Business class 1 use included

Temporary Business Car Insurance

Driving to a meeting, a site visit or a client in a car that is not yours needs cover that includes business use. Temporary car insurance includes it as standard.

Business class 1 included
1 hour to 28 days
Borrowed or colleague’s car

In partnership with GoShorty

FCA-regulated cover

Every policy is arranged by an authorised UK insurance broker
1 hour to 28 days

One policy, any length in between, no annual contract
Certificate emailed to you

Your policy number and documents, minutes after paying
MID updated four times a day

So a roadside check shows the vehicle as insured

What Is Temporary Business Car Insurance?

Temporary business car insurance is a short-term comprehensive car policy that includes business class 1 use as standard, so you can drive to meetings, site visits and client visits.

You do not need a separate business product for an ordinary working trip. Temporary car cover includes business class 1 as standard, which is the use most people mean when they say they need "business insurance" for a day or a week. It is the same policy as any other temporary car insurance, with the work use already in it.

That matters because social, domestic and pleasure cover often does not include driving for work. A trip that is business use on an annual policy that does not include it can leave you driving without the cover you thought you had.

Why Is Borrowing a Car for Work a Problem?

Your own policy may not include business use in someone else’s car, and the owner’s policy was written for the owner’s use, not yours.

The situations are ordinary. Your car is off the road and you need to get to a client. A colleague offers theirs for a site visit. A partner’s car is free on the day of a meeting. Each is a car you do not own, used for work.

The owner’s policy

It lists who may drive and for what. A casual "it’s insured" does not mean you are insured, and if you are driving for work the owner’s policy may not allow that use.

Your own policy

Where an annual policy allows other cars at all, it is normally third party only and often excludes business use. Third party cover pays for damage you cause to other people, not for damage to the car you are driving.

The law

GOV.UK sets out the rule: you must have motor insurance to drive on UK roads, and if you are not correctly insured to drive the vehicle you can be penalised, with a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points, or a court case. Section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 applies to the person who lends the car as well: it is an offence to cause or permit another person to use a vehicle on a road without insurance covering that use.

What Does Business Class 1 Include?

It includes driving to meetings, site visits and client visits, which is the published definition of the business use in the standard car policy.

In practice that covers the day-to-day travel of working life: a meeting at another office, a site inspection, a client visit, a trip to see a supplier. You do not have to pay extra for it or choose it as an option.

What it does not mean is that anything you do for money is covered. The wording of the policy is the final word, and the sensible habit is to read the use section before you buy if your journey sits near the edge of the list.

Ready when you are

Cover your next work trip in a borrowed car.

Just the registration to begin. Fully comprehensive, one hour to 28 days.

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What Does It Exclude?

Deliveries, taxi use, carrying goods, driving instruction and door-to-door sales are excluded, along with hire and reward.

Note the boundary on the van product too: van cover does not cover tools, cargo or goods in transit. If you carry tools or stock regularly, check the van policy for what it does and does not insure.

If your work involves	The standard policy is	What to look at
Meetings, site visits, client visits	Included	This page
Delivering food or parcels	Excluded	Temporary courier insurance
Carrying goods or tools	Excluded	Temporary van insurance
Carrying passengers for payment	Excluded	Temporary taxi insurance
Giving driving lessons	Excluded	Instruction needs its own cover
Door-to-door sales	Excluded	Not covered on this product

How Do You Get Temporary Business Car Insurance?

Enter the registration of the car you will drive, say who is driving and when, choose the length, then check the quote and buy before you set off.

1
Enter the registration

The number plate is enough to start. It pulls up the make, model and value of the car, which is most of what the quote is priced on. If you are borrowing, ask the owner for it.
2
Say who is driving and when

Your licence details, your address and the start time. If the car belongs to someone else, you need their permission. Cover can start within minutes of paying, or you can set it for later in the day.
3
Choose the length

From one hour to 28 days on one policy. A single appointment suits hourly car insurance. A run of site visits or a longer loan suits weekly car insurance, which runs from one to four weeks.
4
Check it, then buy

Read what is covered, what the excess is and what the optional extras add. The certificate is emailed once you pay. Cover exists only once the policy is issued and you hold the certificate, so do not drive on the strength of a quote.

How Much Does Temporary Business Car Insurance Cost?

Business class 1 is included in the car policy, so the car prices apply: from £11.72 for one hour and £21.87 for one day. Your own quote depends on the car, the driver and the start time.

One week is from £46.59 and two weeks from £54.11 on the same basis. They are floors, not typical prices, and what moves the price is the same as on any motor policy.

