A guide to searching for the cheapest car insurance

Searching for the cheapest car insurance in the UK is a very simple task according to the wealth of television adverts, press releases and online articles out there.

So I decided to put the supposedly easy system to the test. Renewal time for me at the moment means I have two cars to insure.

Well, immediately this makes the task of looking for a better deal on cover doubly difficult. It may seem straightforward - just provide details on two separate applications for insurance quotes. But in fact it can be a confusing process when trying to uncover the best prices for motor cover.

I started out using aggregator websites, also known as comparison sites. Entering information for my red Vauxhall car, a range of quotes appeared.

By selecting preferences for legal cover and a courtesy car, some differently-priced, more expensive quotes subsequently appeared.

Having learnt that it is wise to obtain quotes from several car insurance comparison websites, I tried three or four others.

Time after time I had to enter the same information - a somewhat boring and repetitive exercise. What was most surprising and confusing was that some of the same car insurance companies appeared but with different premium quotes depending on the aggregator site used.

Then I started getting emails confirming website insurance quotes. This too became confusing because some of these were different to the amounts I had been quoted online.

Next, I needed quotes for my wife's vehicle - our green Ford car. So back I went to all the comparison sites again. This time, my wife had to be entered as the main driver and myself as a named, additional driver.

When I first thought about doing this, I thought it would be a doddle. But as you enter details into the application form, I started wondering how the price would change if my wife was the main driver for both cars, what about the fact we mostly share use equally, or what if the registered keeper is my wife or myself?

After about three days and evenings entering data - and getting a headache making sure everything was correctly entered - finally the quotes that were being provided were, within a few pounds, about as low as I could get them when submitting honest, truthful information.

Then I discovered some insurers offered discounts for insuring two cars at once. Aaargh! Well, I got fed up with this after a couple of tries - the rates quoted were not competitive despite the various claims.

Then someone advised me to try reducing the quote further by using a range of cashback websites. These can reduce premiums by as much as £120. Simply, go to a site such as Top Cashback and apply for a quote via a link to insurance companies that offered the lowest quotes on the comparison sites.

However, while it sounded a great idea, the quotes were coming out more expensive so the premiums suggested by the comparison sites were still competitive.

I decided to try the Duck2water online cheap car insurance quote service. With my head full of quotes, companies and cover information from elsewhere, I wondered if it would be simpler to try an online firm then haggle with them a little over the phone.

It was a pleasant surprise to find that the online cover application tool supplied two reasonable quotes. Then, with one phone call to their freephone customer helpline on 0800 954 9757, I was able to discuss other quotes from the aggregator sites.

Within a few minutes I had agreed the cheapest deal so far and had the quote guaranteed for a month. With a week or so to spare before my insurance ran out, I was able to keep looking for deals that might beat the one from Duck2water.

But no-one could. A couple of days before my insurance expired, I set up my new cover arrangements having saved about £100 on my initial renewal quote from my old insurer. And all this goes to show that it pays to use your head and shop around. the smart way.

A guide to searching for the cheapest car insurance

News archives