Temporary Car Insurance in Delaware: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/8/2023
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If you need temporary car insurance in Delaware, you may consider purchasing a six-month policy and then canceling it early to get a full refund. A three-month policy in Delaware costs an average of $371.
If you’re traveling to Delaware or don’t own a car in the state but need to drive, rental car insurance might be your best option.
MoneyGeek considered other scenarios where you need rental car insurance, such as if you have a suspended license or you’re a rideshare driver.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Delaware
Temporary car insurance policies take on different meanings across different states. There are ways to buy temporary car insurance in Delaware, like getting full car insurance and canceling it early. Additionally, those who don’t own cars can get non-owner car insurance or rental car insurance.
There are many ways you can get temporary car insurance, but MoneyGeek explores the different ways to get a short-term car insurance policy in Delaware.
- 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 Delaware Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
Local insurance companies in Delaware only sell car insurance policies for a minimum of six months, which usually cost around $741. You can purchase a six-month insurance policy and cancel it early to get a shorter policy. Most car insurance companies in Delaware will refund you your premium for the rest of the term.
For example, you can get 90-day car insurance in Delaware and pay roughly $371 when you cancel a six-month policy three months early.
If you use this strategy, make sure there’s no lapse in your insurance coverage. Otherwise, you may end up paying hundreds of dollars extra per year.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Delaware
MoneyGeek conducted an analysis of minimum car insurance coverage by a company in Delaware for a typical six-month, 90-day and one-month or policy.
On average, the cheapest car insurance in Delaware for 90 days of coverage comes from:
- State Farm: $307 per 90 days
- GEICO: $333 per 90 days
Our calculations do not include cancellation fees. Nevertheless, most major car insurance companies do not charge cancellation fees but will refund you your premiums for the policy duration you don’t use.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Delaware by Policy Length
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Altering Delaware Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
There might be instances where you have Delaware car insurance but you need to temporarily add or remove coverage. In this case, we recommend making adjustments to your existing policy. Some of the common situations that may prompt the need for adjustments include a teenager going to college, needing to store your vehicle or someone borrowing your car.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
You can temporarily remove your teenager from your existing Delaware car insurance policy or get a discount if they are going to school elsewhere in the state.
You can remove everything except for your comprehensive insurance if you want to store your car, and military personnel can use car storage discounts from USAA.
If someone drives your car regularly, you can add them to your insurance policy in Delaware.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Delaware
If you have kids living with you in Delaware, you have to add them to your car insurance policy. However, this could be expensive. MoneyGeek found you’ll have to pay $2,753 per year on average if you add your 18-year-old son or daughter to your existing policy in Delaware.
To save money on having a teen driver on your policy, you can either remove your young student who lives more than 100 miles away from your home, use distant student discounts or just keep them on your policy.
MoneyGeek discovered that the cost to add a student for two months of the year during summer would only cost you approximately $459. Allstate offers the biggest savings, up to $2,832, in Delaware for temporarily taking a student off the policy.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Delaware
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If you cannot get a discount or temporarily remove your child from the policy, shopping around for the cheapest insurance companies for teens may help you find ways to save money.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Delaware
Drivers who want to store their car in Delaware temporarily can save money by getting discounts or switching to a comprehensive-only policy. If your vehicle is in storage, the comprehensive-only coverage will save you money by removing liability insurance coverage. Comprehensive and collision insurance with a $1,000 deductible costs around $372 per year in Delaware, compared to a cost of roughly $1,195 for a policy with comprehensive and collision and minimum liability insurance included.
Active, USAA provides a discount for car storage. It also has one of the cheaper policies in the state before that discount, at an average of $641 per year.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
If you let someone who does not live in your house drive your car, you do not have to add the temporary driver to your car insurance in Delaware. However, if you and the car borrower live under one roof, they will have to be insured on your policy.
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Delaware
Rental car insurance is available for individuals who rent a car in Delaware. Almost all rental companies in the state offer basic liability insurance. You can also add personal accident insurance, collision damage waivers and supplemental liability insurance. If you add all these coverages, it will cost you $47 to $57 per day on average. To save money, you can try mixing and matching the coverages.
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Delaware
MoneyGeek collected data in Wilmington, Delaware. We found that the average cost of Delaware rental car insurance that includes all protection, such as supplemental liability, collision damage waiver and personal accident insurance, costs $47 to $57 depending on the company. Enterprise charges around $47 per day, while Hertz and Avis charge roughly $57 daily.
If you already have existing car insurance, you might be able to skip the other coverages. You may also skip certain coverages if you already have collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars from your credit card company. These strategies can save you money.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Delaware
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Delaware
A non-owner insurance policy is the most affordable way to get coverage if you don’t have a car but drive regularly in Delaware. The average cost of this type of insurance in Delaware is $882 annually.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Delaware
Rideshare drivers are covered by insurance once they transport a passenger or receive a fare. If you haven't accepted a fare, there will be a temporary gap in your coverage. This is where rideshare insurance can be helpful.
Not all states have rideshare insurance policies. To help you find the best rideshare car insurance in Delaware, MoneyGeek compared companies that offer this type of policy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Delaware
Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about temporary car insurance in Delaware.
Major car insurance companies in Delaware do not offer temporary car insurance. Fortunately, there are ways you can cover yourself for a short time period.
Yes, you can. Most car insurance companies in Delaware will refund you your premium for your unused term. This is a good option for getting temporary car insurance.
Methodology
MoneyGeek collected car insurance and non-owner car insurance quotes from different insurers across Delaware with the help of Quadrant Information Services. Rental car insurance costs in Delaware were collected manually by MoneyGeek using the online tools of Avis, Enterprise and Hertz. The policies were for a 40-year-old driver and full coverage as described on our methodology page. Costs for a student represent the average cost of adding an 18-year-old driver to a policy. Note that numbers for the cost of one-month and three-month policies were calculated by MoneyGeek on a prorated basis, assuming a full refund from the insurance company.
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.
sources
- The Zebra. "Short-Term Car Insurance in Delaware." Accessed November 12, 2021.