Buying a car - insurance

You no longer need to prove insurance before obtaining tax for your vehicle. You can insure on the day, either before or after taxing. However you are legally required to have at least third party insurance to drive a vehicle on a public road.

The DVLA also search their database on a regular basis for cars that have not been insured and taxed and are not registered as Off Road or owned by a car dealer.

Annual Insurance Policies

In most cases, where you are planning to keep the car long term and drive the car as your main vehicle, standard long term insurance will be much cheaper than short term insurance options. You should consider both your existing insurer’s quote for cover and quotes from other providers.

Typically your existing insurer will charge an additional fee for amending or cancelling your policy, these charges should be factored in to any price comparison with competitors. In some cases it may be cheaper to move insurers at the end of your policy term.

A comparison site is usually the easiest method of obtaining quotes across large numbers of insurers, however some insurers such as Direct Line and Aviva only provide quotes directly.

Short Term Insurance

If you are unsure how long you will need insurance cover, or do not have time to plan your options in advance, short term cover for 1-28 days is also available.

Some dealerships may offer HPI Driveaway insurance which costs £12.50 for 5 days cover. It is a flat rate cost providing you meet the criteria and restrictions. Other online providers of short term cover typically start at £20-30 for 1 day and £70-100 for one week.