Temporary car insurance is a great option for people who only need cover for a short period of time. It’s flexible, easy to arrange, and can last anywhere from an hour to a few weeks.
People use temporary car insurance for all sorts of reasons. Some people take out short term car insurance policies when they’re borrowing a friend’s car. Others use it when they’re buying a car.
No matter what your reason is, temporary car insurance is a great option for anyone who needs cover for a short period of time. Here at Zixty, we surveyed more than 500 people across two age groups to find out the most common reasons why people take out short term car insurance policies. And the results are in!
6 reasons why you might need temporary car insurance
1. Borrowing a car for a special occasion
2. Buying a car
3. Emergency, for instance the driver falling ill
4. Sharing the driving
5. Borrowing a car to run an errand such a tip run
6. Selling a car
1. Borrowing a car for that special occasion
Special occasions call for special cars, right? Around 21% of people or nearly 1 in 5 of our respondents aged between 21 to 35 have used temporary car insurance when borrowing a car for a special occasion.
Our older cohort, aged between 35 to 50, also reflected similar numbers, with 19% of respondents saying they’ve used temporary car insurance to borrow a car for a special occasion.
Whether you want to make a splash at a social event, or just want to show up in style at a glitzy party, short term car insurance will give you the peace of mind that your fancy ride is covered.
Many people simply rent special cars for events like weddings or proms. But if your dad already has a slick ride that’ll do the trick, why splash out needlessly on a fancy car hire?
Ask, beg, grovel, and your dad’s sure to let you borrow his car for your special day. Especially if you tell him it’ll be fully covered by a temporary car insurance policy.
2. Buying a car
If you’re buying a used car from someone else, it’s important to make sure that the car is properly insured before taking it out on the road. And yes, that applies to test driving too!
It’s no surprise that 1 in 3 respondents aged between 35-50 and nearly 20% of our respondents aged between 21-35 said they used short term car insurance to buy a car.
Think about it. Maybe you found your dream car on Facebook Marketplace. When you turn up to the location, you find out it’s not a legit dealership, just some guy’s driveway. He wants a private sale.
That’s fine and all, but it probably means you’re not insured to drive the car. And you want to try it before you buy it. That’s where temporary car insurance comes in.
Now, let’s say you love the car. You make an offer, it gets accepted, you pay, and you’re ready to collect it. Great. But you still need insurance.
Rather than buying the first comprehensive policy you see, you can purchase a temporary car insurance policy. It can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, giving you plenty of time to shop around for the perfect insurance deal. No rushing into an annual contract before you’re ready!
3. Emergency. For instance, the driver falling ill
We all know how stressful it can be when something unexpected happens while we’re on the road. And sadly, it’s not as uncommon as you might think!
Nearly 15% of our younger respondents said they’ve used temporary car insurance in an emergency situation such as when the driver felt unwell or had another problem that prevented them from continuing their journey. Interestingly, only about 5% of our older respondents said they’ve done the same.
Picture this: You’re on the road with your mum when she suddenly gets a splitting headache behind the wheel. She pulls over at the nearest service station and has a coffee and paracetamol. But, she’s just not fit to drive right away.
You need to be at your cousin’s wedding in the next two hours though, and you’ve still got quite a way to go.
What do you do? Do you wait for her to feel better, knowing it’s likely you’ll miss the wedding and never stop hearing about it every Christmas dinner for the next decade?
Or do you whip out your phone, download Zixty, and take out a temporary insurance policy in minutes so you can be on your way? We know which option we’d pick in this scenario.
4. Sharing the driving
We all know how exhausting long drives can be! In fact, nearly 18% of respondents aged between 35-50 and 10% of respondents aged between 21-35 indicated they’ve used temporary car insurance to share the driving with someone else.
If you’re taking the road trip of a lifetime, chances are, one of your friends has volunteered their car and driving expertise. But is it really fair that they should do all of the driving up and down the country?
We think not.
Just because they own the car doesn’t mean they’re the only ones that can drive it. Temporary car insurance makes it possible for you to do your share of the driving during your road trips.
Don’t be selfish, let your friend be the backseat driver/DJ for once.
5. Borrowing a car to run an errand such as a tip run
Your little Fiat 500 might be the perfect size to take you to and from work every day, but let’s face it, there are just some jobs it’s not going to be very good at.
For instance, when you decide to get rid of half the contents of your house because you’re adopting a minimalist lifestyle, the trusty Fiat just won’t do the job. That is, unless you’re planning multiple trips to the tip. But who wants to waste their Saturday going back and forth?
And if you have a generous friend who’s willing to lend you their much larger SUV to run your errands (are they looking for new friends, by the way?), all you’ll need to do is arrange insurance to cover you during your tip run.
And you wouldn’t be alone. Did you know that nearly 10% of our younger respondents said they’ve used temporary car insurance to run an errand? And about 6% of people aged between 35-50 did the same.
We don’t blame them (or you). It’s so easy and quick to arrange, and the cover can last exactly as long as you need it.
6. Selling a car
While there is definitely a case to be made for using short term car insurance when it comes to buying a car, many people make use of it when they sell a car too. In fact, nearly 8% of younger respondents and 7% of older respondents said they would use temporary car insurance to sell a car. You might be thinking to yourself: “Why on Earth would you need temporary car insurance to SELL a car?”
Well, potential buyers will probably want to test-drive your car. To do that, they’ll need the correct insurance. It’s highly unlikely they’ll be covered to drive your car under their own insurance. So, they’ll probably need to arrange temporary car insurance. If you want to let someone test drive your wheels, you’ll need to be mindful of the risk of theft. Take practical steps to reduce the chance of this happening – for example by asking to look after their driving licence while they’re driving your pride and joy, or accompanying them while they drive. But, while the chances of theft or worse are slim, the security of your car and your personal safety are the things that matter most. If you’re in doubt – don’t be afraid to pull the plug on the test drive.
The good news is, all you need to do in this case is give them your permission to drive your car. Then, they can set up their policy through Zixty in minutes. And, with policies lasting for as little as sixty minutes, they can take out the cover they need to try out the car safely.
Six great reasons why you might need temporary car insurance
People use temporary car insurance for all sorts of reasons these days. Whether you’re in a pinch on the road, or you want to test-drive a potential car before you buy it, sometimes taking out annual car insurance is simply not practical.
Instead, you might want to look into temporary car insurance, like Zixty. It takes minutes to arrange, it can last anywhere from one hour to a few weeks, plus, if you enable Zixty Miles for free we’ll even plant a tree when you take out a policy with us.
But that’s not all! We’ll also offset the CO2 for your journeys up to 100 miles a day, and give you an EcoScore to show you just how green of a driver you actually are. What’s not to love?
