Temporary Car Insurance in Virginia: The Cheapest Options and What You Need to Know
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Updated: 2/8/2023
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Car owners in Virginia looking for temporary car insurance policies can buy a policy from any provider and cancel it before the term ends. To get a refund on your premium, you will need to cancel the policy early. On average, Virginia drivers pay $198 for a three-month temporary car insurance policy.
Drivers visiting the state and those who do not own cars but need to drive regularly can get rental car insurance as their temporary coverage.
MoneyGeek outlines how to get temporary car insurance in Virginia as well as the circumstances under which you ought to get temporary coverage, such as when filing for SR-22 and when working for a rideshare company.
Can You Get Temporary Car Insurance in Virginia
In Virginia and several other states, temporary car insurance means different things. Car owners can change their existing policy to temporary insurance by canceling it before its full term elapses. If you do not own a car, you may opt for non-owner car insurance or rental car insurance depending on your circumstance.
How can you get temporary car insurance in Virginia? Although there is no single way of purchasing temporary car insurance coverage in Virginia, MoneyGeek can help you identify the best methods to purchase short-term coverage in the state.
- 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 Virginia Insurance Policy and Canceling It Early
It’s not possible to buy car insurance in Virginia with a term that’s less than six months. Insurers charge an average of $395 for a six-month policy. Drivers can get temporary coverage by canceling their existing policies early and getting a refund of their remaining premium from the insurer.
While drivers pay roughly $395 for a six-month policy, they will only need to pay about $198 for a three-month policy.
Before you cancel your policy, you will need to make sure that there is no lapse in your coverage. Having a lapse in your policy can result in higher premiums in the future.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance in Virginia
MoneyGeek calculated the average costs of car insurance in Virginia for policies that span six months, which is the shortest term for most states. The costs for three-month and one-month periods were also calculated.
According to the findings, the cheapest providers of car insurance in Virginia for three-month coverage are, on average:
- Progressive: $126 per 90 days
- GEICO: $167 per 90 days
The average prices mentioned above do not include cancellation fees. That’s because the major insurers do not charge any fees if you cancel your policy and will refund the premiums for the unused months on your policy.
Annual Cost of Car Insurance in Virginia by Policy Length
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Altering Virginia Car Insurance Temporarily Depending on Your Needs
If you already bought an auto insurance policy in Virginia, you can adjust the coverages based on your needs. Most questions that usually arise among individuals seeking to purchase temporary car insurance are associated with getting coverage for student drivers who are away at college, drivers who wish to store their cars or those who regularly lend their car to someone.
When You Should Alter Your Policy Temporarily
If your child attends college elsewhere in Virginia, you can temporarily exclude them from your car insurance policy or ask your insurer for a discount.
Drivers who wish to store their vehicles can save costs by eliminating all coverage options from their policy except comprehensive coverage. Current military members can also save money using USAA’s car storage discounts.
If someone else drives your car regularly, it may be worthwhile to include them in your policy.
Cheap Temporary Car Insurance for Students in Virginia
Parents who live with their teen drivers will need to include them in their policies, although this can be expensive. In Virginia, it will cost you an average of $1,913 per year to add your 18-year-old driver to your policy.
Temporarily adjusting the price of car insurance to accommodate your child can be done by removing your child from your policy, getting a distant student discount or keeping your child on your policy.
MoneyGeek found that you will pay around $319 in Virginia if you add a student driver to your policy for only two months during the summer as compared to around $1,913 for the entire year.
The insurance provider that saves you the most premium if you temporarily exclude your child from your policy is GEICO.
Annual Cost of Adding an 18-Year-Old to Car Insurance in Virginia
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Some insurance companies in Virginia do not offer discounts for distant students. You may also not qualify for this discount or be allowed to exclude your child from your policy because they live close to home. Your ideal option is to shop around for the best cheap car insurance for teen drivers, and MoneyGeek has done this research for you.
What to Do About Car Insurance if You’re Storing Your Car in Virginia
Virginia drivers seeking to store their car can save money on insurance by switching to comprehensive-only coverage or getting vehicle storage discounts from their insurer.
Drivers who purchase comprehensive and collision car insurance with a deductible of $1,000 pay an average of $260 per year. A policy that includes liability coverage costs around $679 per year.
Current military members may get USAA policies that come with car storage discounts. USAA also provides the cheapest coverage in the state, an average of $664 annually.
What to Do If You Let Someone Else Drive Your Car
Drivers who lend their car to someone outside of their household do not need to purchase temporary insurance since their policy will cover the other driver. However, members of your household who will be using your car regularly need to be added to your policy.
Buying Rental Car Insurance in Virginia
Drivers who intend to use rented cars in Virginia need to purchase rental car insurance. Various rental companies in the state sell rental car insurance that consists of basic liability coverage with the option to add supplementary liability insurance, personal accident coverage and collision damage waivers.
In Virginia, drivers pay between $44 and $53 per day for renters insurance. Costs vary based on the rental company that you choose, and you can save money by only purchasing the coverages you need.
Finding Cheap Rental Car Insurance in Virginia
MoneyGeek obtained the data for this analysis from Virginia Beach and found that rental car insurance policies in Virginia cost between $44 and $53 per day. On average, the most affordable provider is Enterprise, at $44 per day. Hertz is the second cheapest at roughly $51 per day, and Avis is the most expensive at approximately $53 per day.
The average costs above are for rental insurance policies, including liability insurance plus all other coverage options like supplemental liability coverage, collision damage waiver and personal accident insurance.
Some of these additional coverages are not necessary if you already have them in your existing policy. You may also want to check whether your credit card provider offers collision damage waiver coverage for rental cars, as this can help you save money.
Cost per Day of Rental Car Insurance in Virginia
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Buying Non-Owner Car Insurance in Virginia
Drivers who do not own cars but drive on a regular basis can purchase non-owner insurance in Virginia.
Non-owner car insurance is the cheapest temporary coverage option for non-car owners who need to file an SR-22. You can get this type of policy in Virginia at $358 per year on average.
How to Get Temporary Rideshare Car Insurance for Rideshare in Virginia
Drivers who work for a rideshare company get covered as soon as they accept a fare or transport a passenger. However, before accepting a fare, there is a lapse in insurance that needs to be covered. This is where rideshare insurance can be useful.
Rideshare insurance availability differs across states, and you can use MoneyGeek’s analysis to compare the best cheap rideshare providers in Virginia to find the best deal for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Temporary Car Insurance in Virginia
Temporary car insurance is important for drivers with cars and those who don’t have cars. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about temporary car insurance in Virginia.
There are ways drivers can get temporary car insurance in Virginia, but you can’t purchase it directly. The shortest term for car insurance in the state is six months. Drivers can get shorter terms by canceling their policies early. For drivers who don’t own cars, their best options are rental car insurance and non-owner insurance.
If you cancel your car insurance before six months, you will receive a refund for your unused term period.
Methodology
MoneyGeek used a sample 40-year-old driver to obtain temporary and non-owner insurance information in Virginia. This was done in partnership with Quadrant Information Services. The sample driver had a full coverage policy whose limits are highlighted on our methodology page.
Average costs for student drivers reflect the average price of adding an 18-year-old driver to a policy. 30-day and 90-day policy costs were collected on a prorated basis. For this research, MoneyGeek’s assumption was that insurers would provide refunds to drivers who cancel their policies before the end of their terms.
Rental car insurance costs were obtained manually using the online tools of Avis, Hertz and Enterprise.
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.