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If Direct Line is shown as 'likely to provide a quote that's materially cheaper' it means that based on our analysis and segmentation of independent, monthly-updated insurance industry data, your quote from it is likely to be either £10 or 5% cheaper (whichever is the smaller amount) - see the FAQ below for more info on how we segment this data in to different profiles to allow us to compare it.

We put it at this amount as we recognise that to go off to site to put in your details takes time and effort. So we tried to put a value on that time and effort - how much would you need to save to make it worth it?

We could have set 'materially cheaper' at 1p difference, though it's unlikely many would spend several minutes filling in a form to save this amount. Instead, we thought £10 or 5% of the average quote for people in your profile was a fairer number - an amount that would make spending the time more worth it.

So, if your results, for example, say that you're likely to get a materially cheaper quote from Direct Line, that means we think that site has a strong chance of being cheaper than MoneySupermarket for people in your profile.

Do note that this isn't comparing the real-time benchmark quote this tool gives you with anything real-time from Direct Line. The 'materially cheaper' likelihood is based on the monthly-updated industry data and so is an estimate of how likely it is that it will usually be cheaper than MoneySupermarket for people in your profile group.

The first thing to note is that this tool isn't comparing the benchmark cheapest quote you get from filling in the MoneySupermarket form with Direct Line in real time.

We give you a benchmark quote so that when you try our tips and tricks to tweak your cover, you can check if following those tips actually does make those quotes cheaper for you.

Yet, when it comes to recommending whether Direct Line is likely to be materially cheaper for you, we have to do a different calculation. It wouldn't be fair to compare a real-time quote from one comparison site with historic data we have about another insurer's quotes. So, we don't do this.

Instead, for the 'is this site likely to give a materially cheaper quote' question, we use monthly-updated data from MoneySupermarket and Direct Line and compare that data. It works like this...

We use some of the data that you enter in to the MoneySupermarket form to match you to one of several risk 'profiles', which are defined using data from an independent insurance analyst company. We then analyse which of MoneySupermarket and Direct Line returned the cheapest quotes for your profile in that month's data.

If the chances of Direct Line being cheap for your profile are high, then we tell you it's likely to be 'materially cheaper' than MoneySupermarket (though remember it's not comparing your actual cheapest benchmark quote that you get through this tool). We'd then suggest that you go to that insurer to get quotes from it. (Materially cheaper here means that the data model shows a particular site is likely to be either £10 or 5% cheaper - whichever is the smaller amount - than MoneySupermarket for people in your profile).

Yet, if MoneySupermarket is likely to have the cheapest quotes for people in your profile and Direct Line doesn't have a high chance of being materially cheaper, we'd suggest you only try it if you had time and wanted to do a full 'belt-and-braces' check - as we can never categorically it won't be cheaper, only when it is and isn't likely based on the monthly-updated industry data.

The data is collected by an independent company which runs quotes monthly on major comparison sites' and insurers' websites for a market representative set of risk profiles and records the quotes offered by each. Its monthly data is collected across each calendar month, and is then processed and checked before being sent to us. It's then uploaded in to the tool within 10 days of collection.

We include links to other comparison sites within the tool, though we don’t always have access to their data. Where this happens, we tell you to check if you have time, and give a general order for which might be cheapest based on independent insurance industry data, the same as we do in our Cheap car insurance guide on the MoneySavingExpert site.

We can't legally get and publish price data from a comparison site without its permission. We would love to include prices from the main comparison sites in our search but they have to agree to it.

MoneySupermarket is part of the same parent group as MoneySavingExpert so it was the easy start point. We have asked other big comparison sites to join - some have given us an outright "no" and some are mulling it. We do have one insurer we're working with, so - in the near future - if you click through to it, some of its question set will be partially filled in.

Of course, in line with the MSE Editorial Code, we do mention other comparison sites that might be cheaper for you, and give you a general order of which to try them, much as we have done for years in our main car insurance guide.

We hope to integrate comparison sites more fully into this tool, but doing this would mean deploying very substantial tech and data resources as they all use different question sets, compliance rules, and ways of publishing, and these all change on a regular basis. It will need a lot of brain power, development work and ongoing management - but we believe it will be better for you, so we hope to make it happen. Watch this space.

There can be a few reasons for this, including:

• You're searching too early. Look for car insurance more than around four weeks before you need it to start and it's likely fewer insurers will be willing to quote that far out. Try again around three weeks before you need it to start.
• You have unusual circumstances. This could be that you have points on your licence, drive a classic or expensive car or have medical conditions that represent an unusual risk.
• You can't be (easily) matched to your credit reference agency records. This can happen, for example, if you've recently married and changed your name, but not yet changed it on the electoral roll or with banks or lenders that report on you. Insurers won't be able to do the identity checks they usually do when someone applies for a quote, and many will choose just not to quote.

If you're struggling to find affordable - or indeed any - cover, try a specialist insurance broker. You can find one through the British Insurance Brokers' Association website.

Telematics is a policy that prices your premiums depending on how you drive. A device - known as a black box - installed in your car monitors your actions behind the wheel so the better your driving, the less you pay for cover. Sometimes insurers will measure your driving via an app on your phone rather than installing a box in your car.

If you are confident that you can drive well, you can earn £100s back on your cover via a telematics policy. Be warned, however, that driving badly could see your premiums increase.

It may not just be about how you drive either. Some insurers could factor in when, or how far, you drive too when working out premiums. In these cases, driving at night often pushes up premiums, as does driving long distances regularly.

If you have quotes that involve a telematics device, always make sure you're aware exactly what you're being measured on.

The compulsory excess is set by the insurer, and this is the amount that you will need to contribute in case of a claim. Often this is set at £100 or £250.

The voluntary excess, as the name suggests, is down to you. But be careful when deciding your excess. The larger the voluntary excess you set, the cheaper the premium usually is.

However, if you did need to claim, you'd need to pay the total amount of both excesses before the insurer would start to pick up costs. So if you had a £250 compulsory excess and a £250 voluntary excess, then you'd need to pay the first £500 of any claim. If the claim total exceeded this, the insurer would need to pay for the rest.

Once you've found a cheap quote that you're happy with, there are a few things to check...

• Double-check the quotes. Click through to the provider's website to read the quote thoroughly. Some comparison sites make a few assumptions to speed up searches.
• Check if the policy is suitable for your needs and whether you need any add-ons. There are always extras to choose from, so make sure that the policy you've picked only includes the ones you want.
  • Courtesy car. If you couldn't survive without a car if it needed to be fixed, opt for a policy that has a courtesy car as standard or a cheap add-on (do check what type of car you'd get, when you'd get it and for how long).
  • Breakdown cover. Some insurers include a basic policy as an incentive for you. Frankly unless the policy is your winner anyway it's often cheaper just to get the cheapest standalone breakdown cover. Do compare.
  • Protected no-claims discount. A no-claims discount is what it says - it doesn't mean your price can't rise - it means you get a fixed discount off the price. If it's protected it means you can make a claim and still keep the future discount (if you stay with your existing insurer).
  • Legal costs cover. This helps recover costs or losses you incur as a result of a claim where you weren't at fault. For example, the excess you have to pay, potentially claiming for a loss of earnings, or personal injury following an accident where the other driver's at fault. This can be useful cover that many overlook.
  • Key cover. This does what it says on the tin - it covers the cost of new keys, for example, if yours have been lost or stolen. Before committing, check if your car breakdown policy already covers you for this.