Older business-use starting prices based on a different period, October 2024 to March 2025, may still be seen elsewhere. They are not directly comparable with the figures above, so rely on the quote you are shown, not on an old table.

Optional extras exist, including breakdown cover, excess protection and legal cover. There is no refund once cover has started, and policies never renew by themselves.

What sets your price

1 The car Value, group and whether it is a model insurers see claims on.
2 The driver Age, licence history, claims and convictions.
3 The length The number of hours or days sets the price.
4 The start time Cover starting at an unusual hour is priced differently from daytime cover.

Starting prices on this page are GoShorty’s published from-prices, based on quotes from December 2025 to May 2026. A starting price is the lowest sold to anyone, not a typical price, and every quote is individual. Source: GoShorty’s published prices.

What About a Colleague’s or a Partner’s Car?

Borrow it with the owner’s permission on a standalone policy in your name, so their annual insurance and no claims discount are untouched.

The policy has its own certificate and policy number, and a claim is made under it. That is the main difference from being added to someone’s annual policy for one trip, which involves their insurer and can affect their premium. If the car belongs to your employer, check the employer’s own insurance and rules first. The employer’s position is not something a temporary policy can change.

A stricter additional-driver set may also apply to a borrowed car: a licence held for six months (three months if you are over 25), up to two claims and six points in the last three years, and no use abroad. Additional driver insurance explains it.

Who Can Get It?

Drivers aged 17 to 75 with a full UK licence, driving a car worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band, with a valid MOT. The minimum age and the licence types accepted vary by insurer.

You also need a permanent UK address, you declare any points or convictions on the form, and you cannot have had insurance refused, cancelled or voided. The car must not be SORN, apart from a drive to a pre-booked MOT, and cannot be a hire car, an import or modified. The policy is reported to the Motor Insurance Database, and the emailed certificate is your back-up if the database has not yet updated.

Before you start

Can you get it?

If you and the car fit these criteria, a quote is likely.

The driver

Aged 17 to 75, minimum age depending on the insurer
A full UK licence from the DVLA or DVA, or an EU or EEA licence with at least 12 months of UK residence
A permanent UK address
Never had insurance refused, cancelled or voided
Points and convictions declared on the form and priced within each insurer's limits

The car

Worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band
A valid MOT, and not declared SORN, unless you are driving to a pre-booked MOT
Up to 3.5 tonnes and no more than seven seats
Not a hire or rental vehicle, and not held by the police
Not imported, left-hand drive or modified, apart from factory options or mobility adaptations

Criteria are set by each insurer on the broker’s panel and vary between them. Acceptance is always the insurer’s decision.

Questions

Temporary Business Car Insurance: FAQs

What is temporary business car insurance?

It is a short-term car policy that includes business class 1 use as standard, so you can drive to meetings, site visits and client visits. It runs from one hour to 28 days, is comprehensive and ends automatically.

What does business class 1 cover?

Driving to meetings, site visits and client visits. That is the use included as standard. The precise wording is in the policy documents, so read it before you buy if your journey is anything other than an ordinary visit.

What does it not cover?

Deliveries, taxi use, carrying goods, driving instruction and door-to-door sales are excluded, and so is hire and reward. If any of those is part of the job, the standard policy is not the right one, and the courier, van or taxi products may be.

Can I borrow a colleague’s or a partner’s car for a work trip?

Yes, with the owner’s permission, on a standalone temporary policy in your name. A claim is made under that policy, so the owner’s own annual insurance and no claims discount are untouched. Check the employer’s rules too, since some employers restrict which cars staff may use.

Does my own annual policy cover business use in a borrowed car?

Do not assume so. Where an annual policy lets you drive other cars at all, it is normally third party only, and business use may be excluded. Read your policy wording, and if it does not say clearly that you are covered, buy your own policy.

How long can the cover run?

From one hour up to 28 days on one policy. A single meeting suits hours, a day of site visits suits a day policy, and a project that runs a few weeks suits a longer one. Policies do not renew by themselves.

How much does it cost?

Business class 1 is included in the car policy, so the car prices apply: from £11.72 for one hour and £21.87 for one day, on the broker’s published prices. Your own quote depends on you, the car and the start time.

Who can get a temporary business car policy?

Drivers aged 17 to 75 with a full UK licence, with the minimum age and the licence types accepted varying by insurer, a permanent UK address, with any points or convictions declared on the form. The car must be worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band, and have a valid MOT.

Does it cost anything to get a quote?

No. Getting a quote is free and you are under no obligation to buy. We may be paid a fee by the broker if someone takes out a policy after being introduced by us. It does not change the price you are quoted.

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