Cover for a full 24 hours

One Day Car Insurance

A comprehensive policy that runs for a whole day, for collecting a car, a day of errands or sharing the driving on a long trip.

A full 24 hours, start to suit
Fully comprehensive
Owner’s no claims untouched

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

Starting prices

What temporary cover starts from, by length

1 hour From £11.72
4 hours From £17.73
1 day From £21.87
3 days From £30.93
1 week From £46.59
2 weeks From £54.11

Starting prices are the lowest sold by GoShorty, the broker that arranges the policy, between December 2025 and May 2026, as published on its website. Correct at 8 October 2026. They are not a typical price, and every quote is individual.

What Is One Day Car Insurance?

One day car insurance is a comprehensive motor policy that runs for a full 24 hours from the start time you choose, then ends automatically.

It is the next step up from hourly cover. Where hourly car insurance is sold in whole hours up to 24, a day policy covers a complete day and night, so you are not watching the clock on a long errand or a collection that drags on. You can also buy two, three or four days on the same policy.

The policy has its own certificate and policy number, and it sits alongside whatever annual insurance the car already carries. That is the reason most people use it: a claim on a day policy does not touch the owner’s no claims discount. It is the simplest, shortest form of temporary car insurance that does not have a deadline inside the same working day.

How Do You Get One Day Car Insurance?

Enter the registration, say who is driving and when cover should start, choose one day, then check the quote and the policy wording before you pay.

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.
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 one day

You can pick one, two, three or four days. For a single day, set the start so that the 24 hours cover the whole job, including the journey back and any time you spend waiting.
4
Check it, then buy

Read what is covered, what the excess is and what the optional extras add. The certificate is emailed once the policy is issued, and that certificate is the proof of cover, not the quote. Cover exists only once the policy is issued and the certificate is in hand.

When Is One Day Cover the Right Length?

One day cover suits a job that is likely to run most of the day, or whose timing you cannot pin down to the hour.

Collecting a car

Picking up a car from a garage, a dealer, a relative or a private seller often takes longer than planned. There is paperwork, a handover, a queue at the fuel station, and a drive home. If the car is going to be yours, see drive away insurance for the specific risks of the drive home.

A day of errands

Moving a student out of halls, taking a lot of items to a tip or a charity shop, running a friend’s car between appointments. These jobs have no clean end time, and the penalty for guessing wrong with hours is driving uninsured for the last stretch.

Swapping drivers on a long trip

A long drive is easier shared, but only if both drivers are covered. Put every person who will drive on the quote. If you are only taking the wheel for part of the trip in someone else’s car, additional driver insurance explains how that works.

When hours are enough

If the journey has a fixed start and a fixed end inside 24 hours, hourly cover is the length built for it. A test drive, a trip to the airport and back, a short loan of a friend’s car all fit. See test drive insurance for the private-sale case.

When a weekend fits

If the car is needed from Friday evening until Sunday, two or three days can go on one policy. See weekend car insurance for how to set the start time.

Ready when you are

See what a day would cost for your car.

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

Get Quotes

What Does One Day Car Insurance Cover?

It normally covers damage you cause to other people and their property, damage to the car you are driving, fire and theft, with business class 1 use included.

Third party liability

The cover every UK motor policy must carry: injury to other people and damage to their vehicles or property.

Damage to the car you are driving

Accidental and malicious damage to the car itself, subject to the compulsory excess shown on the schedule. This is what makes the policy comprehensive rather than third party only, and it matters most when the car is not yours. Excess protection is available as an optional extra.

Fire and theft

Fire damage however it starts, theft of the vehicle, and damage caused during an attempted theft.

Business class 1

Driving to a meeting or a site visit is included. It does not cover deliveries, driving for hire and reward or carrying passengers for payment, which need courier or taxi cover. The detail is set by the broker and the insurer that takes the risk, and it is in the policy wording and the insurance product information document rather than here. Read both before you buy.

How Much Does One Day Car Insurance Cost?

The published starting price for one day here was £21.87, based on the lowest sold between December 2025 and May 2026, with two days from £26.80, three days from £30.93 and four days from £38.11.

Those are the lowest prices sold in that period, as published, and they are not typical. Your own quote will be set by the driver, the car and the start time.

Notice that a second day adds a little under £5 to the starting price, and a third adds a little over £4. If there is a real chance you will need more than one day, the extra day costs far less than a second policy bought in a hurry.

