Plain English

Temporary insurance glossary

50 terms from temporary motor insurance and the rules around it, defined without the jargon.

Last updated 8 October 2026

Short-term cover has its own vocabulary, and some of it decides whether you are legally on the road. These are the terms you will meet in a quote, on a certificate and in the rules on insurance and driving, and the ones worth knowing before you buy temporary car insurance.

Where a definition mentions a product limit, it is the broker’s published criterion, not a rule of law. The certificate and the policy wording are always the final word on what a policy covers.

A

Appointed representative: A firm that carries on certain regulated activities under the responsibility of an FCA-authorised principal firm, rather than being authorised itself. An introducer appointed representative is narrower still: it may introduce customers and pass on certain marketing material, and nothing more. Our regulatory position
askMID: The Motor Insurers’ Bureau’s online service for checking whether a vehicle is recorded on the Motor Insurance Database as insured. Checking your own vehicle is free. A new policy may not appear straight away, so keep the certificate as your proof of cover.

B

Business Class 1: Use of the vehicle by the insured driver in connection with their work, such as driving to meetings or site visits, alongside personal use. It does not include deliveries, carrying goods or passengers for payment, or driving instruction. The broker includes it as standard on temporary car cover. Business car insurance

C

Carriage of own goods: Using a van to carry goods or tools that belong to your own business. On the broker’s temporary van cover it is available with some insurers. It covers that use of the van, not the goods or tools themselves. Temporary van insurance
Certificate of motor insurance: The document that proves a policy meets the minimum cover the law requires. It names the vehicle, who may drive it, the uses allowed and when cover starts and ends. You are covered only once the policy is issued and the certificate is in hand, so do not drive before then. About
Comprehensive cover: The highest of the three usual levels of motor cover. It includes third party liability, fire and theft, and damage to the vehicle being driven, subject to the excess and the policy terms. The broker’s temporary car cover is comprehensive as standard. Temporary car insurance
Compulsory excess: The part of a claim the insurer always requires you to pay, set by the insurer for the driver and the vehicle. It is shown in the quote and the policy documents, and it is added to any voluntary excess you choose.
Continuous insurance enforcement: The rule in Great Britain that a registered vehicle must be insured at all times unless it is declared off the road with a SORN. The registered keeper is responsible, and an uninsured vehicle can lead to a fine and the vehicle being clamped, seized or destroyed, even if it is not being driven.
Cooling-off period: A right to cancel an insurance contract within a set period after buying it. The FCA rules exempt short-term policies of less than one month, so temporary cover normally carries no cooling-off right, and the broker gives no refund once cover has started. Check the start time before you buy.

D

Drive away insurance: Short-term cover to drive a vehicle home after buying it. The vehicle also needs to be taxed before it is driven, because tax does not pass to a new keeper. Drive away insurance
Driving other cars (DOC): An extension on some annual policies that lets the policyholder drive a car they do not own. Many policies no longer include it, and where they do it is usually third party only and subject to conditions. Check your own certificate rather than assume you have it. Additional driver insurance
DVA: The Driver and Vehicle Agency, which issues driving licences and runs vehicle testing in Northern Ireland. The broker accepts full licences issued by the DVA as well as the DVLA. Northern Ireland car insurance
DVLA: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which issues driving licences in Great Britain and keeps the register of vehicles and their keepers, including vehicle tax and SORN records.
DVSA: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which runs driving tests in Great Britain, approves driving instructors and MOT testers, and carries out roadside checks.

E

Excess: The amount you pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest. It is usually made up of a compulsory excess and any voluntary excess, and it is shown in the quote.
Excess protection: An optional extra that reimburses some or all of the excess you pay after a claim, subject to its own terms and limits. It is a separate product from the motor policy.

F

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA): The regulator of financial services firms in the UK, including insurers and insurance brokers. You can check whether a firm is authorised on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk.
Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS): A free, independent service that settles complaints between consumers and financial businesses. It can usually consider a complaint once the firm has sent its final response, or once eight weeks have passed without one. Our complaints policy
Fronting: Naming someone as a named driver on a policy when they are really the main user of the vehicle, usually to lower the premium. It is a form of insurance fraud and can leave the policy void.

G

Goods in transit: Cover for the goods being carried, as opposed to the vehicle carrying them. The broker’s temporary van and courier policies do not normally include it; check the policy. Temporary courier insurance
Green card: An international certificate of motor insurance. UK drivers do not need one to drive in the EU, but one may be needed in some other countries. Check the GOV.UK guidance for the country before you travel. European car insurance

H

Hire and reward: Carrying passengers or goods for payment, such as taxi work, private hire or courier deliveries. It needs a policy that specifically covers it. Standard temporary car cover does not. Temporary courier insurance

