Are you aware of who gives you car insurance quotes online?
Obtaining car insurance quotes has been made easier than it has even been before thanks to the Internet, but not everyone is taking full advantage of their options. Individuals are still renewing their existing car insurance product without even looking around, despite the fact they could save 500 pounds and sometimes even more.
Mrs Harding in a prime example of this. She has a 2007 Jaguar XKR and had always faced high premiums until she started looking around. She compared all of the available deals and eventually found one that enabled her to save 384 pounds by switching from the same provider she had been with for a few years to Churchill after choosing to search via an aggregator site, which is better known as a comparison site.
Mrs Harding is not the only driver turning to car insurance comparison sites, which are also known as insurance aggregators. They make it quick and easy to obtain quotes from any number of providers by filling in one form. Depending on the aggregator and your details (car make, model, registration, postcode), you can get anywhere between 10 and 100 quotes at one time.
Aggregator sites provide you with the ability to compare car insurance quotes very quickly, and many also make it easier with easy to read tables. You can easily compare the cost of premiums, level of cover and even the individual elements of the policy within a few minutes whilst sitting in your lounge at home.
However, there are disadvantages with aggregator sites. For example, many drivers do not compare the cover effectively and may end up with certain features left off the policy they ultimately choose. They do not look at the actual policy, but only the price. Also, aggregator forms are basic templates and do not ask the specific questions that many car insurance companies actually need to give an accurate quote.
In most cases, the final price will be much higher, as Mr Bennett found out when trying to insure his Vauxhall Corsa 394 pounds as per the quote he was given. It actually cost him 479 pounds because he had no car alarm. This was not a question asked by the aggregator.
You could simply use an aggregator comparison site to find brand name insurance companies and compare those just ignore who you dont recognise.
Going directly to an insurer can have its advantages. You are asked the relevant questions every time and can choose the insurers you prefer to get a quote. It may take a little more time but it may be worth it in the long term.
Filed under: Business