Temporary Car Insurance in Alaska: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/7/2023
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To insure your car temporarily, you could get a six-month policy and cancel it early. For three months of coverage, car insurance in Alaska costs an average driver around $246.
Rental car insurance works best for visitors to Alaska who aren’t driving their own vehicles.
MoneyGeek also discusses other instances where you might require temporary car insurance, such as buying non-owner insurance to reinstate your license and working for a rideshare company.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Alaska
Temporary car insurance can mean different things in Alaska and other states. If you’re wondering how to get temporary car insurance in Alaska, the answer can vary. Drivers who own a car can get temporary insurance by purchasing a standard insurance policy and canceling it early. Non-owner car insurance or rental car insurance could be the best temporary option for people who don't own a car but drive rented or borrowed cars.
While there is no single way to obtain temporary car insurance in Alaska, MoneyGeek looked into all of the potential options.
- Need a full car insurance policy temporarily? Buy and cancel
- Want to add or remove a driver? Alter your policy
- Renting a car? Buy from the rental company or use your own policy
- Don’t own a car? Look into non-owner Insurance
- Working for a rideshare company? Buy rideshare insurance
Buying a Six-Month Alaska Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
In Alaska and elsewhere, most reputable insurers only offer policies with a minimum term of six months. However, you may be able to get coverage for shorter periods if you cancel your car insurance early. Most insurers will refund you for the policy's unused term.
For instance, an average driver would spend around $492 for a six-month policy in Alaska compared to roughly $246 for a 90-day policy. To obtain three months of insurance, buy a six-month policy and cancel it within 90 days.
MoneyGeek recommends avoiding any lapses in insurance coverage if you use this technique. Otherwise, it may result in you spending hundreds of dollars more every year following an insurance lapse.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Alaska
MoneyGeek estimated the cost of car insurance for a regular six-month policy as well as for a three-month or 90-day coverage and one-month or 30-day coverage from various insurers in Alaska.
According to MoneyGeek's research, the following firms provide the cheapest car insurance in Alaska for a 90-day or three-month policy, on average:
- GEICO: $221 per 90 days
- State Farm: $239 per 90 days
MoneyGeek's estimates do not include the fee for canceling an insurance policy. Most major insurance providers do not impose cancellation fees and give full refunds for the unused term of a policy.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Alaska by Policy Length
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Altering Alaska Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
The best approach if your car is currently insured in Alaska but you need to add or remove coverage is to make changes to your existing policy. The most common questions concerning short-term auto insurance occur when a family's teenager is attending college, storing a vehicle or when someone borrows your car.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
You can temporarily remove your child from your car insurance policy or request a discount if they are attending school elsewhere in Alaska.
If you want to store your car, you may cancel everything except for your comprehensive coverage or take advantage of USAA's car storage discounts if you're an active-duty military member.
If someone else drives your car regularly, add their name to your policy.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Alaska
If you live in Alaska with your child, they must be included on your car insurance policy. However, this can be expensive. The annual cost of adding an 18-year-old to a parent's car insurance in Alaska is around $2,458. You can temporarily adjust your car insurance cost in Alaska by taking your college-aged child off your policy for a portion of the year if they attend school more than 100 miles away, requesting distant student discounts or keeping your child on your policy.
According to MoneyGeek, adding a college student to your car insurance in Alaska for two summer months costs roughly $410, which is about $2,049 less than keeping them on your policy for a year. For Alaska’s drivers, Allstate offers the most savings of around $2,204 for temporarily taking a student off a policy.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Alaska
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If your child attends a school in Alaska fewer than 100 miles from home, you cannot temporarily remove them from your insurance or receive a discount. However, through comparison shopping, you can save money on premiums. Moneygeek evaluated the cheapest insurance companies for teens who are added to a parent's policy.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Alaska
When storing your car in Alaska, you can:
- Switch to comprehensive-only coverage
- Look for a policy offering vehicle storage discount
As long as your car is stored, you only need comprehensive coverage and not liability coverage. In Alaska, comprehensive and collision insurance with a $1,000 deductible costs approximately $294, while comprehensive and collision insurance with minimum liability insurance costs roughly $729 yearly.
If you are a service member, USAA may be a good fit for you. They offer car storage discounts but even without the discount, their annual premium is only around $619.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
Your car insurance policy must include and cover all household members who drive your vehicle. If you let someone outside your home drive your car, they don’t need to be added to your policy.
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Alaska
In Alaska, you don't need to buy car insurance when renting a car for a short time. Instead, you can get rental car insurance, which contains liability insurance and add-on coverages, such as collision damage waivers, supplemental liability insurance and personal accident insurance. Depending on the insurers, it can cost between $45 and $60 daily to add these coverages. You can mix and match the coverages to save money based on your needs. .
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Alaska
For Alaska's rental car insurance rates, MoneyGeek gathered data from the city of Anchorage. In Alaska, rental car insurance costs between $45 and $60 per day. While Enterprise and Avis charge around $45, Hertz charges about $60. This is for rental car insurance, including supplemental liability, collision damage waiver and personal accident protection.
If you have your own car insurance policy, you may already be covered for liability, accident and medical costs. Several credit card companies provide collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars paid using their cards, which can save you money as well.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Alaska
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Alaska
Non-owner car insurance in Alaska is an excellent alternative for people who don’t own a car but require proof of insurance and must submit an SR-22 in the state to reinstate their license. In Alaska, the average annual cost of non-owner auto insurance is around $410.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Alaska
Rideshare drivers in Alaska know that if they accept a fare or transport a passenger, they are covered by the rideshare company’s insurance, but they have a temporary gap if they haven't accepted a fare. All ridesharing insurance policies are not available in every state. MoneyGeek evaluated companies offering rideshare insurance in Alaska to help those looking for the best rideshare insurance policy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Alaska
We've answered the most commonly asked questions about temporary car insurance in Alaska.
Car owners can get temporary car insurance by buying a standard car insurance policy of six months and canceling it early. Non-owner car insurance works as temporary insurance for those who don't own a car but drive other cars, while rental car insurance works for those who rent cars.
The majority of insurance carriers offer a complete refund for the unused portion of a six-month policy. However, some insurers may charge a cancellation fee if the insurance is canceled prior to the specified period.
Methodology
Auto insurance and non-owner car insurance quotations were gathered in Alaska in partnership with Quadrant Information Services. As indicated on MoneyGeek’s methodology page, the policies were for a 40-year-old driver with full coverage insurance and the student rates were based on the average cost of adding an 18-year-old driver to a parent's policy.
MoneyGeek estimated the cost of one-month and three-month insurance on a prorated basis, assuming a complete refund from the insurance company. MoneyGeek also gathered Alaska's rental car insurance quotes using the online tools from rental insurance companies, such as Avis, Enterprise and Hertz.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick is a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's Head of Insurance. He has analyzed the insurance market for over five years, conducting original research and creating personalized content for every kind of buyer. He has been quoted in several insurance-related publications, including CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick earned a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He is passionate about using his knowledge of economics and insurance to bring transparency around financial topics and help others feel confident in their money moves.