Sometimes, you end up in situations where you will be driving a car that you don’t own for a day. Maybe you don’t own a car and are renting one for errands. In these situations, it’s essential to know how to take on temporary car insurance.
One day car insurance is an interesting type of personal car insurance that many drivers are not familiar with. Since most drivers own or lease a vehicle and pay for car insurance continuously, the need to try this type of car insurance doesn’t also come up.
Today, learn how one day car insurance works and what you should consider when taking out a temporary car insurance policy.
When You Need One Day Car Insurance
If you’ve never needed to get temporary car insurance before, you might wonder when you might need to get this type of coverage. There are a few situations that are more common than you might think, which require quick, short-term coverage.
Renting A Vehicle
You might want to get temporary car insurance coverage if you are renting a vehicle for a specific amount of time or borrowing a friend’s car for a few days because yours isn’t working. While their personal coverage would likely still cover you as a driver, having your own coverage would be more comprehensive.
Taking A Driving Test
Drivers who are taking their driving test for the first time may want to get a one-day policy to take their test without needing to commit to a long-term policy.
Test Driving Vehicles
If you don’t have a personal coverage policy and want to test drive different vehicles, short-term coverage for those days is a good option. You can get a non-owner insurance policy to protect you and the vehicle should anything occur, even if you don’t own the vehicle.
Infrequently Driven Cars
Some people own cars that they do not drive very frequently, such as a large moving van or a sports car. Drivers often choose to only insure these cars for short periods of time when you will be using the car. Otherwise, it can sit in storage uninsured.
Another option in this situation is to use usage-based insurance rather than time-based insurance, but it’s up to you to determine if one-day or usage-based fits your situation better.
How One Day Car Insurance Works
How exactly does one day car insurance work?
When it comes to coverage types and options, the policy types that you can choose from are often similar or precisely the same as what is offered in long-term plans. Most drivers are used to browsing plans that renew every three, six, or twelve months, but those are not the only plans out there.
Many companies do not offer one-day options, but they may have other comparable short-term options to consider. To find cheap one day car insurance, it’s best to find companies that specialize in temporary coverage.
Do I Need To Take A Driving Test To Get Temporary Insurance?
Some drivers mistakenly believe that they need to take a driving test for one day insurance coverage, but that is not true. Whether you are getting a non-owner policy or a car-specific policy, your driver’s license is proof of your ability to drive.
Do I Have To Get Insurance Just To Drive One Day?
It is in your best interest to get car insurance when driving, even if you will not be driving for more than one day. Even during one day of driving, an accident could occur. Having insurance makes sure that you are financially protected in that situation.
However, before you look into one day plans, find out if you are covered under another type of plan. Rental cars, for example, often include insurance coverage in the rental fee. If you’re driving a friend’s car, their policy may cover you as well. If you’re already covered, you don’t need to look for one day insurance.
Insurance often follows the car, not the driver. You may not need to get one day car insurance if the car itself already has insurance. If you are the owner and do not have the car insured, you should look into temporary insurance solutions.
Other Temporary Car Insurance Solutions
While one day car insurance might be a solution that works for you, remember that it is not your only short-term or temporary option.
When renting a car, for example, you can typically make sure that your personal coverage will extend to count for your rental car. If it will not, you can either purchase supplemental coverage through your insurer or buy coverage through the rental car agency. However, this type of coverage is often overpriced, so it is best to consider other options first.
If you have a car in storage that is not driven frequently, you might want to get non-collision coverage on it long-term. Then, you can add the necessary coverage for short periods whenever you are going to drive it.
Before investing in one day coverage, it’s a good idea to consider what will be most affordable. One day car insurance can be expensive and hard to find in some areas, so it’s important not to feel like it is your own option. It’s a great option when available, but there are other ways to insure your driving when necessary.
