Can you buy auto insurance on the weekend?
Most companies let you buy auto insurance on the weekend, and an existing policy may allow for an automatic extension. Read our guide below for more info on how to get car insurance for a weekend.
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Heidi Mertlich
Licensed Insurance Agent
Heidi works with top-rated insurance carriers to bring her clients the highest quality protection at the most competitive prices. She founded NoPhysicalTermLife.com, specializing in life insurance that doesn’t require a medical exam. Heidi is a regular contributor to several insurance websites, including FinanceBuzz.com, Insurist.com, and Forbes. As a parent herself, she understands the need ...
Licensed Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Sep 9, 2024
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Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Sep 9, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
If you’re looking to buy a new or used car and have a busy schedule, you may only be able to do this on the weekend or outside of traditional office hours. The dealership may extend longer hours to give people in your situation more flexibility, but you may be worried about insurance.
How will you take care of this important coverage if you’re ready to pick up your car out of hours? Can you get weekend car insurance? Can you call insurance on weekends? This can be a challenge for people in your situation, and you need answers before proceeding. We explain your options here.
If you need to buy car insurance on a Saturday or Sunday, enter your ZIP code to compare weekend car insurance quotes from multiple companies to find cheap auto insurance.
- Larger insurance companies typically offer round-the-clock customer service and online policy options
- If you work with an agent, you need to discuss their availability if you plan to buy over the weekend
- Some policies have an automatic extension clause to cover new acquisitions temporarily
Buying a Car on a Weekend and Insurance
The good news is that there are car insurance companies open on Saturday, so you should be able to confirm coverage outside of the traditional 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday office schedule. Most insurance companies have a customer service phone line, and many have walk-in offices that are open on Saturdays. In some cases, you may not even need to worry about talking to an agent if your current policy has a specific clause. In this case, you get automatic insurance for a new car for a given amount of time.
Most companies will also let you purchase a policy online or via a mobile app. This is especially easy if you already have a policy with that company, but brand-new policies can be bought this way as well.
Direct Writers
Many national insurance companies operate a “direct writer” policy. This means that they do not necessarily use independent sales agents and deal directly with the public. Those organizations will typically have a 24-hour phone line, where you can call a number (often toll-free) to get quotes, make payments, bind coverage, or file claims.
They also tend to use a lot of online services, and most have mobile apps that allow you to handle most needs.
Adding a Car to Insurance on the Weekend With Independent Agencies
Some independent insurance agencies may be open on Saturdays or offer an appointment-only service. National companies will typically offer more flexibility and allow you to buy last-minute insurance on any day and at any time during the week.
If you are adamant that you want to work with an agent, and they’re not typically open during weekend hours, you need to prepare in advance. Discuss what you plan to do and get a quote for the vehicle you have in mind. You need to see whether they can answer your call out of hours to bind the coverage if you agree on terms with the dealer or seller.
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Insurance When Buying a Car From a Dealer
You must have at least the minimum amount of auto insurance before driving away from a dealer’s lot. Each state’s DMV requires the dealer to file paperwork, so they’ll confirm that you have coverage before you get the keys.
As soon as the seller approves the purchase, you become the car’s legal owner, and you must comply with relevant auto insurance laws in your state. Also, when you are looking for full coverage insurance to lease a car, this company will typically demand that you have both comprehensive and collision coverage to protect the vehicle and their interest in it. The same applies to financed cars.
