How do you find cheap short term car insurance?

So you need cheap short term car insurance asap and you have no idea where to find it. Well, you’ve come to the right place – in more ways than you realise.

We get it, everyone’s tightening their belts these days. Nobody is eating smashed avocado toast while bingeing Netflix, Sky, Disney+ and like every other subscription service ever on their brand new iPhone anymore. Because that was a thing before, apparently.

But anyway, the point is, you most likely need cheap short term car insurance. The cost is a primary concern here, if not the primary concern. Now, just a quick PSA: If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There are all sorts of scammers out there, like ghost brokers trying to sell you incredibly cheap policies that simply don’t exist, or fraudsters trying to pawn off fake NCD certificates to get you a cheaper deal. Fall for one of the many scams out there, and you’ll end up out of pocket and possibly in trouble with your actual insurer. All you can do is get yourself educated on the way these scammers operate and do your research before you go for a deal.

The good news is, there are definitely some legitimate great deals to be had out there. And we’re here to help you find the policy that ticks all the right boxes.

First thing’s first, short term car insurance might not even be the best option for you at all. If budget is the top priority here, you need to get really clear on whether you need a short term policy or whether you’d be better off with an annual policy.

If you only need cover for a few hours to borrow your mum’s car for a job interview, or if you’re planning on sharing the driving during a short road trip, then it’s pretty much a no brainer. Short term car insurance is probably your best bet.

But that’s not always the case, particularly for the budget-conscious among us. For instance, let’s say you want a short term policy because you’re planning on borrowing your mum’s car once in a while. You want to take out cover as and when you need it, so you figure you might as well just stick with short term car insurance.

And hey, maybe that is the most cost effective option. But also, maybe not. For instance, if you’re planning on borrowing your mum’s car a few days a month, then it’s a good idea to look at the costs of having her add you as a named driver on her annual policy. It could work out cheaper than taking out a short term car insurance policy. It might not, but it could.

You’ll need to do some math here to figure out what makes the most sense purely from a financial perspective. 

The implications of becoming a named driver on someone else’s policy 

You’re here because budget is a concern. Maybe it’s your top priority. But while being added as a named driver can work out cheaper, it does have some implications you should consider.

So for instance, you’ll get the same cover as the main driver. Whatever cover they get, you’ll get too. If it’s comprehensive cover, you get comprehensive cover. If it’s third-party cover, you get third-party cover. With a short-term car insurance policy, you’ll always get at least comprehensive cover.

This brings us to our next point, if you need to claim on a short term policy, your mum’s No Claims Discount (NCD) won’t be affected. Because it’s a totally separate policy. But, if you get added as a named driver on your mum’s policy and you need to claim on her insurance, her NCD will be affected. Something to think about.

Also, there might be fees associated with adding you as a named driver. If your insurer charges admin fees, this might be considered a change to the policy, and it may incur an additional fee. There are all sorts of fees insurers can charge on top of your premium, so make sure you budget for those too.

Basically, it’s up to you to decide what product works best for you and whether the price is right. But it’s probably a good idea to look at the choices you have as a whole, rather than just focusing on the number.

Only buy the short term car insurance cover you need

One of the best things about short term car insurance is that you only need to buy the cover you need at the time. With Zixty, short term car insurance policies can last as little as an hour. That’s right, 1 hour.

And if that’s all the cover you need, then why on Earth would you want to pay for more? You wouldn’t, of course, it’d be a waste of money.

What we’re saying is: figure out how long you need the policy for first. Then find a provider who’ll cover you for exactly that long. Buy the policy. And, result! You’ve almost certainly  “saved” money by not paying for cover you don’t need.

Consider shopping around for add-ons

Let’s say you’ve found the perfect short term car insurance policy. It’s well within your budget and it offers exactly what you need for as long as you need it. You can even buy a breakdown add-on through the provider. Easy!

Not so fast.

Firstly, add-ons like breakdown cover are not a legal requirement. They are a “nice to have”. If the car you’re planning on borrowing is in pretty good shape, you might even want to think about skipping this part altogether.

Now, if you feel like breakdown cover is important to you, of course you should find a way to get this type of cover. But don’t just go for the one your insurer is selling. Shop around. There may be better deals out there and you don’t want to miss out on a saving, do you?