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Danny Smith is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent who has written for Compare.com since 2024. A former insurance editor, he specializes in auto, home, and pet insurance. He works to translate his insurance expertise into digestible, easy-to-understand content for drivers, homeowners, and pet owners alike.
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Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more. As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.
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Unfortunately, true temporary car insurance doesn’t exist, neither in Texas nor the rest of the country. Most insurance companies offer standard policies in only six- or 12-month increments, and anything shorter than that opens them up to additional risk.
That said, you can still find ways to get short-term coverage, including canceling a six-month policy early, using innovative insurers like Hugo, or buying usage-based insurance.
Here’s what you need to know about temporary car insurance in Texas, popular alternatives for short-term coverage, and a few of the best insurance companies in the Lone Star State.
No car insurance company sells true temporary car insurance. Beware of companies that advertise this.
Hugo is an excellent alternative that offers six-month policies with flexible payment options.
Non-owner car insurance is an option if you regularly borrow a car from a friend or family member.
If you’re borrowing a car, doing a test-drive, or even if you’re short on cash, you might need temporary car insurance coverage to meet your state’s minimum-coverage limits. But unfortunately, major insurance companies don’t actually offer true temporary insurance. Instead, traditional car insurance policies come in common six- or 12-month terms.
Like nearly every state, Texas requires all drivers to have car insurance, so if you’re borrowing a car or even just driving it once, you’ll need to have some sort of auto coverage.[1] But even if you don’t want to sign up for six months of insurance, you still have options for securing short-term coverage.
We’ll cover all the best options in the sections below.
Be wary of any companies advertising temporary car insurance. Some insurers may claim to offer daily or weekly coverage, but this is typically a scam. Companies looking to take advantage of you will often offer dramatically cheap rates and make it easy for you to get a policy.
In general, follow the old rule of thumb: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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Fortunately, you have several options for securing short-term coverage in Texas. One of the most common ways drivers secure temporary car insurance is with a pay-as-you-go policy, which charges you for only the mileage you’ve driven.
This option offers a lot of flexibility in terms of policy duration but typically offers only basic liability coverage. If you need full coverage — which also includes collision and comprehensive insurance — you’ll likely have to go with a major insurer.
Some other good options for temporary car insurance include non-owner insurance and pay-per-mile policies. But these are just a few alternatives. We’ll dive into all the possibilities below.
Compare personalized quotes from America’s top insurance companies.
One option for short-term car insurance in Texas is to simply buy a six-month policy and cancel it early. For example, if you need insurance for only three months, you can enjoy the benefits of standard car insurance, and then cancel it halfway through.
If you decide to go this route, it’s important to find a company that doesn’t charge cancellation fees. Most insurers don’t, but some high-risk companies — like Mercury and The General — may charge a fee for canceling your policy early.
Hugo is a new-age auto insurance company that specializes in flexible car insurance. It offers pay-as-you-go policies for relatively affordable rates. The insurer offers policy periods as short as three days, allowing you to turn coverage off and on as needed.
But Hugo only offers liability coverage as of this writing, so it may not be a great option if you drive a newer vehicle — especially if your lender requires full coverage.
One way to secure temporary coverage is to have a family member or friend add you to their policy for a short period. For example, if you’re visiting a family member and want to drive their car, they can typically add you to their policy for a set period of time. But keep in mind that every insurer and policy is different, so check with your company or insurance agent.
Usage-based car insurance is a relatively broad term for two newer types of insurance: telematics programs and pay-per-mile policies.[2]
Telematics insurance tracks your driving behavior either through a device or app and adjusts your rate based on how you drive.
Mileage-based coverage — also known as pay-per-mile insurance — charges you a base rate plus a per-mile rate for the number of miles you drive each month. These options are great for safe drivers and people who don’t drive often.
Non-owner car insurance, as the name suggests, is a good option for people who regularly drive a vehicle they don’t own. But like most forms of temporary or short-term coverage, non-owner insurance typically provides only liability coverage.3
If you’re renting a car, you’ll likely need some form of rental car insurance. While you technically don’t need to have rental car insurance, it’s a good idea to get it if you don’t have a personal auto insurance policy. But if you do, it’ll likely overlap with most of what the rental coverage would provide.[3]
If you’re putting your car into storage, you might want to invest in stored vehicle coverage. This isn’t an actual type of policy but rather a reference to having only comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance protects against non-collision events, such as severe weather, theft, or vandalism. And if you want to keep your registration current and active, you’ll need to maintain your state’s minimum liability coverage limits, too.
As the name suggests, rideshare insurance is meant for rideshare drivers, such as people who drive for Uber and Lyft. Your personal coverage won’t protect you once you pick up a passenger, so you’ll need to purchase additional rideshare coverage.
Uber and Lyft both provide their own car insurance, but in some cases, you may want to purchase additional coverage to ensure have enough protection if you cause an accident.
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No single insurance company is the best option for every Texas driver. Everyone has unique driving histories and budgets, so the right insurer will vary from person to person.
