For drivers aged 17 to 24

Temporary Car Insurance for Young Drivers

Short-term comprehensive cover for a young driver who needs a car for a few hours, days or weeks, without touching the owner’s annual policy.

Age limits vary by insurer
Comprehensive, own policy
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

What Is Young Driver Temporary Car Insurance?

It is short-term comprehensive cover for a driver aged 17 to 24 who needs a car for anything from one hour to 28 days, taken out on its own rather than by being added to someone else’s annual policy.

There is no separate young driver product. Temporary car cover has the same criteria for everyone, set by each insurer, and a 22-year-old simply falls inside them. What changes is the price, and the care needed to be sure the criteria fit.

The minimum age varies by insurer, from 17 upwards. A driver aged 17 to 20 with a full licence may be quoted by some insurers and not others, and the quote shows which. Learner driver insurance is a separate product, open from 17 to someone on a provisional licence with a qualifying supervisor beside them.

For a driver aged 17 to 24 who fits the criteria, this is temporary car insurance in its ordinary form: comprehensive, with its own certificate, and with no effect on the owner’s insurance.

How Do You Get Young Driver Cover?

Enter the registration, give your own licence and address details, pick the dates, then read the quote and the policy wording before you pay.

1
Enter the registration

The number plate pulls up the make, model and value of the car. If you are borrowing it, ask the owner for the plate and check they are happy for you to drive it.
2
Enter your own details

The quote is priced to the driver, so it uses your age, your licence and how long you have held it, and any claims or points. Answer honestly: a quote built on wrong answers can leave the policy void.
3
Choose the dates

From one hour to 28 days on one policy. A weekend, a week and a month are all common for young drivers who only need a car occasionally.
4
Check it, then buy

Read what is covered, the excess and the optional extras. The certificate lands in your inbox as soon as you pay, and the certificate, not the quote, is the proof that you are covered.

When Is Short-Term Cover the Right Choice for a Young Driver?

It suits a young driver who drives rarely, because paying for a full year of annual insurance to use a car a few weeks a year is poor value.

Borrowing a family car

A parent’s or sibling’s car sits on the drive, and you want to use it for a holiday week or a few days at home. A temporary policy lets you do that without being added to their annual policy, which can change their premium and their renewal.

Sharing a trip

On a long journey with friends or family, a second driver who meets the insurer’s age limit can be covered for the day or the weekend so the driving can be shared. See additional driver insurance for how that works from the owner’s side.

Driving infrequently

If you live somewhere with good public transport and only need a car at holidays or for the odd trip, short-term cover matches what you actually use. Weekend car insurance and monthly car insurance are priced for the usual lengths.

Home from university

Students returning home often fit this pattern exactly, and have their own page on student car insurance.

Ready when you are

See what cover costs for your age, your car and your dates.

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

Get Quotes

What Happens to the Owner’s No Claims Discount?

Nothing. The temporary policy is standalone, with its own certificate and policy number, so a claim on it does not touch the owner’s no claims discount.

That is the reason most families choose it. A young driver is the highest-risk driver on a household policy. If you are added to a parent’s annual policy and have a claim, it lands on their record and their renewal. On a separate temporary policy the claim is yours to deal with under that policy.

The owner’s annual insurance stays as it was. They should still check their own policy for anything it says about other drivers. If you pass your test and want something longer than 28 days, the next step is an annual policy of your own. A temporary policy never auto-renews, and there is no refund once cover has started.

What Does It Cover?

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

Business use for meetings and site visits is included. Deliveries, hire and reward and carrying passengers for payment are not, and need separate cover. Whether the policy covers driving in the EU, and on what terms, depends on the insurer. The policy wording and the insurance product information document set out the detail, and you should read both before paying.

How Much Does Young Driver Cover Cost?

The published starting price for one day was £21.87, based on the lowest sold between December 2025 and May 2026, but a young driver should expect a quote above that floor.

Published starting prices are not typical prices. They show the lowest sold, and a young driver is rarely the lowest-cost driver. The things that move the price are shown below.

What sets your price

1 The driver Age and how long the licence has been held are the biggest factors at this age.
2 The car Value, engine size and insurance group.
3 The length The number of hours or days sets the price.
4 Claims and points Anything declared is weighed 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 Is Left Out?

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.

To fit the criteria, you need to meet the insurer’s minimum age, hold a full licence rather than a provisional one, and never have had insurance refused, cancelled or voided. The car must be worth between £500 and £65,000, with each insurer setting its own band and some capping it lower for drivers under 25, have a valid MOT, not be SORN and not be a hire car, an import, left-hand drive or modified.

Two things catch younger drivers. A provisional licence means you need learner cover, not this. And being under the insurer’s minimum age means that insurer will not quote, though another may. For a very recent pass, the quote may also ask how long you have held the licence: see new driver insurance for what that looks like.

Penalty points are declared in the quote within each insurer’s limits. Our page on convicted drivers explains where points end and an exclusion begins. GOV.UK explains how penalty points work and how long they stay on a licence.

What If the Police Check the Car?

They read the Motor Insurance Database, so the policy should show, and the emailed certificate is the back-up.

Policies are submitted to the database four times a day, so a policy bought minutes ago may not appear yet. Keep the certificate on your phone. You can check any plate yourself on askMID. GOV.UK sets out the law on vehicle insurance, including what happens to anyone caught driving without 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

Temporary Car Insurance for Young Drivers: FAQs

What is the minimum age for temporary car insurance?

It varies by insurer, and the lowest on the panel is 17. A driver aged 17 to 20 with a full licence may be quoted by some insurers and not others, and the quote shows which. Learner cover is a separate product for people on a provisional licence.

Can an 18, 19 or 20 year old 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 driver aged 18, 19 or 20 with a full licence may be quoted by some and not others. A learner aged 17 or over with a provisional licence and a supervisor uses learner cover instead.

Is there a special young driver policy?

No. A driver aged 17 to 24 gets the same temporary car cover as any other eligible driver, priced to the driver, the car and the dates. Because younger drivers are statistically more expensive to insure, expect the quote to reflect that.

Can I drive my parent’s car on a temporary policy?

Usually yes, if you meet the criteria and the owner gives permission. The car needs a valid MOT, must not be SORN, and must fall inside the value and type limits. The policy is separate from the owner’s annual insurance.

Does a claim affect my parent’s no claims discount?

No. The temporary policy is standalone, with its own policy number and certificate, so a claim on it is dealt with under that policy rather than under the owner’s annual insurance. Their no claims discount and renewal are not touched.

Will I build a no claims discount of my own on a short policy?

Do not assume so. Whether a temporary policy counts towards a no claims history is set out in the policy documents, so check them before you rely on it. Many young drivers build a discount on an annual policy of their own instead.

Do a driving conviction or points make a difference for a young driver?

They can. Penalty points and convictions are declared in the quote within each insurer’s limits. Our page on convicted drivers explains the detail.

Can I cover a car I have only just bought?

Often yes, if you meet the insurer’s age limit, hold a full licence and the car meets the criteria. For the drive home from the seller, drive away cover is the page to read, as the situation is slightly different.

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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