Temporary Car Insurance in Hawaii: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/8/2023
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If you only need car insurance in Hawaii for a short time as a car owner, you can buy a policy and cancel it before the six-month term is up. You may get a full refund for canceling early. A three-month car insurance policy typically costs $267 on average.
If you do not own your own car in Hawaii or are just visiting the state, rental car insurance could be the best option for you.
MoneyGeek also outlined other possible situations where temporary car insurance is needed, including working for rideshare companies.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Hawaii
In Hawaii and other states, temporary car insurance can mean different things depending on whether you own a car or not. Car owners who want temporary car insurance can get a full policy and cancel it early. However, if you do not own a car, it is more cost-effective to opt for rental car insurance or non-owner car insurance.
MoneyGeek analyzed all the ways to get temporary car insurance in Hawaii based on your needs and circumstances.
- 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 Hawaii Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
Car insurance companies in Hawaii and other states will only sell temporary car insurance with a minimum term of six months. A six-month car insurance policy in Hawaii costs an average of $533. However, you can get coverage for a shorter period by canceling your policy early since most major insurers will refund your premium for the remainder of the term.
For example, if you buy a six-month policy in Hawaii and cancel it after 90 days, you will only pay an average of $267 for the three months of coverage compared to the $533 average car insurance cost you could pay for a six-month policy.
If you use this strategy, MoneyGeek advises against having any lapse in insurance coverage, as this can result in you paying hundreds of dollars extra per year.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Hawaii
MoneyGeek analyzed the average rates of temporary car insurance in Hawaii by company for a six-month, three-month and one-month policy.
On average, the cheapest car insurance companies in Hawaii for a 90-day-policy are:
- GEICO: $162 per 90 days
- State Farm: $209 per 90 days
These rates are exclusive of cancellation fees. However, most major insurance companies do not charge cancellation fees and will refund your premium in full for the remaining unused period of your car insurance policy.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Hawaii by Policy Length
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Altering Hawaii Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
If you already have car insurance in Hawaii, you can temporarily add or remove coverage by altering your existing car insurance policy. The most common concerns drivers in Hawaii have regarding temporary car insurance include what to do if a teenage driver in the family goes away to school, if you need to store your car or if someone borrows your car.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
If you have a young driver on your car insurance policy who goes to school elsewhere in Hawaii, you can remove them from your policy temporarily or seek a discount from your insurer.
If you need to store your car temporarily, you can save on insurance costs by removing everything but your car’s comprehensive coverage. If you are in the military, you can take advantage of USAA’s car storage discounts.
If someone else drives your car, you should only add them to your car insurance policy if they drive your car regularly.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Hawaii
If you live with a young or student driver in Hawaii, you will need to add them to your car insurance policy, which can be costly. MoneyGeek found that, on average, it costs $995 per year to add an 18-year-old to your car insurance policy in Hawaii.
When you have a young driver on your policy, you can temporarily adjust the cost of your policy in three ways. First, you can take the student driver off your policy during periods when they are away at school if it is more than 100 miles away. Second, you can take advantage of distant student discounts. Third, you can choose to keep your child on the policy.
MoneyGeek found that it will cost you around $995 to have a young driver on your policy for a year, while it will only cost roughly $166 for two months during the summer. Allstate offers the biggest average savings in Hawaii for temporarily taking a student off your car insurance policy.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Hawaii
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If you have a student driver on your policy who is attending school somewhere in Hawaii but not beyond the 100-mile requirement from where you live, you cannot take them off your policy temporarily. However, you can still get better car insurance rates by shopping around. MoneyGeek compared the cheapest insurance companies for teens to help you find the most affordable options.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Hawaii
If you’re storing your car temporarily in Hawaii, you can save on car insurance costs by switching your existing policy to comprehensive-only or getting a vehicle storage discount from your insurer. Removing the liability coverage from your policy while your car is in storage will reduce your premiums.
Comprehensive and collision insurance with a $1,000 deductible costs an average of $333 per year in Hawaii, compared to the $781 average cost for a policy with comprehensive and collision coverage and minimum liability insurance.
Military members on active duty can get storage discounts from USAA. The company also offers one of the cheapest rates for car insurance in Hawaii even before that storage discount at an average cost of $657 per year.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
In Hawaii, if someone else in your household drives your car, they have to be added to your policy. However, if you give someone from outside your home permission to drive your car, they are automatically covered by your existing car insurance policy and you do not need to adjust it.
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Hawaii
If you are temporarily renting a car in Hawaii, it is not necessary to get temporary car insurance since car rental companies offer rental insurance. Most car rentals offer basic liability insurance in the rental policy as well as the option to add collision damage waivers, supplemental liability insurance and personal accident insurance.
The average cost of adding all these coverages is $52 to $56 per day depending on the company, but you may be able to mix and match for cheaper coverage depending on your needs.
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Hawaii
MoneyGeek collected rental insurance data in Hawaii from Honolulu and found that the average cost of rental car insurance in Hawaii is $52 to $56 per day depending on the company.
On average, Enterprise is the cheapest insurer at $52 per day, while Hertz and Avis cost $55 and $56 per day, respectively. These rates are for all rental car insurance protections, including supplemental liability, collision damage waiver and personal accident insurance.
If you have existing car insurance, your policy may already cover you for liability, collision and medical payments, so you may not need to buy these coverages. Most credit card companies also have collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars, so you may not need to purchase it from the car rental company if you already have one from your credit card company.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Hawaii
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Hawaii
If you do not own a car but temporarily need proof of insurance coverage for SR-22 filing to get your license reinstated, non-owner car insurance is a good option. Non-owner car insurance in Hawaii costs $409 per year on average. In Hawaii, non-owner car insurance is the most affordable way to get car insurance if you do not have a car but need to file an SR-22.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Hawaii
If you work for a rideshare company in Hawaii, you may not be aware that there is a gap in your insurance before you accept a fare or start transporting a passenger. This gap can be covered by rideshare insurance. However, rideshare insurance policies may not be available in all states.
MoneyGeek compared insurers that offer the best rideshare insurance in Hawaii to help you find the best options.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Hawaii
You can learn more about how to get temporary car insurance in Hawaii in the answers to frequently asked questions below.
Yes, you can get temporary car insurance in Hawaii. Since most insurance companies offer policies for a minimum of six months, you can cancel your policy early if you only need coverage for a short period.
Yes, you can get a refund for your car insurance policy if you cancel early. Most insurers will give you a full refund for the unused policy period.
Methodology
MoneyGeek collected temporary car insurance and non-owner car insurance quotes across Hawaii in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. The policies in this analysis were for a 40-year-old driver with a full coverage policy as described on our methodology methodology page. Rates for a student represent the average cost of adding an 18-year-old driver to a policy.
MoneyGeek calculated the cost of one-month and three-month policies on a prorated basis, assuming a full refund from the insurance company.
Rental car insurance costs in Hawaii were collected manually by MoneyGeek using the online tools of 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.