Most insurance companies won't offer a policy shorter than 6 months. Some short-term car insurance options include rental car insurance or pay-per-mile insurance.

Written by Sarah Gray

Edited by R.E. Fulton

Reviewed by Josh Damico

Updated on Apr 17, 2024

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Your best solution for temporary car insurance depends on why you need it
If you’re buying a car
If you don’t drive often
If you’re renting
If you borrow or share cars regularly
If you borrow a car occasionally
If you regularly borrow a specific car
If you stop driving temporarily
The worst way to get temporary car insurance:
FAQs

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Short-term coverage doesn’t really exist in most cases. But depending on the reason you need temporary

car insurance

, you might be able to use rental car insurance, pay-per-mile coverage, or a non-owner policy. You could also be added to another driver’s policy.

Your best solution for temporary car insurance depends on why you need it

Temporary car insurance isn’t just one thing—there are a wide range of insurance solutions that can help you find limited coverage for a short period of time. Let’s go over the different options for short-term insurance in different situations.

If you’re buying a car

Avoid short-term dealership policies.

Dealerships sometimes sell temporary policies to ensure new car buyers can drive legally—but they’re typically a bad idea.

Pro: Dealership coverage usually lasts about 28 days—plenty of time to secure permanent coverage.

Con: You’ll pay more for less coverage than you’d get with a standard policy.

To avoid overpaying, get car insurance yourself

before buying a car

It’s easy to get same-day insurance, especially if you’re working with an online broker like Jerry.

If you don’t drive often

Pay-per-mile insurance.

Car owners who don’t drive very often can save with pay-per-mile insurance, while maintaining continuous coverage.

Pro: You pay a low base rate with a surcharge added per mile driven.

Con: Your insurance premium will vary from month to month. Unless you drive less than 10,000 miles per year, you’ll pay a lot more for this type of coverage than for a standard policy.

Learn More:

Is pay-as-you-go car insurance worth it?

If you’re renting

Rental car insurance.

If you don’t own a car but do occasionally rent a car, use rental car insurance to cover you during the rental period.

Pro: If you don’t have auto insurance, rental car companies give you the option to buy insurance through them

Con: Often much more expensive than a standard or non-owner policy.

Learn More:

Rental car insurance, explained

If you have a credit card, check the details—you may already have rental coverage as a cardholder perk.

Non-owner insurance.

Non-owner insurance is ideal if you don’t have your own car but rent or borrow one frequently.

Pro: A non-owner car insurance policy provides

bodily injury liability

and

property damage liability

coverages (which are mandatory in most states), and some can be upgraded to include additional coverages.

Con: A non-owner policy is a secondary policy that only kicks in to cover expenses beyond what the vehicle-owner’s insurance limits cover. If the vehicle you’re borrowing isn’t insured by its owner, your non-owner policy won’t work.

If you rent cars frequently, a non-owner policy may end up being cheaper than the fees for rental car liability coverage—but you might still want a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) since non-owner insurance won’t cover damage to the car you’re driving.

If you borrow a car occasionally

You’re already covered!

If you occasionally borrow someone’s car with their permission, you don’t have to do anything—you’re likely already covered!

Pro: A standard auto insurance policy allows for permissive use—so if the vehicle owner permits you to drive their car, the insurance policy will cover you if you’re in an accident

Con: If you’re named as an excluded driver on the vehicle owner’s policy, you will not be covered when you drive their car.

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If you regularly borrow a specific car

Named driver.

If you regularly drive someone else’s car or you have a driver’s license and live with someone who owns a vehicle, they should add you to their policy.

Pro: As a named driver on someone else’s policy, you will be covered anytime you drive their car.

Con: Adding a named driver can cause insurance rates to increase—especially if you have a poor driving record or cause an accident while you’re on their policy.

You can easily add or remove drivers from your policy within the Jerry app.

If you stop driving temporarily

Standard policy with adjusted coverage levels.

If you know there’s going to be a period of several months where you won’t be using your vehicle, call your insurance agent and ask them about lowering your physical damage coverage levels only for that period of time. Here are a few examples when this option may come in handy:

If you’re a snowbird who doesn’t need a car during the winter months: Drop collision coverage while you’re out of town, keeping the state-required liability and comprehensive coverage so you’ll be protected from things like weather, theft, and vandalism.

If you’re the parent of a college-age student who only drives when they’re home on break: Check with your provider to see if they offer an “away at school” option to cover them when they’re home for breaks and holidays while saving you money during the times they’re away without a car.

If you’re a military member who only drives between deployments: Choose an insurer that offers a military storage plan—you’ll pay a reduced rate for the months that your car is stored unused, and you can restore your normal coverage when you’re back home. Note: These and other “comprehensive only” plans usually require you to surrender your license plates to avoid a lapse in liability coverage on a registered vehicle.

Adjust your coverage effortlessly with the Jerry app. Standard policies with tailored coverage levels make it easy to save when you're not using your vehicle for an extended period. Whether you're a snowbird, a parent of a college student, or a military member between deployments, customize your physical damage coverage and stay protected from the unexpected while saving money during car-free months.

If your vehicle is financed, you have to keep full coverage regardless of whether or how often you drive it.

The worst way to get temporary car insurance:

Standard policy with early cancellation.

When you’re searching for temporary car insurance online, you’ll probably find a lot of advice saying you can just purchase a 6- or 12-month policy, then cancel it early. While this is certainly an option, we generally don’t recommend it.

Here’s why:

Refusal of coverage: If you frequently buy policies and cancel them early, insurers might refuse to cover you in the future. It could even be considered a form of insurance fraud—definitely a problem you don’t need.

Gaps in your insurance history: If you cancel your policy early and don’t buy a new one, it’s considered an insurance lapse. Lapses raise major red flags for insurers, so your rates will be higher the next time you buy a policy.

Lack of protection: There’s sometimes a window at the start of a new insurance policy where your coverage is limited. That means if you’re in an accident shortly after buying a standard policy, you might not be able to file a claim for damages. If you drive regularly, it’s better to maintain continuous coverage to avoid this.

Cancellation fee or loss of down payment: Most insurance companies don’t charge a cancellation fee if you end your policy early, but some will. Also, depending on the insurer, you could forfeit any down payment you paid to start your policy.

There are a few circumstances where this can be a viable option, though—as long as you aren’t worried about an insurance lapse or having multiple cancellations.

For instance, you might buy a policy and cancel it early if you’re buying a car that you plan to sell again soon (and you aren’t planning to get another one) or if you’re visiting the US and want to drive while you’re here.

You may see insurance providers offering temporary car insurance policies online—often in seven-day or one-month increments. However, these aren’t usually reputable companies. In the best case, they’ll redirect you to an agent who’ll tell you that you can only buy a standard 6- or 12-month policy. Worst case, it could be a scam that leaves you uninsured.

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FAQs

Is temporary car insurance legit?

Not really. If you hear of an insurance carrier offering terms less than six months. It’s likely a scam. Six-months is the shortest legitimate term available from standard carriers.

How to get temporary car insurance in the U.S.?

Short-term coverage doesn’t really exist in most cases. But depending on the reason you need temporary car insurance, you might be able to use rental car insurance, pay-per-mile coverage, or a non-owner policy.

What is the shortest term for car insurance?

Six months is the shortest legitimate term for car insurance.

How long can you use temporary insurance for?

The shortest available term for car insurance is six months. However, insurance policies can technically be canceled at any time, though we do not recommend purchasing a standard policy and canceling early as a method of procuring “temporary” car insurance.