Temporary Car Insurance in Rhode Island: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/8/2023
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While temporary car insurance isn’t offered by most insurance companies, you can still create short-term coverage by buying a standard policy and canceling it early. A refund will be issued by your insurer for the remainder of your term. In Rhode Island, a three-month policy usually costs an average of $455.
Drivers who are visiting Rhode Island or don’t have a car and need to drive may opt for rental car insurance for their temporary situation.
MoneyGeek also considered other scenarios when you might need temporary auto insurance, such as buying non-owner insurance to reinstate your driving privileges or working for a rideshare company.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Rhode Island
Temporary car insurance in Rhode Island and other states can mean different things. For example, a driver who owns a car will have to buy a traditional policy and cancel it before the sixth month ends. On the other hand, those who don’t have cars could look into other options. These can include rental car insurance or non-owner car insurance.
There’s no one-size-fits-all way to get short-term car insurance coverage in Rhode Island, but MoneyGeek found strategies to create temporary car insurance.
- 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 Rhode Island Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
Reputable car insurance companies will only sell policies in increments of six months to a year. A six-month policy in Rhode Island costs $911 on average. However, you may be able to get a shorter coverage period by canceling your policy early and receiving a refund for the unused months.
Compared to the cost of a six-month policy, a 90-day car insurance policy will only cost half the price at roughly $455.
If you use this strategy, keep in mind that it is important to avoid having a lapse in coverage since this can drive up your insurance rates.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Rhode Island
MoneyGeek calculated the cost of car insurance by a company for a one-month policy, 90-day policy and six-month policy.
In Rhode Island, the cheapest offered car insurance on average for a 90-day policy are from:
- State Farm: $198 per 90 days
- Amica Mutual: $357 per 90 days
Cancellation fees were excluded from MoneyGeek’s calculations since most major companies don’t charge anything for canceling early and often issue refunds for the remainder of the term.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Rhode Island by Policy Length
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Altering Rhode Island Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
Making alterations to your existing car insurance policy if you need to temporarily add or remove some coverages could be the easiest solution if you only have short-term changes. The most common temporary circumstances that require adjustments to your policy are having a teen driver go to college, storing your vehicle and letting someone borrow your car.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
If your child is a student elsewhere in Rhode Island, it might be best to temporarily take them off your policy or request a discount.
If you’re putting your car in storage, it may make sense to remove everything but your comprehensive insurance or, if you’re in the military, use car storage discounts from USAA.
If someone else borrows your car regularly, you may want to add them to your policy.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Rhode Island
If your child has a license and lives with you, you need to add them to your auto insurance policy. This will subsequently raise your rates. In Rhode Island, it will cost you an average of $4,375 per year to add an 18-year-old to your policy.
You can adjust the cost of your policy by temporarily taking your child off your policy if they live more than 100 miles from home to attend school. Other options include taking advantage of distant student discounts and keeping your child on your policy.
MoneyGeek found that adding a student for two months in the summer will cost you an average of $729 while keeping your child on your policy for the entire year will cost about $4,375.
In Rhode Island, GEICO will allow you to save the most money for temporarily removing a student from your policy.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Rhode Island
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There might be some situations when you can’t temporarily remove your child from your policy or get a discount. Shopping around may help you solve this problem. MoneyGeek compared the cheapest insurance companies for teens to help you find the lowest rates.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Rhode Island
If you’re temporarily storing your car, switching your existing policy to comprehensive-only coverage will help you save money since it removes liability insurance coverage.
Comprehensive and collision insurance with a $1,000 deductible costs an average of $570 per year in Rhode Island. Meanwhile, a policy that includes minimum liability insurance costs approximately $1,560.
Another way to save money is to use vehicle storage discounts. If you’re a military member on active duty, you can take advantage of USAA’s discount for car storage. This insurer also offers one of the cheapest policies in Rhode Island before the discount, at $899 per year on average.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
A member of your household will have to be added to your existing auto insurance policy if they drive a car you own. Meanwhile, someone outside your home who has your permission to drive your car will be covered by your insurance under “permissive use.”
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Rhode Island
You can skip buying a car insurance policy when you rent a car by getting coverage from the car rental company instead. Almost all rental companies offer basic liability insurance in the policy, with the option of including add-ons such as collision damage waivers, supplemental liability insurance and personal accident insurance. Adding all these coverages can cost an average of $44 to $60 per day, depending on the company. You can mix and match coverages to save money.
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Rhode Island
MoneyGeek gathered data from Providence in Rhode Island and found that rental car insurance costs roughly $44 to $60 per day, depending on the company. On average, Avis charges $55, Hertz charges $60 and Enterprise charges $45 per day for rental car insurance. Each rental car insurance is inclusive of supplemental liability, collision damage waiver and personal accident insurance.
You can choose not to buy additional coverages such as liability, collision and medical payments if you have an existing car insurance policy since it might already cover you. Most credit card providers also have collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars, allowing you to save money.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Rhode Island
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Rhode Island
If you don’t own a car but temporarily need proof of insurance and are filing an SR-22 to reinstate your license, non-owner car insurance may be the best option for you. It is also the cheapest way to get insurance in Rhode Island if you don’t have a car but drive regularly. The average cost of a non-owner policy in Rhode Island is $1,365 yearly.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Rhode Island
Generally, rideshare drivers in Rhode Island are covered by insurance when they accept a fare or are transporting a passenger. If you haven’t accepted a fare or aren’t transporting a passenger, you will have a temporary gap in your insurance coverage.
Not all states have rideshare insurance policies, but MoneyGeek compared companies to help you find the best rideshare insurance in Rhode Island.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Rhode Island
Temporary car insurance in Rhode Island can be tricky to understand, but these frequently asked questions can help clear up some confusion.
Since insurers don’t offer policies that last less than six months, you can get temporary car insurance in Rhode Island by purchasing a traditional policy and canceling it early. Drivers who don’t own a car may also get rental car insurance or non-owner insurance.
If you cancel your policy before the six-month term is finished, you may receive a refund for the unused months from your insurance company.
Methodology
MoneyGeek collected car insurance and non-owner car insurance quotes in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services across Rhode Island. The policies were for a 40-year-old driver with a clean driving record and full coverage as outlined on our methodology page. The quotes for a student show the average cost of including an 18-year-old driver in a policy.
The quotes on 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. MoneyGeek manually collected the rental car insurance costs in Rhode Island 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.
sources
- Nolo. "Permissive Use' Car Insurance Coverage." Accessed November 20, 2021.