You can compare available numbers, but insurance rates are always unique to the individual. For example, below is a chart of average auto insurance rates in each state:
Average Auto Insurance Rates by State
| State | Average 2015 Rates | Average 2014 Rates | Average 2013 Rates | Average 2012 Rates | Average 2011 Rates | Average Auto Insurance Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $394.21 | $381.98 | $372.44 | $359.88 | $354.35 | $372.57 |
| Alaska | $539.68 | $550.59 | $555.04 | $544.66 | $546.71 | $547.34 |
| Arizona | $508.76 | $507.18 | $490.78 | $473.30 | $462.94 | $488.59 |
| Arkansas | $394.13 | $392.46 | $380.78 | $371.02 | $367.29 | $381.14 |
| California | $489.66 | $478.71 | $463.56 | $443.41 | $439.39 | $462.95 |
| Colorado | $520.04 | $500.72 | $473.68 | $449.65 | $441.41 | $477.10 |
| Connecticut | $650.94 | $642.95 | $635.62 | $626.47 | $613.77 | $633.95 |
| Delaware | $799.30 | $795.35 | $783.30 | $759.04 | $745.53 | $776.50 |
| District of Columbia | $628.82 | $629.25 | $634.70 | $624.34 | $623.34 | $628.09 |
| South Dakota | $300.22 | $297.38 | $289.39 | $281.04 | $277.16 | $289.04 |
| Florida | $857.64 | $837.24 | $860.36 | $856.39 | $813.60 | $845.05 |
| Georgia | $557.38 | $516.63 | $485.40 | $454.76 | $439.02 | $490.64 |
| Hawaii | $458.54 | $458.83 | $457.09 | $453.45 | $464.55 | $458.49 |
| Idaho | $344.29 | $348.12 | $339.50 | $326.00 | $327.96 | $337.17 |
| Illinois | $446.72 | $434.80 | $424.92 | $422.12 | $424.12 | $430.54 |
| Indiana | $382.68 | $371.69 | $363.00 | $376.23 | $368.61 | $372.44 |
| Iowa | $299.18 | $294.97 | $291.24 | $290.46 | $290.86 | $293.34 |
| Kansas | $358.24 | $354.24 | $342.27 | $329.67 | $327.21 | $342.33 |
| Kentucky | $529.21 | $523.10 | $522.34 | $516.40 | $503.52 | $518.91 |
| Louisiana | $775.83 | $750.23 | $723.93 | $698.21 | $687.56 | $727.15 |
| Maine | $338.87 | $336.70 | $333.69 | $332.07 | $328.25 | $333.92 |
| Maryland | $609.74 | $607.19 | $596.17 | $594.28 | $590.02 | $599.48 |
| Massachusetts | $606.04 | $598.71 | $589.38 | $578.75 | $565.87 | $587.75 |
| Michigan | $795.32 | $811.43 | $742.38 | $660.93 | $600.14 | $722.04 |
| Minnesota | $456.82 | $453.29 | $441.81 | $428.63 | $417.37 | $439.58 |
| Mississippi | $460.50 | $448.60 | $434.88 | $424.58 | $418.34 | $437.38 |
| Missouri | $415.88 | $406.67 | $399.08 | $390.04 | $385.39 | $399.41 |
| Montana | $386.29 | $392.53 | $388.54 | $383.76 | $387.71 | $387.77 |
| Nebraska | $364.64 | $353.26 | $347.54 | $340.33 | $339.58 | $349.07 |
| Nevada | $681.56 | $673.05 | $648.19 | $619.71 | $612.84 | $647.07 |
| New Hampshire | $400.56 | $395.51 | $391.92 | $390.72 | $387.51 | $393.24 |
| New Jersey | $869.57 | $881.58 | $882.82 | $860.59 | $833.20 | $865.55 |
| New Mexico | $488.03 | $484.62 | $464.51 | $441.11 | $432.78 | $462.21 |
| New York | $804.51 | $796.39 | $791.14 | $780.41 | $752.43 | $784.98 |
| North Carolina | $359.42 | $358.56 | $355.19 | $356.63 | $358.16 | $357.59 |
| North Dakota | $298.18 | $295.87 | $285.12 | $272.71 | $260.86 | $282.55 |
| Ohio | $397.11 | $388.88 | $374.53 | $362.97 | $357.31 | $376.16 |
| Oklahoma | $461.01 | $458.72 | $443.88 | $428.09 | $416.16 | $441.57 |
| Oregon | $584.13 | $585.26 | $562.95 | $527.64 | $507.19 | $553.43 |
| Pennsylvania | $499.06 | $496.87 | $497.28 | $495.22 | $486.66 | $495.02 |
| Rhode Island | $759.80 | $739.87 | $719.53 | $702.52 | $678.60 | $720.06 |
| South Carolina | $527.09 | $510.04 | $495.96 | $485.30 | $469.12 | $497.50 |
| Tennessee | $413.91 | $409.79 | $400.64 | $387.40 | $376.90 | $397.73 |
| Texas | $528.75 | $516.26 | $496.68 | $477.18 | $473.31 | $498.44 |
| Utah | $497.53 | $486.87 | $465.62 | $454.35 | $451.94 | $471.26 |
| Vermont | $343.12 | $341.60 | $343.85 | $340.55 | $335.79 | $340.98 |
| Virginia | $425.61 | $427.94 | $415.86 | $401.50 | $394.70 | $413.12 |
| Washington | $596.67 | $589.97 | $569.42 | $547.11 | $541.42 | $568.92 |
| West Virginia | $491.83 | $505.40 | $506.60 | $503.05 | $500.31 | $501.44 |
