Should I borrow or hire a car?

Does your child need extra practice ahead of their driving test? Perhaps your brother needs a bigger car to take the family away on a holiday?

Or maybe you’ve made the decision to move down to one car and are now in need of a spare vehicle while your significant other is away at a conference?

In all these situations, there are a few options:

• Hire a car
• Add a named driver to the insurance of an existing car
• Borrow a car with temporary car insurance

The benefits of hiring a car

For convenience, you could hire a car which is likely to have insurance included for however long you need.

The car should also be in top condition and your local car hire company will probably have the exact type of vehicle you need in stock.

When you hire a car, there are a few positives:

• More choice – If you’re borrowing a car from a friend or family member, you can only drive what they have. When it comes to hiring a car, there are many options that can be tailored to your specific requirements.
• The vehicle will be well maintained – The maintenance and servicing responsibilities lie with the hire company, meaning the vehicle will be roadworthy the moment you get the keys.
• Insurance is typically included – The majority of car hire companies will include insurance as standard, so you won’t have to find a quote yourself. As always, make sure you read the small print.
• Roadside assistance is often included – Similar to insurance, car hire companies often include roadside assistance in their packages. This means you can have peace of mind that you’ll have a recovery vehicle helping you out if the worst was to happen.

Hiring a car can be expensive and might not be as ideal for certain situations like private driving lessons. This insurance policy could be more suited to long-distance or long-term drives.

Adding a named driver to insurance

You could also add a named driver to an existing policy (the main driver will be the person who drives the car the most). Having a named driver will help both drivers when the car is readily available and you share the driving.

Bear in mind that there are sometimes emergencies and that our schedules have a habit of clashing. Both drivers can’t drive one car at the same time.

If you are going down to one car, bear in mind that insurance policies are attached to the policyholder (the person who purchased it), not the vehicle.

Every driver of the vehicle needs to be insured (either on the annual policy or on their own insurance) and if anyone’s borrowing a car, they might only be covered on a third-party basis – if at all.

A named driver has the same level of cover as the main driver and is a popular option for couples and families who share vehicles and all drive regularly. Check your policy documents carefully for the specific information once you have added a named driver.

What are the benefits of borrowing a car?

Sometimes friends and family may want to borrow your car. This can be due to repairs, servicing or even their financial situation. Maybe there’s an emergency and they have to get somewhere quickly. This kind of situation is where temporary car insurance comes into its own.

Other reasons for borrowing a car include it could work out cheaper than public transport and some younger drivers (aged under 24) might save money if they only drive infrequently.

Drivers of this age tend to have high premiums on top of the cost of buying and maintaining the car itself. Getting themselves short-term insurance as and when they need could save a lot of money and ultimately make their lives easier.

Tempcover It!

Tempcover’s temporary car insurance policies offer:

• Fully comprehensive coverage from 1 hour to 28 days – You can pick and choose the times you’re covered for. Need a couple of hours to run some errands? We’ve got you. Partner’s car out of action and in the garage for repairs for a few days? Tempcover It!
• No impact on any existing no claims discount – Taking a young driver out for some private driving practice? Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing if they have a bump, your no claims discount will not be affected. This is because temporary car insurance is a completely separate policy.
• Only pay for the time you need – If you hire a car, there may be a set fee and some additional paperwork to fill in while they examine the car before you drive off. With temporary car insurance, you can get a quote (In under 2 minutes from Tempcover) and get on the road the moment the policy starts.

Temporary car insurance is easy, affordable and practical for short-term needs. It could be more cost-effective if the person borrowing the car is happy with its condition and limitations as they’ll only pay when they’re behind the wheel.

Remember, if you’re involved in an accident or caught driving without insurance, you could face a fine, licence penalty points and potentially even a driving ban. The owner of the car could also face prosecution, and their insurer could cancel their policy.