Borrowing a Friend’s Car? Why Temporary Insurance Is Your Best Bet

Susan Difford - Clean Green Compare Personal Lines Insurance Expert
Written by Susan Difford
Updated 9 May 2025
2 min read

If you’re borrowing a friend’s car, then you’ll of course need to have a valid UK driving licence in order to drive it legally. In addition to this, you’ll also need to have the right type of insurance to drive your friend’s car. If you only need cover for a short period of time, then by far the best option is to get a temporary car insurance policy.

Key points

What Is Temporary Car Insurance?

  • Get tailored cover for the period of time you need: You can get cover for as little as one hour or up to 28 days with temporary car insurance.
  • Cover for all types of cars: You can get cover for any type of car.
  • Hired cars cannot be covered: It’s important to know that hired cars cannot be covered with temporary car insurance.

stack of twenty pound notes

Do I need to get temporary car insurance?

Yes, if you’re going to be driving a friend’s car and you’re not covered under their policy (which you won’t be unless it was specifically requested), then you’ll to take out a temp policy.

How long will temporary car insurance cover me for?

This depends on how long you require it. You can get temporary car insurance from 1 hour, up to 28 days.

What is the best type of cover to get?

You can choose from the same types of cover with a temporary policy as you would with a regular one. The main insurance options are:

  • Third party only
  • Third party, fire and theft
  • Comprehensive

In Summary

  • Temporary cover is ideal for situations when you only need cover for a few hours or days
  • You’ll need to have temporary car for the car you’re borrowing to be road legal
  • You cannot get temporary cover for hired cars

Compare Temporary Car Insurance Quotes!

Don't have your registration number? No problem, click here