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Hourly car insurance

1-12 hour cover

Why choose our hourly car insurance?

1
From 1-28 days. You only pay for the cover you want and only when you need it.
2
Drive away cover while waiting for your annual policy.
3
Protects your no claims discount. Fully comp insurance for peace of mind.

1 to 12-hour car insurance

For all those quick journeys home, round the corner trips and last minute emergencies, you can get hourly car insurance that gives you the cover you need without having to pay for any more than you need.

The journeys may be short, but you still need to ensure you’re properly insured to use a vehicle you’re not already covered to use. Whether it’s borrowing a friend’s car or driving a new set of wheels of the forecourt, there are lots of scenarios where temporary car insurance like this is the safe and sensible option.

Quick, easy and affordable hourly car insurance cover can let you use another car legally right away, avoiding any penalties you might receive for being caught without, and giving you and the vehicle owner complete peace of mind that should the worst happen, you’re covered.

Can you insure a car for an hour?

With hourly car insurance, you’re able to get the same flexible, comprehensive cover as you’d get with standard daily car insurance or weekly car insurance policy, but for just one hour.

You’ll follow the same quick and easy process to get a quote, and with Tempcover your policy can begin instantly if you need it to. There are no long-term contracts, you’re not tied to 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 at a time.

What are the benefits of hourly car insurance?

One hour car insurance policies offer a number of benefits over standard, long term agreements:

  • You get comprehensive cover. With any temporary policy from us, you’ll get comprehensive cover as standard. That means you’re protected in a wide range of situations, perhaps even more so than many annual policies can offer you.
  • You only pay for what you need. With temporary cover, you choose when you want things to start an end. From a few hours up to as much as 28 days, you can build a policy around whatever you’re planning to do.
  • You’re not tied into anything. When you take out a policy, you set your start and end time and pay for the service. You then receive your documents and you’re good to go. Once it expires, that’s everything done. You don’t need to do anything and you don’t owe a penny more.
  • You choose when it starts. Up to as much as 28 days in advance, you pick when you want your policy to begin, right down to the minute
  • Your no claims discount is protected. Because the hourly car insurance policy is totally separate, the no claims discount on anybody’s annual policy can’t be affected which can save you (or your friend) hundreds of pounds on an annual policy.

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 with different driving backgrounds. Having sold over 2 million temporary car insurance policies, we are confident that most drivers can get cover.

You can expect to get an hourly policy if you meet the following criteria:

  • Are aged 17-79
  • Have a current full UK driving licence for a minimum of 6 months, or
  • Have a current full EU for a minimum of 12 months
  • Have had no more than 7 penalty points in the last 3 years
  • Have not been disqualified from driving in the last 5 years
  • The vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition with a current and valid MOT (unless you are using the insurance policy to take the vehicle to a pre-booked MOT
  • The vehicle must be taxed (unless you are using the insurance policy to obtain tax for the vehicle immediately after purchase)

On the other hand, there are some conditions whereby we would not be able to offer you a 1-hour car insurance policy, including:

  • If the car has been modified (except for those designed to aid disabled drivers)
  • The car is left-hand drive
  • You want to recover an impounded vehicle
  • The car has more than 8 seats in total
  • Vehicles declared as SORN

Other restrictions may apply at the insurance providers discretion. Hourly car insurance is only currently available on our standard temporary car insurance but you can still get cover for longer with some of our other policies including van and learner driver insurance.

Save time and money with hourly car insurance

With hourly cover, you don’t need to pay for cover you don’t want. 1-hour insurance is designed to save you time and 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 just a few 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, you’ll be presented with a range of quotes from our panel of insurers. You’ll find options ranging from a single hour to 12-hour car insurance and everything in between.

You can compare prices to ensure you get the best deal for your own individual circumstances, and you can also select when you want your policy to begin, down to the minute.

After selecting the policy that’s right for you, you’re just a few clicks away from being covered. To purchase your policy, you can pay via credit card, debit card or PayPal.

When you’ve purchased your policy, your certificate of insurance is emailed to you instantly, so you can get on the road the minute your policy begins

Get 1 hour to 28 days temporary car insurance in 90 seconds

Customer satisfaction

 Tempcover has provided temporary vehicle insurance to hundreds of thousands of drivers for over 15 years.

We’re currently rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot and have over 23,000 reviews, with over 80% of reviewers giving us 5 stars!

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
VISA, Mastercard, AMEX
You can pay for your short term insurance policy in several ways. Using our secure payment system, you can use the following payment methods:
VISA, Mastercard, AMEX

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 coverage on our standard short-term insurance policies – plus it won't affect your no-claims discount

Hourly, daily, weekly

Choose the duration you want with 1-12 hours and 1-28 days of cover available – don't pay for cover you don't need

Customised to you

Customise your policy to suit your specific situation – get the policy you want and even choose the minute you want your policy to begin

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