For students with a full licence

Temporary Student Car Insurance

Cover a car for the weekend or the month you are home, then stop paying when you go back, with the parent’s own policy left alone.

A weekend up to 28 days
Own policy and certificate
Parent’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

What Is Student Temporary Car Insurance?

It is short-term comprehensive cover for a student with a full licence who needs a car for a weekend, a few weeks or up to 28 days, usually while home for the holidays.

There is no separate student product. There is one temporary car product, and a student who meets its criteria is quoted on it like any other driver. This page exists because students are in a particular situation: no car at university, a family car at home, and no reason to pay for a year of insurance.

The minimum age varies by insurer, from 17 upwards. A student aged 18, 19 or 20 with a full licence may be quoted by some insurers and not others, and the quote shows which. Learner driver insurance is a different product for people with a provisional licence. The young driver page goes into the age rules in more detail.

In short, this is temporary car insurance in its normal form: its own policy, its own certificate and no effect on anybody else’s insurance.

How Do You Get Student Car Insurance?

Enter the registration of the car you will be driving, add your own licence and home address details, choose the dates, then check the quote and wording before paying.

1
Enter the registration

Use the plate of the car at home. It pulls up the make, model and value, which are most of what the price is based on. You will need the owner’s agreement to drive it.
2
Enter your own details

The quote is priced to you as the driver, so use your real licence information and a permanent UK address. A student’s term-time address and the family home can differ, so use the one that is your permanent UK address, and do not guess if you are unsure which counts. The quote will not be issued, or may be challenged later, if the address is wrong.
3
Choose the dates

Choose the start and end of the stay. A weekend, a week or the whole of the Christmas break are all possible, up to 28 days on one policy.
4
Check it, then buy

Read what is covered, the excess and the optional extras. Pay, then wait for the emailed certificate before you drive. That certificate is the proof of cover.

When Does a Student Need Short-Term Cover?

When you can drive but do not own a car, and the periods you need one are short and spread through the year.

Home for the holidays

Christmas, Easter and summer all bring a few weeks at home. A parent’s car is available but their annual policy may not welcome a new driver, or may not name you at all. A temporary policy fills exactly that gap.

Term-time without a car

Many students never need a car at university, and city centre parking, permits and fuel make one expensive for what it gives. Paying for annual insurance to cover a car that does not exist makes no sense. Cover for a weekend or a month at a time suits the occasional trip: moving out of halls, collecting furniture or a family visit.

A weekend or a month at a time

Weekend car insurance fits a short trip, and monthly car insurance fits a longer stay of up to 28 days. Pick the length that matches the real dates, and buy another policy before the first ends if you need longer, because a policy that has ended cannot be stretched and driving past the end means driving uninsured. Check the end date on the certificate against the day you are travelling back to university, and allow a margin for a delayed train or a late start.

Sharing the driving

On a long trip home with friends, the second driver can be covered separately. See additional driver insurance.

Ready when you are

See what a few weeks at home would cost.

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

Get Quotes

How Does It Keep a Parent’s Policy Untouched?

The temporary policy is standalone, so a claim on it does not touch the owner’s annual insurance or no claims discount.

That is the main reason parents prefer it. Adding a student to an annual policy can raise the premium, and a claim can land on the parent’s record and affect renewal. On a separate temporary policy the claim stays on that policy.

A parent should still check their own policy for what it says about other drivers, and should know that the temporary policy never auto-renews and gives no refund once cover has started. The car must carry a valid MOT and not be SORN, and the owner’s permission is required.

What Does It Cover?

Comprehensive cover as standard: damage to other people and their property, damage to the car you are driving, fire and theft.

Business class 1 use, meaning meetings and site visits, is included. Deliveries, hire and reward and carrying passengers for payment are not. Whether the policy covers driving in the EU, and on what terms, depends on the insurer. Read the policy wording and the insurance product information document before you pay.

How Much Does Student Cover Cost?

The published starting price for one week here was £46.59, based on the lowest sold between December 2025 and May 2026, and the quote for any particular student will depend on the driver, the car and the dates.

The lowest published price is a floor, not a typical price. A student’s own quote is built on age, licence history, the car and the length of cover.

What sets your price

1 Your age and licence Younger drivers and shorter licence histories cost more.
2 The car Value and insurance group.
3 The length A weekend costs less than a fortnight, but not in direct proportion.
4 Claims or points Declared in the quote and taken into account in the price.

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 Cover, and Who Cannot?

Drivers aged 17 to 75 with a full UK licence, a permanent UK address, with any points or convictions declared on the form. The minimum age and the licence types accepted vary by insurer.

In practice that means you must hold a full licence, not a provisional one. The car must be worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band, have a valid MOT, not be SORN and not be a hire car, an import, left-hand drive or modified. Anyone who has had insurance refused, cancelled or voided is outside the criteria.

International students on a licence from outside the EU and EEA are not accepted. GOV.UK explains how long a visitor can drive in Great Britain on a foreign licence, but being allowed to drive is not the same as being quoted. See temporary car insurance on a non-UK licence for what is accepted.

What Should You Do Before You Drive?

Wait for the emailed certificate, check the dates and keep it to hand.

Policies are submitted to the Motor Insurance Database four times a day, so a very recent policy may not yet show. You can look up any plate on askMID. GOV.UK sets out the law on vehicle insurance, including the penalties for driving uninsured, which is not worth risking over a few pounds.

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 Student Car Insurance: FAQs

Can a student under 21 get temporary car insurance?

With some insurers. The minimum age for car cover varies by insurer, and the lowest on the panel is 17, so a student aged 18, 19 or 20 with a full licence may be quoted by some and not others. Learner cover from 17 is a different product for people on a provisional licence.

I am home from university for six weeks. Can I get cover for that?

Not in one go if it is more than 28 days, because 28 days is the longest single policy. Two policies back to back is one way round it, but cover must not lapse between them, and the second needs buying before the first ends.

Do I need to be added to my parent’s policy instead?

No. You can be covered on a separate temporary policy that has its own certificate and policy number. It sits alongside the parent’s annual insurance rather than changing it, and they stay the policyholder for their own car.

Will a claim damage my parent’s no claims discount?

No. A claim on a temporary policy is dealt with under that policy, so the owner’s no claims discount and renewal are not affected. That is a large part of why families choose it for a student who is home for a short time.

Can I use it for the weekend when my friend’s car is free?

Yes, if the owner gives permission and the car meets the criteria: worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band, valid MOT, not SORN, not a hire car. A weekend is one of the shortest lengths students commonly buy, and the quote is priced to the actual dates.

I am an EU student. Can I get cover on my licence?

Only with an EU or EEA licence and at least 12 months of UK residence, and then only with some insurers. A student who has just arrived does not meet that. Our page on non-UK licences sets out what is accepted, and international licences are not accepted.

Can I use a student policy for deliveries or a part-time job?

No. Business class 1 is included, which is driving to meetings and site visits. Deliveries, hire and reward and carrying passengers for payment are not covered, and need a separate product.

Do I need a certificate before I drive?

Yes. Cover exists only once the policy has been issued and you have the certificate, so do not drive on the strength of a quote. Keep the certificate on your phone in case the Motor Insurance Database has not yet updated.

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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