If everything I did failed - which it doesn't, it actually succeeds - just the fact that I'm willing to fail is an inspiration. People are so scared to lose that they don't even try. Like, one thing people can't say is that I'm not trying, and I'm not trying my hardest, and I'm not trying to do the best way I know how.

There’s nothing I really wanted to do in life that I wasn’t able to get good at. That’s my skill. I’m not really specifically talented at anything except for the ability to learn. That’s what I do. That’s what I’m here for. Don’t be afraid to be wrong because you can’t learn anything from a compliment. I always felt like I could do anything. That’s the main thing people are controlled by! Thoughts- their perception of themselves! They're slowed down by their perception of themselves. If you're taught you can’t do anything, you won’t do anything. I was taught I could do everything.

Hourly Car Insurance