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Temporary business car insurance

Short-term business cover for 1 hour to 28 days

  • Get instant cover for all your immediate business needs

  • Flexible insurance with no lengthy contracts

  • Buy your policy up to 30 days in advance

What is temporary business car insurance?

It’s a short-term car insurance policy that lets you use your car for work-related driving. This could be for a one-off business trip or going to meetings at a different office – any travel that’s outside your usual commute.

You can get instant cover for as little as 1 hour to 28 days.

If you need cover for longer than 28 days, you'll need a standard business car insurance policy that gives you cover for 12 months.

Alternatively, if you don't need cover for business use, and are just collecting a new car, you may need a drive away insurance policy.

How does it work?

Get covered in 3 simple steps:

  • Choose how long you need cover for and when you want your policy to start
  • Answer a few questions about you and the car you want to insure
  • Review your offer and buy your policy

You can get cover to start as soon as you've bought it, or choose to have the policy start up to 30 days in the future. This gives you the chance to plan ahead and be organised. You only pay for the time you need, meaning ultimate flexibility and a clear idea of costs.

Our policies are offered through our trusted partner Tempcover and are comprehensive.

When your policy expires, your cover ends. If you need more time, you can buy another policy to give you additional hours or days.

If you need to borrow a car or you've been asked to drive someone else's, you can get a policy on the car as long as you have the owner's permission. Whether it's your car or someone else's, any existing insurance policy isn't affected by you buying a temporary policy. Even if you have an accident, there's no risk to yours or the car owner's no-claims bonus.

We also provide temporary business van insurance with the same benefits.

When might I need temporary cover?

Short-term car insurance is useful if you need to use your car or borrow one for work-related reasons, but aren't insured to drive for business use.

If you have an accident while driving a car for business-related purposes and don't have the right level of cover, any claim you make could be refused. That could leave you in a very difficult situation, legally and financially - regardless of who's car you're driving.

If you're unsure whether you're already covered to drive your car for business use, check your policy documents or speak to your insurer.

Temporary business car insurance offers flexibility while also having the security of knowing you've got the right level of cover in place. And that applies whether it's a one-off business need or something running over a few weeks.

  • A few hours' cover could help you if you need to attend a one-off business meeting or briefly visit another site for work.
  • You might need cover for a few days while attending a conference, event or training course over several days.
  • A week of cover might mean you need to spend a week or more working at another location, perhaps for training or as part of an on site project.

Find short-term business car insurance from our partner Tempcover

What am I covered for?

All temporary business car insurance policies include comprehensive cover. This is the highest level of cover for you, your car, other people and their property. Policies also include:

  • Legal liability cover
  • Damage to your car
  • Driving in the EU

Legal liability cover. If you’re involved in an accident, you're covered for injury or damage to another person or their property.

Damage to your car. You're covered for accidental or malicious damage to your car.

Driving in the EU. You're usually covered in the EU with third-party or the country's equivalent level. But this depends on the policy.

For exact details of what's covered, check the policy wording as what's covered can vary depending on the insurer.

What am I not covered for?

Things that aren't covered include:

  • Driving other vehicles
  • Additional drivers
  • Claims that happen outside of the car's stated use

Driving other vehicles. Only the car listed under the policy is insured. To drive another car, consider annual business cover or buying another temp policy.

Additional drivers. Only the person named on the policy is covered to drive the car.

Claims that happen outside of the car's stated use. You can’t use temporary cover if the car is integral to someone’s job, like for couriers or delivery drivers. For that, you need specialist commercial car insurance instead.

If you're a delivery driver looking for hire and reward insurance, you can get that through us but only as annual cover.

Temporary business car insurance also doesn't cover you to use your car as a food delivery driver. You need to buy a specialist commercial car insurance policy for food delivery.

How much does temporary business car insurance cost?

The best way to get an idea of how much you’ll pay is to get a quote. For a rough idea of how much a policy might cost you, the average price customers pay based on their age is:

Driver age group Average policy cost*
17 - 20
£115
21 - 24
£60
25 - 29
£54
30 - 34
£54
35 - 39
£55
40 - 44
£47
45 - 49
£46
50 - 54
£40
55 - 59
£45
60 - 64
£48
65 - 69
£38
70 - 74
£34
75 - 79
£35

How much you pay for cover depends on:

  • Your age
  • Your driving experience
  • The car you want to insure and its value
  • How long you need short-term business cover for
*Based on Tempcover data September 2023

Can I get temporary business car insurance?

To be eligible you need:

  • A UK address
  • A full UK driving licence, held for at least 6 months
  • To be aged between 18 and 80

What our expert says

"By getting cover for your car only when you need it, you can give yourself the flexibility to pursue all your business needs without having to pay for a lengthy, annual policy.

Need to use your own car or borrow someone else's with their permission for business use? A temporary business policy means even if you have an accident, yours or the car owner's no-claims bonus isn't affected."

Marc Pell, Managing Director at Tempcover
Managing Director | Tempcover

What will I need to get a quote?

We'll need some details such as:

  • How long you need the cover for
  • When you want the policy to start
  • Make and model of your car
  • Approximate value of your car
  • Your age
  • How long you’ve held your driving licence
  • Your address

Who is Tempcover?

We work with our trusted partner Tempcover to find cover that suits all your needs. Tempcover is a leading provider of short-term car insurance. When you get a quote, we'll use the details you've given us to compare a range of trusted insurers who work with Tempcover. We'll then show you your best price based on your requirements.

Tempcover has helped thousands of customers over 15 years and are rated Excellent on Trustpilot.

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Page last reviewed: 05 October 2023

Reviewed by: Marc Pell

Confused.com's temporary cover solution is provided by Tempcover LTD. Tempcover LTD are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 746985. Tempcover LTD is registered in England No. 9923259 at office: 2nd floor, Admiral House, Harington Way, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 4BB. Confused.com is an intermediary and receives a percentage of commission received by Tempcover LTD.