Yes. This is a completely free car insurance comparison tool. There is also no obligation to take out any of the insurance policies quoted.

It is a legal requirement in the UK to have car insurance. You can’t drive or park your car on UK roads without insurance cover so all car owners must make sure they are covered. There are three basic types of car insurance… Third party: This level of car insurance protects third parties, covering the cost of damage or injury to themselves or their vehicles caused by your vehicle. It’s the minimum level of insurance cover you need to drive a vehicle on UK roads but it does not cover the cost of any damage to your vehicle. Third party, fire and theft: This is third party insurance with the added benefit that it will also cover your car if it is stolen or damaged by fire. Comprehensive: Otherwise known as ‘fully-comp’, this level of cover takes care of the cost of repairing or replacing your own vehicle, as well as any costs relating to third party property, in the event of an accident that’s your fault. The extra protection afforded by fully comprehensive cover is well worth having if you can afford it and the cost of a fully-comp policy is often not much more expensive than that of third party insurance.

Car insurance companies are in the business of assessing risk. They make a calculation, based on the information you provide, of how likely you are to make a claim on your car insurance policy and how big that claim is likely to be. That’s what determines the size of your car insurance policy premiums - low risk drivers pay less, high risk drivers pay more. The more accurate the car insurance company’s risk assessment on you and your vehicle is, the better for them and that’s why they take a whole range of information into account when trying to make those judgements. It’s also why you must always be honest and accurate when providing information to your car insurance company. Any incorrect information can void your policy and leave you with no payout when you try to claim.

Nobody wants to pay more than they have to for car insurance and there are some important steps you can take to make sure you have to fork out as little as possible. The first is to shop around you get quotes from a variety of different insurance companies and there’s no better place to do that than right here using our car insurance comparison tool. Here are some more things to consider… Choose a lower insurance group car. Every car is placed into an insurance group based on factors such as its cost, performance, bodystyle, safety equipment, repair costs and security features. Cars in lower groups are cheaper to insure. Fit extra security features to your car. Fitting a GPS tracker, an alarm or an immobiliser to a car that doesn’t have one can lower your premiums. Park off the road. If you have the option, parking in an off-road parking space or a garage will help lower costs. Get driver training. Some recognised driver training courses can lower your insurance costs because they make you safer on the road. Choose a higher voluntary excess on your policy. The voluntary excess on an insurance policy is the amount you agree to pay in the event of a claim. If you opt for a £500 voluntary excess, where you will pay the first £500 of any claim, your policy will be cheaper than if you opt for a £100 excess, but think carefully about whether that larger excess is a worthwhile sacrifice to get you the lower premiums. Pay annually rather than monthly. You can pay for your car insurance monthly to spread the cost but it works out more expensive than paying in one lump sum every year.

As with so many things in life, the best car insurance policy is not necessarily the cheapest. It’s very tempting to just opt for the cheapest quote when choosing car insurance because it’s a product that we have to buy but hope we will never use. There is a little more to the equation than price alone, however. It’s important to look at what’s included in the policies when making your comparison and consider whether the mix of features being offered is right for you. Are you happy with the level of excess? Is a courtesy car included? Will you get cover for windscreen damage? Our tool makes it easy to see what’s included in each quote. Then there’s the question of add-ons such as breakdown cover and legal cover. Do you want to add these to your policy? They will make for a higher premium but it can be a cheaper way of getting breakdown cover than going direct to the AA or RAC.

With third party car insurance you will probably only be insured to drive your own car. However, one of the advantages of a fully-comprehensive policy is that some will also cover you on a third party basis to drive someone else’s car. It’s important to check the wording of your particular policy to be certain of the level of cover you have.

Yes. We’ve partnered with Quotezone to bring you the car insurance comparison tool and Auto Express does get commission from Quotezone if you use the tool and take out one of the insurance policies presented in it.