Cheap Short Term Car Insurance in 2024

Technically, there isn’t such a thing as weekly car insurance or monthly car insurance, as most auto insurance companies only offer car insurance policies as short as six months.

However, there are a few ways to get car insurance coverage for temporary driving situations, whether it’s purchasing rental car insurance when renting a car or getting non-owner car insurance when frequently borrowing a friend’s car.

Continue reading to learn more about what you can do to get short-term car insurance, situations where you’ll need short-term car insurance and other auto insurance options besides short-term car insurance.

Short-Term Car Insurance Explained 

Most auto insurance companies offer auto insurance policies in six-month (read our “Can you buy car insurance for six months?” for more information) or 12-month policy terms. So if you’re looking for auto insurance coverage for less than six months you may want to compare weekly car insurance because your options are limited.

If you want month-to-month car insurance, the best option is to sign up for the shortest coverage option available and cancel your car insurance policy when you no longer need insurance. 

You can sign up for a six-month policy for the coverage you need, whether regular auto insurance or a non-owner auto insurance policy. However, depending on the insurance company’s cancellation policy, you may be stuck paying fees for early termination. 

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Short-Term Car Insurance Situations 

There are several situations where you might want auto insurance coverage for a short period. If you don’t have car insurance but do any of the following, you may want to look into temporary auto insurance: 

• Borrow someone’s car for an extended period. While borrowing someone’s car to run an errand doesn’t warrant getting insurance, you may want to get non-owner car insurance if you borrow their car every day to go to work. 
• Give up your car or stop driving after a month or two. If you’re selling your car or will no longer drive it, you still must carry auto insurance and cancel it before the end of the policy period.
• Rent a car for an extended period. You could purchase extra rental car insurance if you’re renting a car for a long time. With rental car insurance, you won’t have to worry about canceling a policy prematurely.

If you are borrowing someone’s car for a few hours or a day or two while your car is in the shop, you don’t need to worry about getting short-term car insurance. The owner’s car insurance will cover you if you borrow their car for a short period. 

However, if you regularly use a friend’s car, you should get non-owner car insurance. Also, if you live with your friend, you should have them add you as a driver to their auto insurance policy. 

How to Get Short-Term Car Insurance 

We’ve established there isn’t such a thing as short-term car insurance offering less than six months of coverage unless you cancel your policy early. So when shopping around for car insurance policies, we recommend getting quotes from different companies to see which offers the cheapest rates.

Since you can’t buy insurance in month-long periods, you’ll have to purchase six months of coverage and either prepay for the full six months or pay monthly. If you pay in full, you may receive a discount, and you should get a refund for unused premiums if you can cancel.

When you cancel your auto insurance, make sure you get refunded for any unused premiums and get a copy of the cancellation for your records. It may take a while for the refund to show up in your account. 

Also, you should always check your account after cancellation to ensure you don’t get automatically charged for another month, which can happen when you set up autopay.

Read more:

• Compare Car Insurance for Part-Time Drivers: Rates, Discounts, & Requirements
• Compare Occasional Driver Car Insurance Rates

Other Short-Term Car Insurance Options

There are other options besides purchasing a regular auto insurance policy and canceling. We’ve outlined some of your other choices for short-term auto insurance below, from adding a driver to an insurance policy to getting rental car insurance.

Adding Driver to Existing Policy 

If you live with the owner of the car you’re driving, they can add you as a driver to their car insurance policy. Once you no longer drive the car and don’t need insurance, they can remove you as a driver.

For example, if you borrow your roommate’s car multiple times per week, it’s prudent to be added as a driver. While the policyholder is responsible for the extra cost of adding a driver, you can always pay the policyholder for your portion of the insurance bill. How can I add someone to my car insurance for a day? Sometimes you need to add someone for a very short period of time, and this is possible with many insurance companies. 

Read more: Can I add someone to my car insurance for a week?

College Student Coverage 

Parents of college students may wonder if they should remove their child from their auto insurance policy when the child is away at school without a car. While you could remove and re-add your child to your insurance policy when they’re back living at home, there’s also the possibility your insurance company offers a student-away discount. 

With a student-away car insurance discount, you can save on car insurance without removing your child from your auto insurance. The only stipulations at most insurance companies are that your child doesn’t have one of the cars and they must be going to school more than 100 miles away. 

Non-Owner Car Insurance 

Let’s say you don’t own a car but frequently borrow a friend’s. In these cases, if you aren’t living with the vehicle’s owner, purchasing a non-owner car insurance policy is best.

A non-owner car insurance policy provides the basic liability auto insurance you need to drive legally in your state. If you cause a car accident, the other parties’ accident bills get covered by the non-owner insurance. In addition, since it’s non-owner insurance, you’ll be covered in whatever car you drive, as this car insurance is for the policyholder, not the car.

Pay-Per-Mile Insurance 

If you rarely drive, consider looking into pay-per-mile car insurance as a cheap temporary car insurance option. If you need it for less than six months, you’ll still be stuck canceling it early, but it can be a more economical way to purchase short-term insurance.

With pay-per-mile insurance, you often pay a daily rate of a few dollars and a per-mile fee of a few cents per mile. Paying for car insurance by the day is often much cheaper than a traditional auto insurance policy, making it a better option for drivers needing short-term insurance. 

Rental Car Insurance 

If you’re renting a car, you could purchase rental car insurance for extra protection while driving it. You may be able to get rental car insurance through your credit card company, regular auto insurance provider, or the rental car company itself.

When you return your rental car, your coverage ends, making this the easiest way to get short-term auto insurance when renting a car. Find out how to get cheap rental car insurance.

Read more: Compare Weekend Car Insurance: Rates, Discounts, & Requirements

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The Final Word on Short-Term Car Insurance 

If you need auto insurance coverage for less than six months, you’ll likely have to purchase a six-month policy and cancel before the end of the policy period. There are also other options, like non-owner or rental car insurance, when you need short-term car insurance for cars you don’t own.

If you need short-term car insurance quickly, the best way is to get auto insurance quotes and compare rates to see which company offers the best deal. You can use our free quote comparison tool to see which auto insurance company offers the best rates in your area.

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