| Wisconsin | $374.37 | $367.00 | $354.57 | $346.74 | $356.54 | $359.84 |
| Wyoming | $321.04 | $335.59 | $323.25 | $316.53 | $320.47 | $323.38 |
| Countrywide | $538.73 | $530.01 | $517.88 | $503.28 | $492.03 | $516.39 |
Getting an Automatic Extension
You cannot simply wait until the weekend is over and offices open on Monday. You must have insurance in place from the moment you purchase the vehicle. However, check if you have a newly acquired provision written into your existing insurance policy to find out how many days you have to get car insurance.
If so, your current insurance company may automatically extend the type of coverage you have now to protect a newly acquired vehicle. Still, this coverage will only remain in place for a certain amount of time, so you will need to contact the insurance company as soon as possible so that they can issue a policy for the new vehicle.
Getting Car Insurance on a Weekend
While some people worry about how to insure a new car on the weekend, others want to know if insuring a car for a weekend is even possible. Well, it’s possible to get car insurance for the weekend. Temporary insurance policies can offer coverage from as little as one hour and can certainly include a weekend. Thus, if you want to borrow a vehicle to move house, look for insurance companies that offer temporary protection.
Here are some of the largest insurance companies open on Saturdays and Sundays when looking for car insurance places open on the weekend. We’d also be crazy not to mention that you can quickly get weekend auto insurance using our free tool above, which makes buying auto insurance for the weekend easy.
Top 10 Auto Insurance Companies by Market Share
| Company | Market Share | Direct Premiums |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Farm | 17.07% | $42 Billion |
| 2. Geico | 13.45% | $33.1 Billion |
| 3. Progressive | 11.01% | $27.1 Billion |
| 4. Allstate | 9.22% | $22.7 Billion |
| 5. USAA | 5.89% | $14.5 Billion |
| 6. Liberty Mutual | 4.79% | $11.8 Billion |
| 7. Farmers | 4.27% | $10.5 Billion |
| 8. Nationwide | 2.74% | $6.7 Billion |
| 9. Travelers | 1.91% | $4.7 Billion |
| 10. American Family | 1.91% | $4.7 Billion |
These companies with a large market share tend to have weekend business hours for quotes, questions, and claims. This makes it very convenient for people who are searching for insurance companies that are open on Saturday or Sunday.
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The Bottom Line: How to Get Car Insurance on the Weekend
Most national insurance companies offer round-the-clock customer service, so you’ll be able to get weekend insurance on a car pretty easy. You may also be able to get weekend only car insurance coverage online. If you work with an agency, you need to talk with them to see if they can accommodate you. Some policies have a clause that will automatically cover a newly acquired vehicle temporarily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get car insurance on the weekend?
Yes, it is possible to get weekend auto insurance when you’re buying a car on the weekend. While some insurance companies may have limited customer service hours on weekends, many insurance providers offer online platforms that allow you to obtain quotes and purchase policies at any time, including weekends.
How to get insurance on the weekend?
There are a few ways to buy car insurance on a weekend only:
- Online: Visit the website of an insurance company or use online insurance comparison platforms to obtain quotes and purchase policies directly online. Many insurance companies provide user-friendly interfaces that allow you to input your information, compare quotes, and complete the purchase process on weekends.
- Phone: Some insurance companies have customer service representatives available on the weekend. You can call their toll-free number to inquire about coverage options, obtain quotes, and complete the purchase over the phone.
