What is motor insurance?
Motor insurance can protect you against possibly losing out on large amounts of money should something happen to your car. And it can make the whole thing easier to handle by letting someone else do the hard work. REMEMBER it is a legal requirement to have at least the minimum level of motor insurance.

Why is motor insurance so complicated?
Every person's individual circumstances are different: the make and model of car, postcode, driving history, claim experience, occupation, type of use. Add a number of other drivers to the policy and it gets even more complicated. Insurance companies need as much information as possible to enable them to determine what the premium should be for the risk for each individual's circumstances. Each insurer will view the details slightly differently based on their own experiences and claims statistics.

How to get a quote?
All you have to do is fill in - with no commitment - one application form. This includes details about you, your car, your occupation, any other drivers and any information that the insurance companies need to get a quote. We then submit that form to all the top insurers such as Admiral, Norwich Union Direct, More Th>n, Screentrade and so on. Within 5 minutes you can see the quotes found by our price comparison technology. Among them you'll either find a cheaper price than the renewal quote you already have. Or you won't. Either way you'll know where you stand. Either way you're a winner.

What information does the insurance company need to know?
You must tell your insurer everything that is relevant to your insurance. If you don't then you risk having your policy voided, and being left without cover. They need to know all your details, your driving history (any claims or motoring offences for you and any other drivers), who will be using the car, the car details and the location. It is useful to remember that insurance companies and the police are starting to share information about cover, drivers and driving history.

Why do I need to give so much information?
Insurance companies need to take a lot of information in order to calculate a price: things like the make and model of car, postcode, driving history, claim experience, occupation, type of use. By taking so much information they can personalise their base price for your specific circumstances.

Why do premiums vary so much between different insurance companies?
Insurance companies work with different statistics and use different methods to calculate premiums. Some companies specialise in certain areas or types of car so are prepared to discount more in some areas than others. This adds to the complexity as a like for like quote with a number of different companies can yield a number of very different prices. So, by getting prices using our service, we are able to show you which companies are most competitive for you and those that aren't saving you time, money and effort.

Why is my insurance more expensive this year than it was last year?
For about seven out of the last ten years the insurers have been losing money by writing motor business. There has been pressure in the market to keep rates down due to the fact that so many companies are writing motor insurance but as they have lost so much money they are now putting the rates up so that they can cover claims losses and make money again.

How can I make my policy cheaper?
There are a number of ways.

• Your car - The value, type and engine power of your car all make a difference, the smaller the car, generally, the lower the price.
• Security - fit an alarm, immobiliser or tracker system.
• Annual mileage - be as accurate as you can with how many miles you would do in an average year.
• Where the car is parked - If you have a garage its best to use it, it could lower your premium.
• Additional drivers - Only add drivers to your policy that regularly use the car. 'Any driver' policies and policies with more than two named drivers can be expensive and you may not need to have such an open policy. You can often add drivers temporarily to your policy for a small charge.
• Upping your voluntary excess - an excess is the first part of a claim that you pay although you can get it back if the claim is deemed 'not-fault' (that's what Legal Expenses cover is mostly used for and remember your insurance company determines who is at fault - see our FAQ on Fault/non-fault claims). If you increase your voluntary excess then your premium should get lower.

If I am going abroad what cover do I need?
Most policies will cover you with the minimum cover for Europe, but you should to speak to your insurer before you go to find out exactly what and where is covered. Sometimes they will issue you with a 'Green Card' that covers you in other countries.

This is a section covering some key terms on the insurance form.

What is a tracker?
A tracker is an electronic device (normally fitted as an accessory after purchase of the car) which emits a signal enabling law enforcement agencies to locate the car anywhere in the UK if it has been stolen.

What is an immobiliser?
An immobiliser is an electronic device which stops the car from being started if it is broken into. Although this won't stop your car from being broken into, it may well stop it from being driven away.

How do I know what sort of immobiliser/tracker/alarm system my car has?
Most newer cars (being those up to 6 years old) come with some sort of alarm and/or immobiliser. Insurers will already have the details of the alarms and immobilisers that are fitted to newer cars. This is already built into their rating criteria. If you have an older car you may have fitted a specific alarm. All alarms and immobilisers are categorised and insurers may give discounts depending upon the make and model of alarm or immobiliser. Look up the alarm details on the documentation that comes with the alarm and choose the appropriate one from the drop-down box.

What is the difference between the 'owner' and 'registered keeper'?
There may be a reason for the owner and registered keeper to be different individuals. For example, you may use a car that is owned by someone else in which case you would be the registered keeper. Or you may own a car that you allow your children to use and therefore the registered keeper would be one of your children.

What are modifications?
These are any changes or factory-fitted optional extras which have been added to the vehicle and is not part of the standard vehicle specification. This would include such things as: alloy wheels / spoilers / engine modifications.

Is the car an import?
Some companies won't cover cars that have been imported from other countries. Cars which are imported usually fall into 2 types:

• UK specification cars - these are cars bought in from abroad that match UK specifications and some companies will insure these but not all.
• Non UK specification - these are cars which are brought into the UK from abroad but don't match current UK specifications. These cars are more difficult to insure because of the lack of availability of parts.

Who is the main driver?
The main driver is the person who uses the car the most. It is better to be honest here if you are planning on insuring a car for your son or daughter as insurers can invalidate claims on this basis.

When did you pass your driving test?
Guess nearest month if you can't remember exactly and its more than 3 years ago.

Motoring offences?
These need to include any motoring offences in the last 5 years including any pending prosecutions. You will find details you need on your licence.

Accidents or Claims?
These need to include any accidents or claims you have made in the last 5 years. You will need to have details of these to hand.

No. of cars in household
Must always be at least 1. If you are using our site to check out prices for insuring your first car then make sure you have put a 1 in this field. If you have a number of cars in your household remember to include your car plus the others as some sites do a cross-validation of data.

How to enter other policy holders occupations
In the 'main occupation' box put the first few letters of their job. Do the same for 'other occupation', if they have one, then click 'next'.
You will be prompted to pick from a list of matching occupations. You then select the most suitable occupation and click 'next'.
For example: if they are an office worker type in 'OFF' click'next' and select office worker from the list.

How to enter your occupation
In the 'main occupation' box start typing the first few letters of your job. Select the most suitable occupation from the list. Do the same for 'other occupation' , if you have one, then click 'next'.
For example: if you are an office worker start typing in 'OFF' and then select 'OFFICE WORKER' from the list