Still, we chose the following insurers as some of Texas’ best for temporary coverage, based on factors like coverage flexibility, payment options, customer reviews, average premiums, and more.
Average Liability Premium: $234 per month
Compare.com Rating: 3.22 out of 5
Offers coverage for as little as three days
Low down payments
Very high Trustpilot rating
No current AM Best financial strength rating
Available in only 14 states
No full-coverage plans
Hugo is the best car insurance company for drivers looking for flexibility in their short-term coverage. This relatively new insurer allows you to turn coverage on and off as you please, making it extremely convenient for drivers who want complete control of their insurance.
It also has low down payments — sometimes as little as $0 down, according to its website — and Hugo charges any fees spread over time to make it easier to budget.
Average Liability Premium: $56 per month
Compare.com Rating: 2.98 out of 5
Offers roadside assistance
No required telematics device
Decent ratings on Trustpilot
Not many discounts available
Available in only seven states
No AM Best financial strength rating
Mile Auto is one of the best options for Texas drivers looking for pay-per-mile insurance. With Mile Auto, you pay only for the miles you drive, plus a base rate based on your driving history, location, age, and other factors. If you don’t drive often, a policy from Mile Auto can save you some serious cash.
And you don’t need to install a device or download an app to track your mileage, either. Just take a picture of your odometer each month and send it to Mile Auto.
Average Liability Premium: $62 per month
Compare.com Rating: 4.93 out of 5
Many discounts available
Available in all 50 states
AM Best financial strength rating of A+ (Superior)
Low Trustpilot rating
Above-average number of customer complaints
Potentially frustrating claims process
One of the largest car insurance companies in the country, Allstate offers a wide array of coverages and discounts to all types of drivers. It also has multiple ways to save through its usage-based programs, Milewise and Drivewise. Milewise is Allstate’s pay-per-mile car insurance program that charges drivers a daily base rate plus a per-mile rate. It’s a great option for drivers with short commutes and retirees.
Drivewise, on the other hand, is Allstate’s telematics car program that uses an app to track your driving behaviors and adjust your premiums accordingly. You can get a 10% discount just for signing up for Drivewise. And if you’re a safe driver, your behind-the-wheel behavior can earn you lower rates. That said, if you drive recklessly or get into an accident, your rates could go up.
Rates in Texas start as low as $42 per month.
Car insurance rates can vary widely from one insurer to the next since each company weighs various factors differently. For example, if you have a couple of speeding tickets on your driving record, you may find that one insurer is more forgiving than another when it comes to how much those infractions drive up your premiums. The key to getting the best rate for you is to compare several companies head to head.
With that in mind, the table below highlights the average liability rates in Texas for several insurers offering forms of short-term car insurance coverage, according to our data.
Company  | Type of Coverage | Average Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Allstate | Usage-based | $59 |
| Hugo | Flexible payment plans | $287 |
| Mile Auto | Pay-per-mile | $59 |
| Nationwide | Usage-based | $93 |
| Noblr (by USAA) | Pay-per-mile | $74 |
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If you’re looking for short-term coverage, take a look at these answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about temporary car insurance in Texas.
Yes. You can buy temporary car insurance in Texas, but not in the form of a standard car insurance policy. You can secure temporary coverage in a number of ways, including by canceling a traditional policy early, buying pay-per-mile or pay-as-you-go insurance, or having someone add you to their policy.
No. True temporary car insurance isn’t legit. Major insurers don’t offer standard car insurance policies for less than six months. But you have alternatives to temporary car insurance, such as non-owner, usage-based, and pay-per-mile coverage.
No. You can’t drive a car without insurance in Texas — even if you just bought it. Texas law requires all drivers to have minimum liability car insurance limits when behind the wheel, even when driving it off the lot.
Texas requires all drivers to have $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, as well as $25,000 per accident in property damage liability insurance.
No. While you can’t get standard car insurance for only one month in Texas, you can get certain types of coverage for shorter periods of time. For example, you can buy pay-per-mile, non-owner insurance, or pay-as-you-go insurance for shorter terms than a traditional policy.
Data scientists at Compare.com analyzed more than 50 million real-time auto insurance quotes from more than 75 partner insurers in order to compile the rates and statistics seen in this article. Compare.com’s auto insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, insurance histories, and demographic information.
All the rates listed in this article have been collected from a combination of real Compare.com quotes and external insurance rate data gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. Compare.com uses these observations to provide readers with insights into how auto insurance companies determine their premiums.
Compare.com's #1 goal is to save you money. We publish resources that are based on hard-hitting data and years of industry experience to help you make more informed decisions with your wallet.
Learn more about us, our team, and what makes us tick.
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Danny Smith is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent who has written for Compare.com since 2024. A former insurance editor, he specializes in auto, home, and pet insurance. He works to translate his insurance expertise into digestible, easy-to-understand content for drivers, homeowners, and pet owners alike.
Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more. As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.
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