- Mobile apps: Several insurance companies offer mobile apps that allow you to get quotes and buy insurance directly from your smartphone or tablet, giving you the flexibility to do so on the weekend.
If I buy a car on the weekend, will my insurance cover it?
The effective date of your coverage may vary depending on the insurance company’s policies and processes. In many cases, if you purchase insurance online or over the phone on the weekend, the coverage may take effect immediately or within a specified timeframe. However, it’s always important to review the policy documents or contact the insurance company directly to confirm the start date of your coverage.
Can you get insurance quotes on the weekend?
Yes, you can typically obtain weekend insurance quotes. Insurance company websites and online comparison platforms allow you to enter your information and generate quotes instantly, even outside of regular business hours.
Can I make changes to my existing auto insurance policy on the weekend?
Most insurance companies provide online customer portals or mobile apps that allow policyholders to make changes to their car insurance for weekends only, including updating coverage options, adding or removing vehicles, and adjusting policy details. These services are often available 24/7, including on weekends. Alternatively, you can contact your insurance company’s customer service line to discuss any changes you wish to make to your policy.
Will I have access to customer support if I have questions about my policy on the weekend?
While some insurance companies may have limited customer support hours on weekends, there are car insurance companies open 24/7. Many providers offer customer support through various channels, such as online chat, email, or toll-free phone numbers, even on weekends. Check your insurance company’s website or policy documents for the available contact options and hours of operation.
Can I get car insurance on a Sunday?
Are you wondering: “Do car insurance companies work on weekends?” or “How to get car insurance on a Sunday”?
Fortunately, there are many car insurance companies open on Sunday with limited hours. However, their weekend availability depends on your area and needs.
What insurance companies are open on Saturdays?
Most car insurance companies are open on Saturdays to help with claims and emergency services. Some auto insurance companies open on Saturdays and Sundays are Progressive, Geico, Allstate, Nationwide, and Liberty Mutual.
Who offers cheap weekend car insurance?
Some of the cheapest providers for weekend insurance for your car are Nationwide, Geico, State Farm, Travelers, and Progressive.
Can you insure a car on the weekend?
If you’re buying a car on the weekend, you’re probably asking yourself: “Do insurance agents work on weekends”? Can you even get car insurance on Saturdays and Sundays?
The answer depends on state law, insurance company, and dealership rules. However, most insurance companies are open on Saturdays and Sundays.
If i buy a car on the weekend, will my State Farm insurance cover it?
If you’re already insured with State Farm and you’re purchasing a new car over the weekend, your existing policy may provide coverage for the newly acquired vehicle. Many insurance policies include a provision for newly acquired vehicles, extending coverage for a specified period, usually 30 days.
Is Progressive open on weekends?
Progressive offers customer service and support on weekends, although specific hours may vary depending on the department or service you require.
For example, managing policies online or filing claims through their website or mobile app, is available 24/7, including weekends.
However, if you need to speak with a representative over the phone, the availability may be limited to certain hours on weekends.
Is Geico open on weekends?
Yes, GEICO offers customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may contact a representative through the app or online.
Can I get car insurance over the phone?
Yes, you can often get car insurance over the phone by contacting insurance companies directly and speaking with their representatives. Many insurance providers offer phone support for obtaining quotes, purchasing policies, etc.
How long can you drive without insurance after buying a car?
In most states, you will typically need to have insurance coverage in place before driving a newly purchased vehicle off the lot. Some insurance companies may offer a grace period of up to 30 days.
Are car insurance quotes more expensive at the weekend?
Car insurance quotes typically do not fluctuate based on the day of the week. Insurance companies consider various factors when determining premiums, such as your driving history, age, location, and the type of vehicle you drive.
Free Auto Insurance Comparison
Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Heidi Mertlich
Licensed Insurance Agent
Heidi works with top-rated insurance carriers to bring her clients the highest quality protection at the most competitive prices. She founded NoPhysicalTermLife.com, specializing in life insurance that doesn’t require a medical exam. Heidi is a regular contributor to several insurance websites, including FinanceBuzz.com, Insurist.com, and Forbes. As a parent herself, she understands the need ...
Licensed Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.