Co-authored the book “Future Millionaires’ Guidebook”
13 years writing personal finance content
A former chief copy editor at Bankrate and past managing editor at Macmillan, Kim specializes in writing easy-to-understand, actionable personal finance content.
3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content
Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score
Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.
A licensed insurance agent with Insurify since May 2022, Nicholas has five years experience in the insurance industry. He previously held agent positions with Progressive, Root, and Assurance. Nicholas studied architecture at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Outside of helping others with insurance, he builds motorcycles and enjoys camping and the outdoors with his wife and two children.
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Most car insurance companies in Texas don’t sell temporary car insurance. If you need short-term coverage, your best option is an on-demand insurance company like Hugo or buying a nonowner car insurance policy.
The shortest auto insurance term available in Texas is usually six months and costs an average of $265 a month, which can be an appealing option if you need insurance for a brief period.
Quick Facts
Texas car insurance policies typically last six or 12 months.
If you don’t own a car, you can purchase nonowner car insurance coverage to cover you when you borrow vehicles.
You can cancel your policy at any time, but it’s important to have another policy to replace it to avoid coverage gaps.
Is temporary car insurance available in Texas?
Most car insurance companies in Texas offer policies with terms of either six or 12 months. Some plans allow you to pay month by month, which can be helpful when you can’t pay the entire premium up front.
If you find temporary car insurance offers for one-month, one-week, or even one-day policies, they may be a scam. But some exceptions exist. For instance, Hugo sells pay-as-you-go car insurance in Texas with packages of three, seven, 14, or 30 days, or six months.
You also have other options if you want car insurance for fewer than six months. You can get nonowner car insurance if you don’t own a car, or you can buy a short-term policy and cancel it early. Some short-term insurance options are also available if you’re renting a car.
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Getting nonowner car insurance in Texas
Nonowner car insurance is a type of liability policy that covers you if you plan to drive a car you don’t own. You might decide to buy this type of policy if you:
Nonowner car insurance policies and standard policies have one key difference. Nonowner car insurance only offers liability coverage and doesn’t include collision and comprehensive insurance. You’ll have coverage if you’re liable for bodily injury and property damage to another driver. But nonowner car insurance doesn’t cover the car you’re driving or any injuries you or your passengers may suffer.
These policies are usually less expensive than full-coverage policies. But you’ll still need to purchase at least the minimum coverage amount required in Texas. This includes:[1]
$30,000 per person for bodily injury liability
$60,000 per accident for bodily injury liability
$25,000 per accident for property damage liability
If you want more liability protection, you can increase the liability limits in your policy.
Canceling your policy early in Texas
Another option for getting “temporary” insurance in Texas is buying a standard policy and canceling it early. Car insurance companies offer standard policies in six-month or 12-month terms, so this could be a good option if you just need coverage for a month or two. You may choose to close out the policy if you’re unhappy with the coverage or you no longer need it.
In Texas — like in many states — you may cancel your policy at any time and receive a refund of the remaining balance of your premium.[2] To cancel the policy, call the insurance company and give it a date the cancellation will go into effect. The insurer may ask you to provide the cancellation in writing. It’s usually a good idea to have the original policy end on the same day the new policy begins, so you don’t have a lapse in coverage.
Your insurance company will usually send you a prorated refund. So, if you paid for six months and cancel the policy after two months, you’ll receive the balance from the four months you didn’t use the coverage. If your company charges a cancellation fee, it may subtract the fee from your refund.
Before canceling your insurance, you’ll need to buy a new policy with the minimum car insurance requirements in Texas. A minimum-coverage policy in Texas includes $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, a total of $60,000 for injuries per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage. You can either purchase personal injury protection (PIP) with at least $2,500 in coverage or waive it in writing.[1]
Make sure you receive a written cancellation for the original insurance policy and a notification that the new policy has started.
Getting car insurance for a rental car in Texas
If you’re renting a car and already have a personal insurance policy for the vehicle you normally drive, your policy will cover the rental car. But if you don’t have an insurance policy or you want additional coverage, you have a few options:[3]
Insurance from the rental company: Most car rental companies offer rental car insurance, which includes four different types of coverage that you can accept or decline. The coverages include a collision damage waiver (CDW), liability insurance that includes the state-required minimum, personal accident coverage, and personal effects coverage.
Insurance from a car-sharing service: If you’re using a car from a service like ZipCar, the fee you pay generally includes insurance. But you may have to pay additional costs if the car is stolen or involved in a collision. Some car-share users decide to purchase a waiver to avoid those potential extra costs.
