7+ years writing insurance and personal finance content
Certified financial education instructor (CFEI)
Choncé was a licensed life insurance agent before becoming a freelance personal finance writer. She’s passionate about helping people learn to protect themselves with insurance.
As Insurify’s home and pet insurance editor, Danny also specializes in auto insurance. His goal is to help consumers navigate the complex world of insurance buying.
Amber Benka is a licensed insurance agent specializing in auto, home, commercial, life, and health insurance. She has owned the R.A.L Insurance Agency for four years.
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You may need temporary car insurance if you borrow a car, transport a vehicle from storage, or don’t need to drive for some months of the year. Most insurers don’t offer shorter coverage terms than six months, but you can still find ways to get coverage for less time.
Quick Facts
One-day car insurance isn’t legitimate, and you should be wary of companies offering it.
The average cost of car insurance in Pennsylvania is $217 a month.
Nonowner car insurance is a good option for drivers who need temporary insurance.
Is temporary car insurance available in Pennsylvania?
Most car insurance companies don’t offer car insurance policies for less than a six-month term. If you want car insurance for less than six months, you still have some options to protect your vehicle on the road, including nonowner car insurance, rental car coverage, and canceling your policy early.
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Short-term car insurance in Pennsylvania
Hugo, a relative newcomer in the car insurance market, offers short-term car insurance in Pennsylvania and several other states. Drivers can start and stop insurance coverage at any time, and the company offers policies for as short as three days of coverage.
Additionally, Hugo charges no down payment or up-front fees. Drivers can choose from three levels of coverage that include their state’s minimum requirements or full coverage. Policies are available for three, seven, 14, or 30 days, or six months.
Comprehensive coverage is another option with standard car insurance policies that covers your car against theft, collisions, fire, flooding, vandalism, and falling objects.[1]
While nonowner car insurance only covers the other driver’s vehicle and bodily injuries, it can be a good option if you borrow a car frequently and need temporary coverage. Nonowner car insurance can offer additional liability if the car owner’s liability coverage is too low to cover an accident.[2]
You can also use nonowner car insurance to avoid a gap in coverage while you’re in between cars. The available terms for nonowner car insurance will vary depending on the insurer. It’s a good idea to shop around and compare quotes to narrow down the best options for your situation.
Canceling your policy early in Pennsylvania
If you’re looking for short-term car insurance, consider buying a standard policy and just canceling it early. Be aware that you may have to pay an early cancellation fee, but this may be cheaper than paying for the policy through the full term.
To cancel your auto insurance policy with most insurers, you’ll need to call the company directly or contact your insurance agent. While some insurers may allow you to cancel online or over the phone, others may require you to sign and submit a cancellation notice. Either way, the process of canceling your policy is simple, and you can cancel at any time.
Even if you cancel your policy, you still must have car insurance if you’ll be driving your vehicle. In Pennsylvania, each insurer must notify the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) when an insurance policy is canceled.[3] Then, you’re responsible for notifying PennDOT when a new insurance policy is active.
In Pennsylvania, the penalties for driving without car insurance include a minimum $300 fee and a three-month suspension of your license and vehicle registration. Drives must pay an additional fee to reinstate their license and registration.[4]
Getting car insurance for a rental car in Pennsylvania
When renting a car from a rental company, the company should provide a temporary insurance option during your rental period. But first, be sure to check your own car insurance policy before buying any additional coverage.
If you already have car insurance, your existing coverage and deductibles may extend to a rental car if you have collision or comprehensive coverage.[2] If your personal coverage doesn’t apply, car rental companies must offer liability insurance for purchase for at least the state’s minimum required amount. However, this still may not provide enough protection.
Other auto rental companies offer various coverage options to protect against collisions, theft, vandalism, and other damage. You can either accept or decline this coverage. Some credit cards even have rental car insurance as a card benefit, so check your card details to see what’s included.
In some cases, you may also be asked to sign a loss damage waiver (LDW), which isn’t insurance but a waiver of financial responsibility if your rental car is damaged or stolen. Waivers can provide loss-of-use coverage, allowing the rental car company to charge for the time a damaged car is being fixed and unavailable to other drivers..[2]
Best car insurance companies for short-term car insurance in Pennsylvania
Travelers and Nationwide offer the cheapest average rates for six-month policies. However, your rate may vary based on factors like your driving history, city, and coverage level.
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Insurify uses an in-house, proprietary method to rate and review the best car insurance companies. The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 crucial criteria, including average premiums, customer satisfaction, discounts, third-party ratings, and more, to calculate a final score for a company.
Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings. With the IQ Score, Insurify is able to provide quantitative ratings for drivers to better compare car insurance companies and make informed decisions to meet their coverage needs.
Car insurance for students in Pennsylvania
Like every driver in Pennsylvania, students must have car insurance.[3] The minimum-coverage requirements in Pennsylvania are as follows:
$15,000 for bodily injury per person
$30,000 for bodily injury per accident
$5,000 for damage to property of another person
The state requires permanent residents to obtain insurance and register their title and vehicle with the state within 20 days of becoming a resident.[5] However, college students who just moved to Pennsylvania for school and intend to drive their car at college may be able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
Staying on your parents’ policy will depend on the state you and your parents permanently reside in and your insurance company’s policies. If remaining on your parents’ insurance plan isn’t an option, you should consider a Pennsylvania temporary insurance policy for a six-month term to maintain adequate coverage for the semester.
It’s also common for a college student to leave their car at home and not drive while away at school during the year. Some insurance companies provide discounts for college students who attend school at least 100 miles from home and won’t use their vehicle during that time.[6]
Temporary car insurance can be confusing. Below, you’ll find answers to some commonly asked questions about temporary insurance in Pennsylvania.
Can you get temporary insurance in Pennsylvania?
Yes. The standard length of a car insurance policy in Pennsylvania is at least six to 12 months. If you want car insurance for a shorter term, your best option is to buy a six-month policy and cancel it when you no longer need it. Other options include nonowner car insurance and rental insurance.
Is temporary car insurance legit?
Sometimes, but be wary. One-day or one-month car insurance offers are likely not legitimate. But temporary car insurance is available depending on your situation.
If you’re borrowing a car, you may be able to get nonowner liability insurance. When renting a car, rental companies may offer added coverage for a fee. You can also buy a standard policy and cancel it once you no longer need it.
Can you drive a car without insurance if you just bought it in Pennsylvania?
No. Pennsylvania law requires that drivers have liability insurance for registered vehicles. There’s a short grace period where you may not be penalized for not having insurance, so long as the period is less than 31 days and you haven’t driven the vehicle.[7]
How long can you be without car insurance in Pennsylvania?
You can’t drive without car insurance in Pennsylvania. Drivers who break this law may face penalties such as having their license and registration suspended and even a civil penalty fee of $500. You’ll also have to pay a fee to restore your license and vehicle registration after the suspension period.[3]
Choncé Maddox is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and personal finance freelance writer. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Journalism and has been covering personal finance topics surrounding saving, debt payoff, credit, and home insurance for seven years. Chonce briefly held a life insurance license in Illinois where she developed a passion for helping people learn how to protect themselves and their property through insurance coverage. Her work has been featured on LendingTree, Business Insider, RateGenius and more.
As Insurify’s home and pet insurance editor, Danny also specializes in auto insurance. His goal is to help consumers navigate the complex world of insurance buying.
Amber Benka is a licensed insurance agent specializing in auto, home, commercial, life, and health insurance. She has owned the R.A.L Insurance Agency for four years.