I

Impound: The police can seize a vehicle driven without insurance or by someone without a valid licence. To get it back you normally need proof that you are the keeper, a valid certificate of insurance and a driving licence, and you must pay the release and storage charges. Impound release insurance
IN10: The licence endorsement code for using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks. The police can issue a £300 fixed penalty and 6 penalty points; if the case goes to court, the penalty can be higher and include a driving ban. It stays on the licence for four years from the date of the offence. Convicted driver insurance
Insurance broker: A firm, authorised by the FCA, that arranges insurance between a customer and one or more insurers. The broker behind this site prepares the quote, arranges the policy and services it afterwards. About
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID): A short, standard-format summary of an insurance product: what it covers, what it excludes and what you must do. It is a summary only, so read the policy wording for the full terms.
Insurer: The company that underwrites the policy: it takes on the risk, sets the terms and pays valid claims. The insurer is named in the policy documents along with its claims contact.
International Driving Permit (IDP): A document carried with your licence that some countries require from foreign drivers. Within the EU it is mainly needed by holders of a paper licence or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. European car insurance
Introducer: A firm that passes customers to an authorised firm. An introducer does not advise, does not arrange the policy and does not handle your money. That is what this site does: it introduces you to one broker. About

M

Modified vehicle: A vehicle changed from the manufacturer’s specification, for example to its engine, suspension, wheels or bodywork. The broker’s insurers do not cover modified vehicles for temporary car cover; whether factory-fitted options and mobility adaptations count depends on the insurer.
MOT: The annual test of a vehicle’s roadworthiness. In Great Britain most cars need one from three years old, and in Northern Ireland from four. The broker requires a valid MOT, except when driving to a pre-booked MOT test.
Motor Insurance Database (MID): The central record of insured vehicles in the UK, managed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and used by the police and, in Great Britain, to enforce continuous insurance. The broker submits policies to it four times a day, so a new policy may not show straight away.
Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB): The body, funded by motor insurers, that compensates the victims of uninsured and untraced drivers and manages the Motor Insurance Database.

N

Named driver: A driver listed on someone else’s policy. A temporary policy is a different thing: it is a separate policy in the temporary driver’s own name, so the owner’s annual policy is not changed. Additional driver insurance
No claims discount (NCD): A discount on an annual policy for each consecutive year without a claim, also called a no claims bonus. Because a temporary policy is separate, a claim on it does not affect the car owner’s no claims discount. Additional driver insurance

P

Penalty points: Points added to a driving record for motoring offences. Most stay on the record for four years from the date of the offence, and some serious offences for eleven. They must be declared when asked in a quote, and the insurer decides whether and on what terms to cover. Convicted driver insurance
Policy wording: The full terms and conditions of a policy: what is covered, what is excluded, the conditions you must meet and how to claim. It is the final word on what the policy does, ahead of any summary.
Private hire: Pre-booked passenger journeys in a licensed vehicle with a licensed driver, as opposed to a hackney carriage that can be hailed in the street. It needs hire and reward cover. The broker’s temporary taxi cover runs for 7, 14, 21 or 28 days and excludes London PCO licences. Temporary taxi insurance
Provisional licence: The licence that lets a learner drive on public roads, displaying L plates (or D plates in Wales) and supervised by a qualified driver. The broker’s learner cover runs from one hour to 24 weeks, for learners from 17, with the upper age limit depending on the insurer. Learner driver insurance

R

Registered keeper: The person recorded on the V5C as responsible for a vehicle. It is not necessarily the legal owner. The keeper is responsible for keeping the vehicle taxed and, in Great Britain, insured or declared SORN.
Release fee: The charge for getting back a vehicle that has been seized, set by regulation, with a daily storage charge on top. The charges keep rising until the vehicle is collected, and an unclaimed vehicle can be disposed of. Impound release insurance

S

Social, domestic and pleasure (SDP): Personal use of a vehicle, such as shopping, visiting family and days out. Work use and commuting are separate classes of use and must be covered by the policy if you need them.
SORN: A Statutory Off Road Notification tells the DVLA that a vehicle is kept off the road and is not taxed or insured. A vehicle with a SORN must not be driven or kept on a public road, except to a pre-booked MOT, and the broker will not cover it otherwise.
Supervising driver: The person sitting with a learner. By law they must be at least 21, qualified to drive that type of vehicle and have held a full licence for three years. The broker’s learner cover asks for a supervisor over 25. Learner driver insurance

T

Temporary car insurance: A standalone policy that covers a driver in a car for a short, fixed period. Through the broker it runs from one hour to 28 days, with its own certificate and policy number, for drivers aged 17 to 75, with the minimum age depending on the insurer. Temporary car insurance
Third party only: The minimum cover the law requires: your liability for injury to other people and damage to their property. It does not cover the vehicle you are driving. The broker’s impound release cover is third party only. Driving in the EU, every UK policy gives the legal minimum for the country, and anything more depends on the insurer.
Third party, fire and theft: Third party only cover, plus cover if the vehicle is damaged by fire or stolen. It does not cover accidental damage to the vehicle being driven.

V

V5C: The vehicle registration certificate, often called the logbook, issued by the DVLA. It records the registered keeper and the vehicle’s details. It is not proof of ownership.
Vehicle tax: Vehicle Excise Duty, due on most vehicles used or kept on a public road unless they are exempt or declared SORN. Tax does not pass to a new keeper when a vehicle is sold, so a car you have just bought must be taxed before it is driven.
Voluntary excess: An amount you choose to add to the compulsory excess, which may lower the premium. It also means paying more yourself if you do claim, because the two excesses are added together.