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- Hourly Car Insurance
Hourly Car Insurance
Quotes for 1-12 hours in under 2 minutes
- Get the cover you need with policies that last from just 1 hour
- No long-term contracts, just a separate policy for the time you need
- 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 cheaper
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.
Get in touch with us for more information or to get a quote for one-hour car insurance.
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?
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.
Other restrictions may apply at the insurance provider’s discretion. Hourly insurance is only currently available on our standard temporary car and van insurance, but you can get cover for longer periods with some of our other policies including motorbike and learner driver insurance.
Temporary car insurance calculator
It couldn't be simpler 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!
Get your price estimate
It couldn't be simpler 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:
just £26.31
Prices based on the average price 19,765 policies for the displayed durations (January 2023)
Get your quoteCustomer Satisfaction
We also currently hold an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot with over 40,000 reviews.
We’ve been recognised for our work with plenty of awards
We work directly with insurers to provide you with short-term insurance to suit your needs
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.
Marc Pell
Managing Director
What our expert says
Sometimes you just need an hour to get things done. Whether you've got some where to be or want to take a new car for a test drive. There's no need to sign up for something long term when an hour or two is all you need. Hourly insurance gives you flexibility unlike any other insurance while making sure you get the highest level of cover for complete peace of mind.
Marc Pell
Managing Director
Why get hourly car insurance from Tempcover?
Whether you’re looking for car insurance to cover you for one hour, two hours or half a day, we can give you the peace of mind that comes with having comprehensive cover precisely when you need it. Here’s why we’re a great choice:
- Tempcover is a leading provider of hourly insurance for drivers in the UK, with over 15 years of experience in the industry. We’ve helped millions of car owners get flexible insurance at affordable prices.
- We work with a panel of insurers to make it easier to get the policy you need with a range of options and durations.
- Our hourly car insurance policies are ideal if you just need to quickly borrow someone’s vehicle or let them borrow yours.
- Getting a quote from us and setting up your cover is unbelievably quick and simple.
- Our highly skilled team is always working hard to make it easy for you to access a flexible, hourly policy.
- We’ve been praised by customers and recognised by other businesses and insurance bodies for our customer-centric approach to a field that can sometimes appear complex.
- We have an ‘Excellent’ rating overall on Trustpilot.
Hourly car insurance FAQs
Yes. With hourly car insurance, you get the same flexible, comprehensive cover as a standard daily car insurance or weekly car insurance policy but for just one hour.
It’s a quick and easy process to get a quote, and your policy can begin instantly if you need it to. There are no long-term contracts, you’re not tied into anything and you only pay for the cover you actually need.
And it’s not just 1-hour car insurance that’s available from Tempcover. You’re able to choose the number of hours you need, from 1-12 hours at a time.
No, a No Claims Discount is part of a separate annual policy; it won’t be affected if you do have to make a claim with us. If you are getting this temporary policy to cover you while you drive someone else’s car, they won’t have to worry about their No Claims Discount being affected either.
Hourly insurance is designed to be affordable. As of January 2023, the average price for one of our 1-hour car insurance policies was £13.05 , but that price may differ depending on your specific details.
Just like with annual cover, your quote will vary based on factors such as your postcode, the car’s make and model, and your driving history.
Getting a quote from us is straightforward. To speed things up, you should gather the following details for the online form:
- Your car’s registration number
- Your name, date of birth, and address
- Your driving licence number and type
- The estimated value of your car
- Your email address and phone number
- When you’d like your hourly car insurance policy to start
If you know you need a temporary policy for longer than 12 hours, you can get the following with us:
- 24-hour car insurance
- Two-day car insurance
- Weekend car insurance
- Weekly car insurance
- Monthly car insurance
We also offer short-term insurance specifically for learner drivers, so they can practise in someone else’s car without having to become a named driver and affect the No Claims Discount. These policies can cover you for anything from 12 hours to 28 days. When it runs out, all you need to do is renew it!
Releasing your car from an impound? You can get a special impounded car insurance policy from us that covers you for the required 30 days. Time is of the essence, so you can get your quote from us in under 2 minutes. The sooner you get your car out of the impound, the less you’ll have to pay for storage fees.
We’ll send them to the email address you provide us with as soon as everything is confirmed and your payment has gone through.
After that, all you need to do is get out there and drive!
Once you’ve paid for your hourly insurance with Tempcover, we’ll email you your policy documents.
You can find out when your one-hour car insurance expires by checking the “You’re Covered!” confirmation page or via the secure link in your confirmation email.
If there’s an accident or incident involving the vehicle, your insurer’s dedicated claims-handling team will help. Call them on the number displayed on your Certificate of Motor Insurance or policy wording.
