London, United Kingdom — October 21, 2026 — An estimated 7.5 million drivers in the United Kingdom have used temporary car insurance at least once, according to new research that underscores how widely short-term cover has been adopted by motorists across the country.

The research, commissioned by temporary insurance specialist Covertime.com, surveyed 1,532 UK adults, including 1,224 people holding a UK driving licence, about their awareness, experiences and attitudes towards temporary car insurance. Temporary policies are designed for short periods of cover — in Covertime's case, from one hour up to 28 days — for situations such as borrowing a car or driving a new purchase home.

According to the survey, 18% of UK licence holders questioned had previously taken out a temporary car insurance policy. Applied to the approximately 42 million valid UK driving licences recorded by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), that figure equates to around 7.5 million people — just under one in five of all licence holders.

Borrowing a car from a friend or family member was the most common reason for taking out temporary cover, cited by 49% of respondents who had used it. Driving a newly purchased car home ranked second at 35%. Other reported uses included sharing a long journey, learning to drive and covering a house move.

Ownership status also shaped usage patterns. Existing car owners were almost twice as likely to have used temporary cover as non-car owners, with many turning to short-term policies when they need access to a different vehicle.

Age played a role as well. A quarter of drivers aged 21 to 30 said they had used temporary cover, compared with 14% of drivers aged 61 and over, indicating that younger motorists are more likely to have first-hand experience of the product.

For those who have used temporary insurance, cost appears to have been broadly in line with expectations. Some 89% of users said the price they paid was either a great deal or about what they expected, with most policies costing between £21 and £40, regardless of whether the cover lasted a single day or several weeks. By comparison, the Association of British Insurers has reported that the average premium for comprehensive motor insurance in the UK stands at £566 a year. The two figures are not directly comparable — temporary policies are bought only for the hours, days or weeks a vehicle is actually needed, while an annual policy runs for a full year — but they show how short-term cover is positioned to sit alongside yearly insurance for occasional situations rather than replace it.

Cost, however, does not appear to be the main barrier among those who have never used the product. Of the respondents who had never taken out a temporary policy, 82% said they had simply never needed one, while only 3% said they considered it too expensive. That gap points to circumstance, rather than price, as the dividing line between those who have used short-term cover and those who have not.

Tom Warsop, motor insurance expert at Covertime.com, said the data points to short-term cover becoming a routine part of motoring for millions of people.

“This data shows that temporary car insurance has already become a normal part of how millions of people drive, even if most people don’t realise quite how widely it’s,” Warsop said. “The reason more people haven’t tried it is not because it’s confusing or expensive, it’s that most people simply don’t realise how many everyday situations it can help with.”

He pointed to a range of everyday scenarios where short-term cover can be relevant. “Picking up a new car before you’ve sorted your annual cover, test driving one you’re buying privately, letting your son or daughter use the car while they’re back from university, or lending yours to a family member while theirs is off the road are all moments where proper short-term cover can be relevant,” he said. “The more people know it exists for these situations, the easier it is for drivers to consider the appropriate cover when they need to use a vehicle temporarily.”

The full research findings are available from Covertime.com.

About Covertime.com

Covertime.com is a UK-based temporary car insurance provider, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 1022738) and registered in England and Wales (Company No. 15868833). Founded by the team behind the creation of the UK’s temporary car insurance market, Covertime offers cover from one hour to 28 days for drivers looking to borrow a car, drive a new purchase home, share a long journey or add a temporary driver to a vehicle.

This article is based on a press release published via Chainwire.