Maybe you\u2019re housesitting for a friend and will drive her car over the weekend. Or you\u2019re headed to Europe and plan to rent a car. Perhaps you\u2019re going car shopping and wonder if the vehicle will be covered when you drive it home from the lot. Do you need to purchase car insurance for a day or a few days? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer depends on the situation, including your location. But in many cases, you\u2019re already covered by a policy\u2014even if it\u2019s not your own. In other cases, you might want or need to purchase daily or weekly coverage of some kind. Let\u2019s find out more about your choices for temporary car insurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In some countries, you can get car insurance for one day and up to 28 days. However, in the U.S., one-day car insurance isn\u2019t generally available, with very few exceptions. While any vehicle you drive will likely be required to carry liability insurance to comply with\u00a0state minimum requirements, this may be addressed without short-term car insurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In most cases in the U.S., insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. However, there are some instances in which the insurance covers you and other situations where you may want to supplement the coverage with additional insurance of your own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driving an uninsured vehicle could leave you open to penalties at a minimum\u2014or if you\u2019re involved in a serious accident, a revoked driver\u2019s license plus the loss of your savings and other assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re probably already covered by an insurance policy of some sort when you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many insurance policies state that auto coverage extends to anyone who has received permission to drive the car. However, \u201ccoverage\u201d may not be as broad as you hope, so it helps to understand basic auto insurance terms and get more information about how you\u2019re covered from the car\u2019s insurance company or your own agent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if your friend Emma has\u00a0liability-only coverage\u00a0on her car and you damage it, Emma\u2019s insurance company won\u2019t cover the broken taillight or smashed fender. If you damage a car while on a test drive, depending on any waivers you signed, you may be asked to help pay for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many cases, the car owner\u2019s insurance policy will take over any claims for damages. If you do have auto insurance coverage yourself, your coverage may also kick in depending on your policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a hailstorm damages your rental car and you didn\u2019t purchase a\u00a0damage waiver\u00a0from the rental agency, you could be expected to pay for repairs. However, if you have auto insurance with comprehensive coverage and you didn\u2019t buy a damage waiver, your insurance could help pay for the damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may or may not be covered in the following situations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In these situations, you\u2019ll want to call your insurance company to determine whether you\u2019re covered or if it would be better to purchase additional short-term insurance or a more permanent solution. In many cases, you will need to purchase a different auto insurance policy or an\u00a0endorsement\u00a0to your existing policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you call the insurance company that covers the car and discover the coverage isn\u2019t as broad as you hoped, you have a few options to improve it. Most types of short-term car coverages are for rental cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rental agencies usually include basic, minimal-liability insurance policies in the rental cost, as well as optional additional coverage and waivers for an extra fee. This type of additional auto coverage is generally charged on a per-day or weekly basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Typically, rental company insurance includes state minimums for\u00a0liability coverage, which is the bodily and property damage you cause to others in an accident. However, this coverage doesn\u2019t typically pay for rental car damage caused by you or others. For example, if the car is stolen and destroyed, you\u2019ll probably have to pay to replace it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you already have auto insurance that includes collision and comprehensive coverage, these can help cover rental car damage up to your policy\u2019s limits after the deductible is paid. However, if you don\u2019t have coverage, you may want to consider the rental agency\u2019s temporary coverage via a collision damage waiver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your\u00a0credit card could offer primary coverage\u00a0for rental cars (which covers damages to the rental car without making a claim on your personal auto policy, if you have one). Your credit card could also offer secondary coverage (which covers rental car damages after your own policy is exhausted). Call your credit card company to find out what this type of temporary coverage includes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some travel insurance companies offer car rental insurance plans. The insurance is temporary and covers only damage to the car during the auto rental period\u2014not to other vehicles you might borrow or use. This type of insurance isn\u2019t available in all states, and terms of coverage can vary by state, so ensure you understand this short-term insurance before buying in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Car-sharing services might also offer optional damage protection plans, which waive any fees associated with repairing the vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re in the military and will be stationed abroad temporarily, contact your insurer to ask about overseas insurance options. Some of the\u00a0best military insurance companies\u00a0can offer advice and tips on managing car insurance while overseas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travelers might also investigate auto insurance coverage options before departing. For example, driving into Mexico isn\u2019t typically covered by car insurance policies, but many insurers offer optional add-on coverage. Notably, some insurers, such as GEICO, provide one-day insurance policies for coverage in Mexico.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n When renting a car overseas, the car rental agency should provide information on temporary insurance options and damage waivers, which can help cover costs if you\u2019re in an accident. These insurance and waiver options will vary by country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t drive often, you might consider other insurance options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In some situations, you might have access to a car but don\u2019t drive it frequently. For example,\u00a0classic car insurance\u00a0covers cars 25 years or older that aren\u2019t used as the primary household vehicle. Some insurers ask classic car owners to manage mileage limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Usage-based auto insurance\u00a0calculates your rate based on how many miles you drive, and a significant number of insurers now offer this coverage in many states. Typically, the insurer charges a base rate plus a cost-per-mile driven. This temporary car insurance option can help you score a cheaper auto insurance premium.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-owner car insurance\u00a0provides coverage for licensed drivers and can provide additional protection if you\u2019re driving a car that belongs to someone else. For example, if you hit someone while driving your friend\u2019s car and cause $100,000 in damages, but your friend only has $50,000 in coverage, you could be financially responsible for the difference. If you have non-owner car insurance of $50,000, that insurance may help cover the costs.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some policies provide liability-only coverage, while others also offer medical payments, uninsured\/underinsured motorist coverage, and other coverages. Make sure you understand what you\u2019re signing up for before purchasing any insurance policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Maybe you\u2019re housesitting for a friend and will drive her car over the weekend. Or you\u2019re headed to Europe and plan to rent a car. Perhaps you\u2019re going car shopping and wonder if the vehicle will be covered when you drive it home from the lot. Do you need to purchase car insurance for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1745,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1743\/revisions\/1745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autosinsure.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Car Insurance Options When You Don\u2019t Drive Much<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Classic Cars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Usage-Based Car Insurance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Non-Owner Car Insurance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n