Cover to drive your new car home

Drive Away Insurance

You have paid for the car and now you need to get it home. Temporary cover lets you do that legally, then shop for annual insurance without a deadline.

1 hour to 28 days
Fully comprehensive
Time to find annual cover

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 Drive Away Insurance?

Drive away insurance is a temporary motor policy that covers you for the drive home after buying a car, starting when you choose and ending on its own.

You have handed over the money and been given the keys. At that point the car is yours to move, but the seller’s insurance was never written for you. If you drive off without a policy of your own, you are driving uninsured from the first yard.

That is the gap this cover fills. It is a short-term comprehensive policy, issued in your name for the car you have just bought, so the journey home is covered and the annual policy can wait until you have chosen one properly. It is the same cover this site describes as temporary car insurance, pointed at one common moment.

Why Is Driving a Car Home the Day You Buy It a Problem?

Three things have to be in place before the car moves: insurance, vehicle tax and a valid MOT, and the person who sold it to you cannot supply the first for your journey.

GOV.UK sets out the order in its step-by-step guide to buying a vehicle: check the car and the V5C log book, register the car, then insure it and tax it. The insurance step says you must have insurance before you can use the vehicle on the road. The tax step says you need to tax the vehicle before you can use it.

Insurance

It is illegal to drive on a road without at least third party cover. GOV.UK explains the penalties: the police could give a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points, a court could impose an unlimited fine or a disqualification, and the police have the power to seize the vehicle. Buying a car and driving it home uninsured is one of the more expensive ways to start owning one.

Tax

You tax the car yourself, online or at a Post Office, using the V5C in your name or the green new keeper slip if you have just bought it. Do it before you drive. A dealer may have dealt with it for you, but do not assume so: ask whether the car is taxed and when the tax starts.

MOT

The car needs a valid MOT, unless it is going to a pre-booked test. Check the MOT history before you pay, not after.

How Does Temporary Cover Solve It?

It gives you a policy in your own name for the exact hours or days you need, so you can drive the car away legally and take your time choosing annual insurance.

Many people take whatever annual policy is offered at the point of sale because they feel the clock running. A temporary policy removes that pressure. You buy a few hours, a day or a few days, drive the car home, then look at annual quotes when you are not standing on a forecourt or a stranger’s driveway.

The cover has its own certificate and policy number. It is comprehensive as standard, so damage to the car you have just bought is included, not only damage you cause to others. Whether a dealer offers its own drive-away cover is the dealer’s decision and it varies, so ask in advance and see the paperwork. Where nothing is offered, or the terms are unclear, your own temporary policy is the clean answer.

Ready when you are

Cover the drive home before you collect the keys.

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

Get Quotes

How Do You Get Drive Away Insurance?

Enter the registration of the car you are buying, say who is driving and when, choose the length, then check the quote and buy before you move the car.

1
Enter the registration

The number plate of the car you are buying is enough to begin. It pulls up the make, model and value, which is most of what the quote is priced on. You can do this on your phone while you are still viewing the car.
2
Say who is driving and when

Your licence details, your address and the start time. Cover can start within minutes of paying, or you can set it for later if you are collecting the car at a fixed time.
3
Choose the length

Hours, a day or several days, up to 28 days on one policy. Allow for the journey, for fuel, for traffic and for anything that might go wrong at handover.
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 have the certificate, so do not drive on the strength of a quote.

Hours or Days: Which Length Suits a Drive Away?

Hours cover a straight drive home, and a day or more covers the time before an annual policy starts. The table sets out the lengths.

From £11.72 for one hour and £21.87 for one day, on the broker’s published prices. Those are floors, not typical prices, and your own quote depends on the driver, the car and the start time.

A policy cannot be extended once it has started, so the length is set when you buy.

Situation	Length
Local drive home, annual policy already booked to start	A few hours, see hourly car insurance
Collecting at the end of the day, annual policy not yet chosen	One day, see one day car insurance
Long collection, or you want time to look at annual quotes	Several days up to 28, see monthly car insurance

What Do You Need Before You Drive Away?

You need the policy certificate, the V5C or green new keeper slip, a valid MOT and tax in place, and the car must meet the standard criteria for temporary car cover.

The driver must meet the insurer’s age limits, from 17 to 75, hold a full UK licence, with the licence types accepted varying by insurer, have a permanent UK address, and declare any points or convictions on the form. Anyone who has ever had insurance refused, cancelled or voided cannot be covered. Vans have their own product, temporary van insurance.

The certificate. Keep the emailed policy documents on your phone. The policy is reported to the Motor Insurance Database, which the police read at the roadside, but policies are submitted four times a day, so the certificate is your back-up.
The V5C. Check the details on it match what the seller has told you and what DVLA holds, as GOV.UK’s buying guide advises. The new keeper slip is what lets you tax the car in your name.
A valid MOT. The criteria require one, and the car must not be SORN, apart from a drive to a pre-booked MOT.
A car that fits. Worth between £500 and £65,000, up to 3.5 tonnes, no more than seven seats, not a hire car, not held by the police, not imported, left-hand drive or modified.

How Much Does Drive Away Insurance Cost?

It is priced like any other short-term policy, on the car, the driver and the length, with published starting prices from £11.72 for one hour.

The things that move the price are the value and group of the car, your age and licence history, the start time and how long you take. From £21.87 for one day, £26.80 for two days and £30.93 for three, on the broker’s published prices.

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.

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 Happens After the Policy Ends?

It stops at the time you set, and the car is uninsured from that minute unless your annual policy has taken over.

Line the two up before you drive. Choose the start date of the annual policy first, then buy a temporary policy that ends after it begins, not before. If there is any chance of a gap, add time, because a second policy cannot cover an event that has already happened.

The car is yours from the day of purchase, so register it and check that your annual insurance shows on askMID before the temporary cover lapses. If the person who will drive the car is not the person buying it, the question is different, and additional driver insurance covers it.

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

Drive Away Insurance: FAQs

What is drive away insurance?

It is short-term motor insurance for the journey home after you buy a car. The policy starts when you choose, runs for the hours or days you pick and then ends on its own. It is not a separate type of policy, just temporary car cover used for that purpose.

Can I drive a car home the day I buy it without insurance?

No. You must be insured before the car moves on a road, and the seller’s policy is for the seller, not for you. If you are caught, GOV.UK says the police could give a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points, or the case could go to court.

Does the car need to be taxed before I drive it?

Yes. GOV.UK says you need to tax a vehicle before you can use it on the road. Tax is arranged in your name using the V5C log book or the green new keeper slip, so sort it out before you set off.

Will the dealer arrange cover for me?

Some dealers offer it and some do not, and what is offered can differ from one sale to the next. Ask before you pay, and ask to see the certificate. If nothing is provided, you need your own policy in place before you drive away.

How long should I buy drive away cover for?

Policies run from one hour up to 28 days. An hourly policy covers a local drive home, and a longer one covers the days before an annual policy starts.

How much does drive away insurance cost?

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, so treat those as a floor.

Do I need the registration number of the car?

Yes, it is how the quote is built. Enter the registration of the car you are buying and the car’s make, model and value come up from it. The car must still meet the criteria listed further down this page, and you must hold the certificate before you drive.

What if the car has no MOT or is on SORN?

The standard criteria for temporary car cover require a valid MOT and a car that is not SORN, with one exception for driving to a pre-booked MOT. If the car you are buying does not meet that, arrange the MOT first, or have the seller deliver it.

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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