Planning a vacation and need a rental car? Hurricane or flood season right around the corner? Your new vehicle has a short lapse in coverage before your annual insurance plan begins coverage? If you are only planning on using a vehicle or need coverage for a short amount of time, then temporary car insurance may be the answer. While it is not available for all states, temporary—or short term—vehicle insurance can be ideal coverage when you’re using a rental vehicle, need additional coverage for certain times of the year, another driver will be temporarily using your vehicle, or when you only plan on having the vehicle for a short amount of time.
If you plan on visiting another country, or are visiting the US from another country, cheap temporary car insurance plans provide a way to have vehicle insurance in case of any accidents while you are visiting. Rules and procedures may vary slightly in order to acquire your short term car insurance plan, but the benefits remain the same. Major vehicle insurance companies, such as AIG, Progressive, and Geico, offer short term auto insurance for non-US residents and residents, alike.
Cheap short term car insurance plans operate independently of any existing plans. For example, if you plan on borrowing your aunt’s convertible while you visit for the week but you are not covered on her insurance plan, purchasing a short term insurance plan for your aunt’s vehicle with you listed as the driver can be an ideal answer. This way, your aunt will still have her own coverage while you get to enjoy driving legally. And, having an accident while covered by temporary insurance will not affect your aunt’s insurance rates.
While a temporary car insurance plan tends to be more expensive than a permanent, annual insurance plan, it will offer protection for your vehicle from one day to 11 months and can be renewed when the plan expires if you need coverage longer than you anticipated. The average temporary insurance plan offers coverage for six months. Additional drivers may be added to your short term insurance plan and a variety of options may be included, depending on your insurance carrier. Many insurance companies require that drivers be at least 21 years of age. It is possible to have either limited liability coverage or comprehensive vehicle coverage, vehicle collision repair, and medical coverage as well as other options with temporary insurance based on your provider and insurance plan.
Temporary auto insurance providers will either charge a premium that is paid in-advance of your coverage or offer a monthly payment plan. With in-advance payment options, you may be offered a discounted price as well as given a flat rate for your coverage. While an annual plan will offer the greatest price break overall, short term insurance is meant to be temporary, or coverage for a short amount of time, and the difference in cost is primarily paying for the convenience of having the short term coverage.
Many existing full coverage annual insurance plans cover rental vehicles and additional drivers of your vehicle already, making temporary insurance unnecessary. In order to determine whether you need temporary car insurance, contact a reputable vehicle insurance broker in the state the vehicle will be covered or contact your existing car insurance provider.
You can receive quotes for temporary car insurance through reputable vehicle insurance companies directly through their websites, visiting individual insurance companies’ offices, or through a variety of dealers by completing an online questionnaire to determine the best pricing information for your vehicle and state. As with annual vehicle insurance, pricing factors include the year, make and model of the vehicle to be insured, your driving history and the histories of any additional drivers, and any additional coverage you want included in your temporary car insurance plan.