The unwritten rules of borrowing a car

When you borrow somebody’s car, you have their pride and joy in your hands. Someone being kind enough to let you drive their vehicle in a time of need is an act of trust - but it’s one you must repay.

Once you’ve been given the go-ahead to drive the car, checked your cover or sorted out temporary car insurance, and are familiar with the controls, there are some rules to obey.

The first are pretty obvious and will help keep you and other road users safe:

• Drive sensibly
• Don’t speed
• Don’t overload the car
• Take extra special care when parking or on narrow road
• Let the owner know where you’re going

But what about the unwritten rules around car care and sharing etiquette? We’ve put together some top tips to make your drive - and returning the vehicle to the owner - go smoother. Following the below will put their minds at ease and you might not have to worry about asking for their keys again.

1. Take the crumbs out of the car

If you’ve gone on a road trip and your passengers have been snacking, check the car for telltale signs and crumbs. Tidy these up before handing the vehicle back. Nobody wants to be driving in somebody else’s mess. This is especially important if you bought a takeaway on your travels or if anyone’s smoked or vaped. Even the strongest air freshener can’t compete with the lingering stench of these… If you can afford it, especially if you’ve driven off road or to a muddy festival, a valet clean wouldn’t go amiss either.

2. Don’t touch that dial

Some drivers will have a very specific setup when it comes to a radio or infotainment system. Ok, their station of choice might not have the tunes you want to soundtrack your journey and it’s fine to change while on the move. But when you return the car? Save them some valuable seconds by dialling back to their preferred station.

3. Let them take their seat

Before driving any vehicle, you should adjust the seats and mirrors to the optimum position for your size, safety and comfort. However, you can save the owner a minor annoyance and inconvenience by trying to get the seating back to where it was. Do this once you’ve parked in a safe space. You might not get it spot on, but we’re sure your efforts will be acknowledged.

4: Give them a top up

Whether you’ve borrowed their car for a couple of hours or a couple of weeks, one way of saying thank you is to return their car with a full tank of fuel. If it’s an electric car, a full charge would also be welcome. It doesn’t take long to do and will have you in their good books next time you want to borrow the car. Can’t stretch to a full tank? At least leave as much as when you picked up the car.

5: Be honest

Had a scrape, bump or scratch or found something just didn’t feel or sound right while driving along? Don’t hide it. It’s better to be upfront and honest as the owner is bound to find something wrong later down the line.

With Tempcover’s temporary car insurance, any existing no claims discount is unaffected. This means you can deal with any issues when they happen.

There are many benefits when it comes to borrowing a car. With temporary car insurance, it can save time and money as you won’t have to adjust existing policies and can get moving in next to no time.

Just make sure that when you return the car, it’s in peak condition. You don’t want to fail your friendship.