Temporary car insurance

Absolutely, you can use temporary insurance to tax your car or van once your policy details are reflected on the MID (Motor Insurance Database). While it can take up to 24 hours for these details to appear for the tax process, your insurance coverage is effective immediately if you book it to start instantly. For planning ahead, the app allows you to schedule your coverage weeks in advance - but a day’s cover should do the job when it comes to taxing the car.

It’s completely legal. Like annual insurance, temporary policies are listed on the same askMID database that the police use for their ANPR detection technology. It's all fully legit and regulated (our FCA number is 690273, if you want to look it up).

However, it’s important to understand that it is illegal to leave the car uninsured when you're not driving it. You can use temporary insurance to borrow or lend a car, or as part of a ride-sharing group, but the car must be covered by an underlying policy - even if it's just parked up outside your house or in a garage in-between rides. Put simply, you can't just insure a car when you want to drive it, and leave it uninsured otherwise.

Pretty much. Cuvva’s temporary car insurance allows you to pay for your own standalone policy in your name when you borrow anyone’s car - and the car owner, whether it’s your friend, family member or colleague, won’t have to pay anything.

The car can be valued up to £60,000, unless you're a learner driver in which case it's up to £30,000. For vans, it's up to £40,000. Depending on a few different factors, you may not be able to get a quote for cars in higher insurance groups.

Lots of modifications are accepted, including any that aid a disability, but some aren’t.

However, be aware that temporary insurance isn't available for private hire vehicles (like taxis), rental cars, or fleet vehicles, even for personal use. This restriction extends to courtesy and most company cars.

Yes, that’s one of the best things about it! In under 5 minutes, you can get comprehensive short-term car insurance for hours, days, or weeks on most cars and vans. This is ideal for borrowing a vehicle, ride-sharing, or learning to drive with a provisional licence. Just remember, the policy is tied to the vehicle, not the driver - so you'll need to get a separate policy for each car you want to drive.

You can also get temporary car insurance for vehicles on finance (‘Personal Contract Plan’), or long-term leases (‘Contract Hire’), whether you're the car’s owner or just borrowing it for a while. Just don’t forget, the car can’t be left uninsured once your policy ends.

When you borrow someone else’s car, you can take out temporary car insurance, or they can usually add you to their own policy as a ‘named driver'. If you plan on regularly using their car (let's say several times a week), it’s maybe worth crunching the numbers to see if it's cheaper to get added to their policy.

But there are some risks for the car owner, so it might not be worth it for them. For example it might make their premium go up – if they add a driver to their insurance who is riskier than then (someone younger, or with less experience, for example), it can make their premium go up. On the flipside, if they add a driver that’s less risky it can make their premium go down.

It also puts their no claims bonus at risk – if the person they add to their policy has an accident in their car, it affects their no claims bonus. But if the borrower has their own temporary car insurance and has an accident in the owner's car, it doesn’t. This is because it’s a totally separate insurance policy.

It's also worth remembering that some companies charge for make any changes to a policy, like adding a named driver.

Yes, you can get a new temporary insurance policy to drive a car to a pre-booked MOT.

You need to report all incidents within 24 hours of them happening, even if you're not going to claim. This includes any accidents, damage or theft to your vehicle, and any injuries you have. This also includes any injuries to third parties, and any damage to a third party vehicle or property.

Cuvva is the insurance intermediary, so we don't handle claims. Instead, you'll need to speak with the insurer (underwriter) of your policy - if you bought your policy on or after 7th August 2024, this will either be Wakam or ERS. If you bought it before, it could also be Mulsanne.

The easiest way to do this is via the app. Click the 'Trips' tab, select the policy you need to claim on, and then click 'Help' at the bottom. Then select the 'Report' option, which will automatically start a phone call with your underwriter.

You can also claim by looking at your policy documents to find out your underwriter, and then ringing them on the number below.

020 3828 7381 is for Wakam (Crawford).

01908 735231 is for ERS (Crawford).

0344 573 1241 is for Mulsanne.

When looking for a cheaper temporary car insurance quote, several factors play a role in determining the price. While Cuvva considers many factors each time you request a quote, the most influential ones typically include your age, driving licence details, the vehicle type and its insurance group.

You’ll typically get a cheaper quote with a car in a lower insurance group. Your location and the time also impacts the premium. Generally, the price tends to rise as the day progresses - so if you need to borrow a car to run an errand, try and do it in the morning if you want to keep the cost down.You can use the 'What affects your price?' tool located at the bottom of the quote screen in the app to gain insights into your own price fluctuations as you enter your details.

With Cuvva, you can add 24/7 breakdown cover, with nationwide roadside assistance and recovery services, to a policy from an additional £1.03 per hour. This service is available if you break down more than a mile away from your home or departure point.

To cover a car with Cuvva’s temporary insurance, you must be between 19 and 70. For those under 21, you may have to have held a full licence for at least one year and have no at-fault or joint-fault accidents or claims. For Cuvva’s learner driver policies, you must be between 17 and 50 years old and have possessed your provisional driving licence for no more than 15 years.

You can buy Cuvva’s temporary car insurance policies using a GB licence in England, Scotland, or Wales, and you'll be covered for comprehensive driving in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. Our temporary insurance will also cover you to drive in the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.

It's crucial, however, that your policy starts and finishes within England, Scotland, or Wales. You also can’t extend your policy once you’re outside of England, Scotland, or Wales. So you could start a policy in Wales, travel via car ferry to Ireland and drive there for a few days, before returning to Britain before your policy ends. To steer clear of potential risks, try and build in a buffer in your coverage, like an extra day at the end of your trip.

Yes, it’s a great way to use Cuvva’s temporary insurance. Sure, if you're buying a car, some dealerships might have their own 'demonstration' or 'trade plate' insurance for test drives, though it's wise to approach with caution. This isn't the standard, fully comprehensive insurance you're likely familiar with (for example, the type Cuvva offers on all its policies). The insurance offered by dealerships usually only protects the dealership, covering potential damages to their vehicles and certain third-party liabilities during test drives. However, if a mishap occurs, you could find gaps in coverage, particularly for personal injuries. This might leave you with unexpected costs, high excesses, or even legal disputes. Test driving a car from a private seller usually involves no insurance cover whatsoever, so you’ll need to sort your own.

For a more transparent and safer choice in both scenarios, Cuvva’s short-term cover could offer the solution. Within minutes, you can secure temporary, fully comprehensive car insurance, with a standalone policy just for the test driver. Plus, all policy details are easily accessible from the app.

You need a GB licence to use Cuvva. This means a licence from England, Wales or Scotland. This is because when you sign up to Cuvva and scan your licence, the app pulls your licence details from the DVLA’s MyLicence portal. This is a GB-only service, meaning we can’t accept licences from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.