Credit card insurance: The credit card you use to rent the car may offer some rental car insurance, though coverage depends on the card. You’ll also need to check whether the card offers primary coverage, which lets you file a claim directly through your credit card company. Most cards offer secondary coverage, which kicks in only after you max out your personal insurance policy or the coverage from the rental car company.
Best car insurance companies for short-term car insurance in Texas
Every insurance company has a different way of setting rates, so it’s a good idea to shop around. The table below includes the average monthly quote for a six-month policy for various car insurance companies in Texas.
Insurance Company
Average Monthly Quote
Insurify Quality (IQ) Score
Clearcover
$180
2.9
Travelers
$191
4.3
Progressive
$194
4.1
Safeco
$208
3.8
Elephant
$212
3.6
Mercury
$224
3.6
Nationwide
$226
4.1
Midvale Home & Auto
$237
3.2
State Auto
$282
3.8
Dairyland
$314
N/A
Bristol West
$322
2.2
Commonwealth Casualty
$337
N/A
Stillwater
$377
N/A
The General
$400
3.4
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.
Methodology
Data scientists at Insurify analyzed more than 40 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partner providers across the United States to compile the car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations displayed on this page. The car insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers' vehicles, driving records, and demographic information. Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates. With this data, Insurify is able to offer drivers insight into how companies price their car insurance premiums. The data included on this page represents averages across all driver ages, genders, credit scores, and driver profiles for Texas drivers.
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Car insurance for students in Texas
If your child is heading to college, you may need to check your car insurance coverage. Any changes depend on whether they’re bringing a car, but call your insurance company and explain your situation. You may need to update your policy.[4]
Bringing a car to college: The premium may change based on where the school is located, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. If the school is out of state, you won’t have to change your policy coverages unless you register the vehicle in that state.
Leaving the car at home: If your child isn’t bringing a car to school, you’ll leave the child on your car insurance policy — but you may get a discount on your premium. And if your child plans to drive another car on occasion, you can ask your insurance company about a liability-only policy for your child.
Temporary car insurance in Texas FAQs
If you’re looking for temporary car insurance in the Lone Star State, you may find this additional information helpful. You can also check out Insurify’s guides on one-day car insurance and pausing a policy for more information.
Can you get temporary insurance in Texas?
Yes. Most car insurance companies in Texas won’t sell temporary car insurance, but you can often find six-month policies. If you need car insurance for a shorter period, look into coverage from Hugo, which is available in Texas.
Is temporary car insurance legit?
Yes. Temporary car insurance in Texas is legitimate if you buy a policy from a reputable agency and the term is at least six months long. Several major insurance companies — including Travelers, Progressive, and Nationwide — offer this type of policy.
Can you drive a car without insurance if you just bought it in Texas?
When you buy a new car in Texas, contact your insurance company as soon as possible and add the car to your policy. This can help you avoid a lapse in coverage. Your current insurance policy will automatically cover the new car for 20 days. The amount of coverage depends on whether the new car is an additional or replacement car.
If you’re buying a new car and getting rid of the old one, coverage on the new car will match the coverage on your old car during the 20-day grace period. But if you’re buying an additional car, coverage on the new car will match the highest coverage on your policy.[1]
How long can you be without car insurance in Texas?
All drivers in Texas must carry car insurance or show another type of financial responsibility. If an officer pulls you over and you can’t show proof of coverage, the police officer can give you a ticket and a court could fine you up to $350. If you violate the law again, you may have to pay a fine of up to $1,000, and the state may suspend your driver’s license.[1]
Kim Porter is a writer and editor who's been creating personal finance content since 2010. Before transitioning to full-time freelance writing in 2018, Kim was the chief copy editor at Bankrate, a managing editor at Macmillan, and co-author of the personal finance book "Future Millionaires' Guidebook." Her work has appeared in AARP's print magazine and on sites such as U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, NextAdvisor, Credit Karma, and more. Kim loves to bake and exercise in her free time, and she plans to run a half marathon on each continent.
3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content
Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score
Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.
A licensed insurance agent with Insurify since May 2022, Nicholas has five years experience in the insurance industry. He previously held agent positions with Progressive, Root, and Assurance. Nicholas studied architecture at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Outside of helping others with insurance, he builds motorcycles and enjoys camping and the outdoors with his wife and two children.
