Cover for a weekend, Friday to Sunday

Weekend Car Insurance

A comprehensive policy for a trip away, a borrowed car or a student home for the weekend, with the start time set for your Friday pick-up.

Two or three day policy
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 Weekend Car Insurance?

Weekend car insurance is a comprehensive temporary policy bought as two or three days, so that cover begins when you collect the car on Friday and ends when it goes back on Sunday.

The policy is the same product as every other length of temporary car insurance. It has its own certificate and policy number, it is comprehensive, and it sits alongside whatever annual insurance the car already has. A claim on it does not touch the owner’s no claims discount.

What makes it a weekend policy is the start time and the length. You choose when cover begins, and the policy runs in whole days from that moment. A weekend is two nights, so two days or three days covers almost every case.

How Do You Get Weekend Car Insurance?

Enter the registration, say who is driving, set the start time for the Friday pick-up, choose two or three days, then check the end time 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 set the start time

Your licence details, your address and the date and time cover should begin. Set it for when you will actually collect the car on Friday, not for the moment you buy. A policy bought on Wednesday for Friday evening is fine.
3
Choose two or three days

Count from the start time. Friday 6pm to Sunday 6pm is two days. If the car has to be back at 9pm on Sunday, or you want to be sure of a margin, take three.
4
Check it, then buy

Read the end time, what is covered, what the excess is and what the optional extras add. The certificate lands in your inbox as soon as 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 Weekend Cover the Right Length?

Weekend cover suits any trip that spans a night or two, where a single day would run out on Saturday and a week would be more than you need.

A trip away

A couple of nights by the coast, a wedding two counties over, a trip to see friends. If you are driving someone else’s car, or a car you have borrowed for the occasion, a weekend policy means the owner’s insurance is not relied upon and their premium is not affected.

A borrowed car for the weekend

Lending a car for the weekend is a bigger ask than lending it for an afternoon. Nobody wants a claim landing on their own annual policy. A standalone weekend policy keeps the claim on the temporary policy. If two people will share the driving, additional driver insurance explains how to cover both.

A student home for the weekend

A student returning home can use a family car for a weekend if they hold a full licence, meet the insurer’s minimum age and the car meets the rules. See student car insurance for the details.

When a single day is enough

If the car is needed for one day only, or you are collecting and returning it inside 24 hours, one day car insurance covers a full 24 hours.

When a week fits

If the weekend turns into a long weekend plus a few working days, weekly car insurance covers one to four weeks on a single policy.

Ready when you are

See what a weekend would cost for your car.

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

Get Quotes

What Does Weekend 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, and it matters most when the car is not yours. Excess protection is an optional extra.

Fire and theft

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

Driving in the EU

If the trip involves the Channel Tunnel or a ferry, whether the policy covers driving in the EU, and on what terms, depends on the insurer. GOV.UK has guidance on driving abroad, including documents you may need. Do not assume full comprehensive cover for a weekend in Europe; check the policy before you go. 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 Weekend Car Insurance Cost?

From £26.80 for two days and £30.93 for three. Your own quote depends on the driver, the car and the start date.

What moves the price is the same as on any motor policy, and the four things that matter most are below.

Policies never auto-renew, and there is no refund once cover has started.

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 late at night is priced differently from a daytime policy.
4 The length The number of days sets 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 Weekend 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 within each insurer’s limits: see temporary car insurance for convicted drivers. The minimum age varies by insurer, from 17 upwards.

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 it is being driven to a pre-booked MOT. It cannot be a hire or rental vehicle, imported, left-hand drive or modified, and it must weigh no more than 3.5 tonnes with no more than seven seats.

Motorhomes have their own product, temporary motorhome insurance, for weekends away that include a bed and a kitchen.

What Happens If You Overrun on Sunday?

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

Sunday evening is when most weekend trips go wrong, with motorway queues and a late start for home. Pick an end time that has room for that, and take the third day if the margin is thin.

GOV.UK sets out the rules on vehicle insurance, including what can happen if you drive without it: 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. Policies are submitted to the database four times a day, so keep the certificate on your phone in case the database has not caught up.

Weekend Cover Compared With a Day and a Week

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

All the published prices are the lowest sold between December 2025 and May 2026. The products are the same policy at different lengths, so the cover is identical. One day car insurance and weekly car insurance explain the other two lengths.

	One day	Weekend	Weekly
Length	A full 24 hours	2 or 3 days	1 to 4 weeks
Published starting price	£21.87	£26.80 for 2 days, £30.93 for 3 days	£46.59 for 1 week
Typical use	Collections, errands, swapping drivers	A trip away, a borrowed car, a student home	A gap in cover, a car on loan, a longer visit
Start time matters most	Yes	Yes, set it for the Friday pick-up	Less so

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

Weekend Car Insurance: FAQs

Is there a weekend car insurance policy?

Weekend cover is bought as a two day or three day policy, with the start time set for when you collect the car. It is the same comprehensive policy as any other temporary car cover, just at a length that suits Friday to Sunday.

Should I buy two days or three for a weekend?

Count the hours from the Friday pick-up to the time the car goes back. Two days is 48 hours from the start time, so a Friday 6pm pick-up and a Sunday 6pm return fits exactly. If the car is needed later on Sunday night, three days leaves room.

How much does weekend car insurance cost?

From £26.80 for two days and £30.93 for three, on the broker’s published prices. Your own quote depends on the driver, the car and the start time, so treat those as floors rather than typical prices.

Can I start the policy on Friday night?

You choose the start time, and it can be within minutes of paying or set for later. Cover only exists once the policy has been issued and you have the certificate, so do not drive on the strength of a quote.

Can a student use weekend cover to drive a family car home?

If the student holds a full licence, meets the insurer’s minimum age and the car meets the rules, yes. The minimum age varies by insurer, from 17 upwards, and learner cover has its own rules.

Can I drive to Europe for a weekend?

Only with third party cover in the EU, and the journey has to start and end in the UK. Abroad, the level of cover is the minimum legal one for that country. Check the quote and the policy wording before you plan to cross.

What if I get back later than planned?

The policy stops at the end time on the certificate and does not stretch. Driving past it means driving uninsured. Choose an end time that leaves slack, and buy a further policy before the first ends if you think you might need longer.

Will the owner’s no claims discount be affected?

No. A weekend policy is standalone, with its own policy number, so a claim on it is handled under that policy rather than the owner’s annual insurance. Their no claims discount and renewal are untouched.

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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