Temporary Car Insurance in Maryland: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/8/2023
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Since insurers do not provide temporary car insurance for less than six months, you can purchase a six-month policy and cancel it before the end of the term. Insurers offer a full refund for the remaining duration.
In Maryland, temporary auto insurance for three months costs $532 on average.
If you’re renting a car or don’t own a car in Maryland but need to drive temporarily, rental car insurance could be a good option.
Our research also covers other scenarios where you may need temporary car insurance, such as buying non-owner car insurance to reinstate your license or while you work for a rideshare company.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Maryland
It is important to understand what temporary auto insurance means in Maryland and whether it provides what you are looking for or not. If you own a car in Maryland, you can choose full car insurance and cancel it early to get a refund of your premium for the remaining period on your policy. However, if you do not own a vehicle, you could be better off choosing rental car insurance or non-owner car insurance.
There’s no one way to get short-term car insurance in Maryland, so MoneyGeek’s research provides the best temporary car insurance options depending on your needs.
- 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 Maryland Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
The average cost of temporary auto insurance in Maryland is $1,063 for six months, which is the minimum offered by most insurance providers.
Most major insurers provide full refunds for the remainder of your term if you cancel early, which you can choose to do if you are looking for a temporary policy.
For example, you could pay roughly $1,063 for temporary auto insurance for six months, whereas if you cancel after three months, you’ll pay around $532.
While this does help you save on insurance costs, MoneyGeek strongly recommends ensuring there is no lapse in your insurance with this strategy. Any lapse in coverage can lead to significantly higher insurance costs.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Maryland
MoneyGeek’s analysis included evaluating the cost of temporary car insurance for six-month, three-month and one-month periods.
On average, the top two companies that offer the best cheap car insurance in Maryland are:
- Erie: $386 per 90 days
- Allstate: $418 per 90 days
Keep in mind that these costs do not include cancellation fees that insurers may charge. However, most major insurance companies offer a full refund for the remaining term of your insurance policy if you cancel early.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Maryland by Policy Length
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Altering Maryland Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
Drivers with an existing auto insurance policy in Maryland can make modifications by adding or removing specific coverages to meet temporary needs.
Some of the most frequently asked questions about short-term car insurance include when a teenage driver goes to college far from home, when the car owner wants to put the vehicle into temporary storage or when the car is being used by someone who is not included in the policy.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
Families with students who study in a different city can temporarily remove them from their insurance policies to save on costs or can ask insurers for a discount.
If you plan to put your car in storage, you can remove all coverages except comprehensive insurance. Military drivers can utilize the storage discounts that USAA offers.
You can add a driver to your car insurance in Maryland if they drive your vehicle regularly.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Maryland
Adding a young driver to an existing policy can be expensive, but it's required if your child lives with you and drives. Based on MoneyGeek’s research, the average cost of adding an 18-year-old driver to an existing policy in Maryland is $5,687 annually.
Families with young drivers can take their child off their policy for some parts of the year if they are studying more than 100 miles from home, use student discounts or continue to keep their child on the policy.
MoneyGeek’s research determined that the average cost of adding a student to an existing policy for two months of the year during the summer is $948, compared to the average annual cost of $5,687.
In Maryland, Nationwide offers the biggest savings on average for temporarily taking students off an insurance policy.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Maryland
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If your child’s college is less than 100 miles from your place of residence, you will be better off getting quotes from multiple insurers to get the best possible rate. You can still get temporary car insurance for young drivers in your family using our analysis. MoneyGeek evaluated the cheapest auto insurance companies for teens and young drivers in Maryland.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Maryland
If you are looking to put your car in storage, you can save on insurance costs by converting your policy to comprehensive-only insurance or asking your insurer for a storage discount.
Our research determined that a policy that has comprehensive-only insurance costs around $553 per year. This is much cheaper than a policy that includes liability insurance which costs $2,026 per year on average.
If you currently serve in the armed forces, you use USAA’s storage discounts. The insurer also offers the most affordable insurance policy in the state at roughly $1,217 per year.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
Drivers who live in the same household as you have to be added to your policy to be covered by it. Drivers not living under the same roof that have your permission to drive your car will be covered under your policy without any alterations.
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Maryland
If you are renting a car in Maryland, you can purchase rental car insurance from the rental company. Keep in mind rental companies typically offer liability insurance that meets the state minimum requirements with an option to add personal accident insurance, collision damage waiver and supplemental liability insurance.
The average cost per day to add these coverages in Maryland is $48 to $58, depending on the rental company you choose and the coverages you opt for. You can mix and match coverages to save money.
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Maryland
MoneyGeek’s rental car insurance analysis in Maryland was based on insurance rates collected from several insurers in Baltimore. Average costs for rental insurance range from $48 to $58 per day depending on the provider. On average, Enterprise offers rental car insurance at $48 per day, while those from Avis and Hertz cost around $56 and $58 per day, respectively. These policies included personal accident insurance, collision damage waiver and supplemental liability insurance.
Keep in mind that your existing policy or a credit card that you own may already have some of these coverages. In such scenarios, you may choose not to include them in your rental car policy to save on costs.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Maryland
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Maryland
Non-owner car insurance is the cheapest option for you if you do not own a car but drive regularly in Maryland. The average cost of non-owner car insurance in Maryland is $886 per year.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Maryland
Drivers who work for rideshare companies must keep in mind that although insurance policies provide protection when passengers are in the car, drivers are at risk when they are waiting to be matched with riders.
If you work for a rideshare company, you can find the best rideshare insurance options in Maryland using MoneyGeek’s research. Note that not all rideshare insurance options are available in all states.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Maryland
Many situations may call for temporary auto insurance. You can learn more about when to choose temporary car insurance in Maryland and which company to use by examining the answers to some frequently asked questions about short-term car insurance.
Insurers generally do not offer temporary car insurance in Maryland for less than six months. However, you can choose a six-month policy and cancel early to get a shorter coverage period.
Yes. In Maryland, the shortest insurance term is six months. However, you can cancel early and get a refund from the state’s most major insurers for the remainder of your term.
Methodology
MoneyGeek’s methodology involved collecting auto insurance and non-owner car insurance quotes for full coverage policies from multiple providers in Maryland and calculating average rates in association with Quadrant Information Services.
Insurance quotes for a 40-year-old male driver included full coverage policies that had comprehensive and collision insurance and higher liability limits (100/300/100). Costs for adding a student to an insurance policy were calculated considering an 18-year-old driver. MoneyGeek collected insurance rates manually from the websites of Avis, Enterprise and Hertz.
MoneyGeek’s evaluation for one-month and three-month policies was based on prorated calculations that anticipate full refunds from insurance companies.
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.