short term car and van insurance

Short Term Car and Van Insurance in Ireland in 2025

Short term motor insurance of between one and 28 days is the cost effective and temporary method of insuring yourself to drive another car, van or other vehicle.

Whether you’re borrowing a car for a weekend away or sharing driving duties with a friend on a long drive, Short term insurance would be needed.

short term motor insurance
Short Term Car Insurance

Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t think there are any brokers or insurance companies offering short-term insurance to drivers. The risk seems to be too high for an insurer to take someone under their insurance over such a short period of time.

Short-term insurance is available in the UK with companies like Aviva UK, but we can’t seem to find any in Ireland at the moment. If you know of a company let us know.

Why would insurance companies in Ireland not offer short-term insurance?

There’s probably a few reasons but one I can think of is risk to the insurer is too high. An example would be if someone took out short term insurance on a very expensive vehicle and then crashed it.

An insurer would be liable for such a small and short term insurance premium.

Most car insurance premiums relate to age and length of cover but since temporary insurance can’t go on length a young driver would struggle to get this type of insurance in the UK.

This type of insurance seems to only be available to people with a full drivers licence.

Quick things to know on short term motor insurance:

  1. Age related – can be difficult for a young person to get.
  2. Very strict on time. 1 minute past midnight you’re not insured.
  3. Usually only third party, fire and theft.
  4. Agree mileage limit – Can’t exceed the agreed mileage on the car.

Last note on Temp Car Insurance

We don’t know of any insurance companies offering this service but we’ll keep on the look out for our readers. At the end of this page we have insurance companies advertising. They may be able to help you further but we can’t guarantee it.

If you’re travelling throughout Ireland then one of the most important things you can have is car insurance.

No matter where you’re visiting from you’ve probably had to get car insurance for your vehicle before in order to drive it in your home country.

Driving in just about any country in the world requires some type of insurance so that if you get into an accident or something happens to the vehicle you don’t have to be held responsible for the costs and the actual owner of the vehicle isn’t either.

Temporary car insurance is the same as a regular insurance, but it’s something you get when you’re not going to be in the area for long or you’re not going to be driving that particular vehicle for long.

After all, you pay quite a bit to have car insurance on your regular vehicle for an entire year.

You definitely don’t want to pay that kind of money for something you’re only going to be driving for a couple days or even weeks right? And that’s why car rental companies typically offer a temporary insurance so you can pay a lesser amount for the time you’re going to be using the vehicle.

1 – 28 Days Insurance

In general, a temporary insurance will provide you with between 1 and 28 days of coverage so you can enjoy your driving privileges in an area that you don’t usually drive.

Even if it’s a vehicle that you own you may want to only get a temporary policy for the time you’re going to be driving it, because maybe you’re not going to drive it all the time.

For example, people who own classic cars tend to only drive them for special events and occasions.

If the vehicle spends the rest of the time in your garage you don’t really need to insure it but you want to make sure that when it is out and on the road it’s covered.

Young Drivers Temporary Insurance

temporary insurance

Another example is young drivers who are using someone else’s vehicle for a short period of time. Insuring a young driver for an extended period, like an entire year, can be expensive.

Insuring them for the time they’re going to actually be using the vehicle can definitely be a better option.

No matter why you want to get short-term insurance, you can definitely do it quickly and easily at several locations throughout Ireland, and though rental agencies often provide it, there are other places to get these types of insurance as well.

All you need to do is fill out some simple information to find out more about the temporary insurance process.

If you fill out some personal information about yourself and your driving history, as well as the vehicle that you’re planning to drive, you’ll be able to find out how much your insurance is going to cost.

Of course, you’ll need to know how long you want the policy as well and when it should be ready to start. It can be anytime from the moment you sign up to later down the road, up to 30 days down the road.

When you decide on insurance you’re also going to have the chance to look at all the extras and add-ons that are available to make sure your insurance is customized to your needs.

This means you can get anything from basic coverage to specialized coverage.

Things like scratch and dent protection or even misfueling protection are available with many insurance companies and those things are definitely going to help you if you haven’t spent a lot of time driving this particular vehicle or are letting someone who’s not as comfortable drive it.

You definitely don’t want to suffer any damage when all is said and done.

What to do next?

The best thing you can do is find a motor insurance company that can offer you great options when it comes to protecting yourself and protecting your car.

We can help you find the insurance that you really need based on your history and your personal information that you provide us.

We’ll even show you several different options in the area that you can choose from. It’s really quite simple and before you know it you’re going to have your car insured and be ready to drive off wherever you want to go, whether there’s an emergency or you’re just heading to the local fair with some friends.

So make sure you’re not settling for insurance that’s cheap or that’s easy to find. With us you’ll be able to look at several different options and you’ll be able to easily sign up for the insurance (and the extras) of your choice, so you can get on with your plans for the rest of the day, weekend, week or even longer. It’s entirely up to you how you want to get started.

Monthly Car Insurance

We’ve seen insurance companies targeting people looking for temporary car insurance by offering monthly premium payments.

This isn’t the same as temporary or short term car insurance. You’d still need to sign up to a yearly 12 month contract deal to avail of a monthly payment option.

Last note on Temp Car Insurance

We don’t know of any insurance companies offering this service but we’ll keep on the look out for our readers. At the end of this page we have insurance companies advertising. They may be able to help you further but we can’t guarantee it.

Short Term Car Insurance FAQ’s

Is Short Term Car Insurance Available in Ireland?

No, there is no car insurance company offering short term car insurance deals in Ireland at the moment. We’d be interested in updating this article if this should change. Email us if you come across any companies offering temporary car insurance.

Is there other solutions to get short term insurance?

If you can’t afford to pay a yearly fee for insurance break it down by monthly payments. No many people need short term insurance unless they have a temporary car. You can just move your insurance to the new car if this happens.

Can I arrange Temporary Car Insurance if I’m changing car?

Yes, if you have a full car insurance policy you may have the opportunity to transfer your policy to your new car temporarily. This will need to be arranged with your car insurance broker/underwriter.