subject: Short Term Car Insurance - A Traveller's Best Friend [print this page] When people talk about being travellers, they don't necessarily mean they spend all their time on flying from one country to the next, although that is quite often the case. Even so, most travellers return to their home countries every so often, and when they do, they like nothing more than being able to share their experiences with friends and family.
This can of course be difficult if they have no transport, and I sure most of them would rather save their money for travelling rather than spend it all on car hire. In many cases, it would probably be possible for them to borrow a car from someone they know, but obviously, if they do, they'll need to be adequately insured.
The good news is, if you're 24 years old or older, and you have a valid UK driving license, you can apply for short term car insurance. This type of insurance can see to it that you're fully covered for a period of up to 28 days. Many UK insurance companies will also allow you to renew your temporary cover if you feel 28 days simply isn't long enough, but in most cases you'll only be able to renew it twice in a row after the initial 28 day period.
In other words, you can drive with short term cover for a total of 84 days. With that said, if you're expecting to be driving for this length of time or more, then you should essentially be discussing other options with your provider because, bearing in mind that temporary cover can work out quite expensive in the long run. Generally speaking, it should be seen as a kind of 'emergency' cover, rather than an alternative to regular cover.
Many people in the UK are using this option when they have friends or relatives visiting. When their guests arrive, they simply add them to their existing insurance policy for the duration of their stay. This then makes it possible for them to drive your car legally, and as the owner of the car, you are fully covered should anything go wrong. At least if the car gets smashed or stolen, you won't be out of pocket.
Some kids grow up, get married, and then they move to a different part of the country. For example, you may live in the Northeast of Scotland, while your Mum and Dad live in the South of England. Sure they can drive, but if they're already in retirement, they may not feel up to driving such a great distance, but of course it would be nice if they could drive around sightseeing when they come up to visit you.
By taking advantage of short term car insurance, you can add them to your policy, and then for the duration of their stay they can tour around the Highlands, visit distilleries, or do anything else which takes their fancy. When the time comes for them to leave, all you have to do is phone and cancel the cover.
These are just a few of the possibilities regarding short term car insurance, but there's no doubt that you can think of many other instances where it could prove to be incredibly useful.
by: Tom Jones
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