Policies never auto-renew, and there is no refund once cover has started, so choose the length with care.

Published starting prices

1 day £21.87
2 days £26.80
3 days £30.93
4 days £38.11

What sets your price

1 The car Value, insurance group and whether insurers see many claims on the model.
2 The driver Age, how long the licence has been held, claims and convictions.
3 The start time Cover starting in the small hours is priced differently from a daytime policy.
4 The length Each added day costs less than the first.

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.

Who Can Get One Day Car Insurance?

Drivers aged 17 to 75 with a full UK licence. The minimum age and the licence types accepted vary by insurer.

You also need a permanent UK address, and you must never have had insurance refused, cancelled or voided. Points and convictions are declared on the form and quoted: see temporary car insurance for convicted drivers.

The car must be worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band, have a valid MOT and not be declared SORN, unless you are driving it to a pre-booked MOT. It cannot be a hire or rental vehicle, imported, left-hand drive or modified; whether factory options and mobility adaptations count as modifications depends on the insurer. It must weigh no more than 3.5 tonnes and have no more than seven seats. GOV.UK explains what SORN means if you are unsure of the car’s status.

Learners need their own product, learner driver insurance. A van has its own cover too, under temporary van insurance.

What Happens When the 24 Hours Run Out?

The policy ends at the minute stated on the certificate, and driving past it means driving without insurance, which is an offence.

Nothing stretches, and no grace period applies. You cannot buy cover after the event, so a policy bought at 3pm does not cover a collision at 2.50pm.

The practical answer is to buy a second day if you think you might need it, or to set up a new policy before the first one ends. GOV.UK sets out the rules on vehicle insurance, including what can happen if you drive without it. The penalty includes a fixed penalty, penalty points and the risk of the vehicle being seized.

If the car is stopped and the police check the Motor Insurance Database, they will see the policy if it was in force at the time. The certificate on your phone is the back-up if the database has not updated.

One Day Cover Compared With Hours and a Weekend

Hourly, one-day and weekend cover are the same policy at different lengths. The table sets the three side by side.

The three products are the same policy at different lengths, so the cover is identical, and the only difference is how long you will have the car. Hourly car insurance and weekend car insurance explain the other two lengths.

	Hourly	One day	Weekend
Length	1 to 24 hours	A full 24 hours	2 or 3 days
Published starting price	£11.72 for one hour	£21.87	£26.80 for 2 days, £30.93 for 3 days
Typical use	A test drive, an errand, a single journey	Collections, errands, swapping drivers	A trip away, a borrowed car for the weekend

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

One Day Car Insurance: FAQs

How long does one day car insurance last?

A full 24 hours from the start time you choose. If you start at 9am on Tuesday, the policy ends at 9am on Wednesday. Check the end time on the quote before you pay, because the policy stops at that minute and not when your journey does.

How much does one day car insurance cost?

The published starting price for one day here was £21.87, based on the lowest sold between December 2025 and May 2026. Your own quote depends on the driver, the car and the start time, so treat the published figure as a floor rather than a typical price.

Is one day car insurance fully comprehensive?

Yes. The policy is comprehensive as standard, so damage to the car you are driving is included alongside damage you cause to other people and their property. Check the policy wording and the compulsory excess before you buy.

Can I get one day cover for a car I do not own?

Yes, that is the most common use. The registered keeper has to be happy for you to drive it, and the car has to meet the standard criteria on value, age of MOT and use. The policy has its own certificate, so a claim does not touch the owner’s no claims discount.

Can two people drive on one day policy?

A temporary policy covers the driver named on it, so a passenger is not covered to take the wheel. If two of you will share the driving, each driver needs cover in their own name, and additional driver insurance is written for exactly that.

Should I buy one day or hourly cover?

Hourly cover runs from one to 24 hours, and a day policy covers a full 24 hours at one price. The comparison table further down this page sets the two side by side.

Can I drive abroad on one day car insurance?

It depends on the insurer. Some policies give no cover outside the UK and others give the legal minimum for the country you are in, so read the quote and the policy wording before you plan a day trip.

Will the police see a one day policy?

Yes. The policy is reported to the Motor Insurance Database, which is what a roadside number plate check reads. Policies are submitted four times a day, so keep the emailed certificate on your phone in case the database has not caught up.

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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