
Cheap Car Insurance
Grab 100+ insurance quotes & cashback
Car insurance costs have been on a downward trend in recent months as many of us have been driving less during the coronavirus crisis. Yet don't assume this means you'll get a cheaper deal from your insurer at renewal. If you're looking to cut costs, use our system to bag a cheap car insurance deal. Plus, we've other tips to save, including why you should never auto-renew and when the optimum time to bag the cheapest deal is. If under 25, see our Young Drivers' Insurance guide.
Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
What is car insurance?

Car insurance protects other road users if you damage their vehicle or property. And depending on the level of cover you have, it can also cover your car if it is stolen, broken into, or if you're involved in an accident.
In short, there are three main types of car insurance cover:
- Third party. This is the minimum level of cover needed to drive legally, and only covers damage to someone else or their property.
- Third party, fire and theft. As above, but with additional cover in case the car gets stolen or catches ablaze.
- Comprehensive. The widest level of cover available. You get third-party, fire and theft cover, plus if you have an accident and it was your fault you can claim the cost of repairing your car (as well as any damage you cause to someone else or their property).
The cost – your premium – is based on how much of a risk insurers perceive you to be – ie, how likely they think you will be to make a claim. Young people who have just passed their test will pay more than those who can prove they have been accident-free for years.
Tip Email
FREE Weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
How to get cheaper car insurance quotes
So now you know the basics of car insurance, here are the steps you need to follow to ensure you find the cheapest price possible.
Warning: No matter how tempted you are to say someone else is the main driver, or to pretend you have no points, or to deliberately underestimate your mileage to get a cheaper premium – don't. You must be completely honest or it could invalidate your insurance and even lead to prosecution.
Step 1: Get quotes from multiple comparison sites
Firstly, visit car insurance comparison sites, such as MoneySupermarket, Confused.com, as these zip your details off to a number of insurers' and brokers' websites to find the cheapest quotes. As no single site captures the entire market and prices vary, combining a number of sites is the best way to make a saving. It's best to use all four, but if you don't have time, we've ranked them in order of the sites that most often return the cheapest quotes so you've the best chance of bagging the top deal.

First on our list to try is MoneySupermarket as our analysis shows it gives the cheapest quote for the majority of people.

If you move on to Confused.com next it'll boost your chances of getting the cheapest quote as it was the second-best site.

Thirdly, get a quote from Compare The Market as it's the next best at returning a cheap quote.
Boost chances of finding a cheap quote even further
If you still haven't found a deal you're happy with, or want to push the envelope, there are more options. Try Quotezone* if you have time – it usually takes five to 10 minutes.
Struggling to get cover?
If you have points on your licence or have had one accident or claim too many, you may find it hard to get cover.
If you've been caught once for an offence such as speeding, it's likely you'll have three penalty points, but one strike shouldn't significantly change your risk profile. It's when you reach four points or more that you should change the way you act.
First compare the comparison sites listed, but if premiums are coming back too high, consider enlisting the help of a broker (search the British Insurance Brokers' Association website to find someone local).
Comparison sites let you compare 100s of insurers quickly but they don't capture the entire market. For example, one large and often competitive insurer – Direct Line* – only offers its products directly. Get a quote and compare it with your cheapest from a comparison site.
We've blagged you a £55 credit to use on this pay-by-miles' policy (which could be a good bet if you drive under 7,000 miles/yr). You must use this By Miles* link to buy a policy by 11.59pm on 28 Feb 2021, and be a new policyholder, aged 25 to 78.
Important. Offer not available if you get a quote or purchase a policy after using a comparison site where By Miles appears in your results.
Buy a new car insurance policy by 11.59pm on Sun 31 Jan, when you go via this Age Co* link, and you can get a £30 Amazon or M&S voucher. You should receive an email about 90 days after the purchase date, which will have instructions on how to activate your voucher, and the gift card should arrive within 120 days of your policy start date.
To be eligible, you must not have have had an Age Co in the last six months, and it must be a new quote – not a retrieved or saved one.
Step 4: Once you've found the cheapest quote, try to haggle a bigger discount
Haggling is not a must – especially if you want to try a new provider – but if you're looking to renew with your current insurer it is well worth getting on the phone to negotiate.
Once you've followed the steps above and got the overall cheapest price, pick up the phone and haggle. If your insurer can beat or match your best quote it saves having to switch policy. If that doesn't work and you're still in the mood, enlist the help of a broker.
I just saved around £300 haggling with Admiral (prompted after the news article on MSE). And they were really friendly to boot.
Forumite thrifteemee
For more haggling tips, read the full Car and Home Insurance Haggling guide along with Haggle On The High Street and 2020's Top 10 Firms To Haggle With.
Step 5: See if you can get cashback on top of the cheapest quote
Once you know which your cheapest provider is, you need to check there aren't any hidden cashback deals. If your second or third-cheapest quotes weren't much more expensive, see if cashback's available for them too, and find the overall winner.
However, note there is no guarantee the quote will be the same going through a cashback site as it is going through a comparison site, so make sure you check the cost carefully. And be aware that the cashback comes from the cashback site, not the insurer, so getting the cashback relies on the deal 'tracking' correctly online.
Things you need to know before getting cashback...
If you're new to cashback sites, make sure you read our Top Cashback Sites guide for pros and cons before using them.
Once you've found the cheapest quotes there are two more important things to do...
Double-check the quotes. Click through to the insurance provider's own website to read the quote thoroughly, as to speed up searches some comparison sites make a few assumptions.
Examine the policy's coverage. Check whether it's suitable. If you want a free courtesy car if yours is being fixed, is it included? While you're there, it's worth playing with the policy details to see if you can lower the price further. Look at the excess, and whether adding drivers cuts the cost.
Coronavirus car insurance cost-cutting
Many of us are using our cars much less than normal, whether that's because we're furloughed from work, working at home or just not going out as much due to the lockdown.
Yet it's led to many asking whether they still need car insurance, or if they can just cancel. Others have asked if there are ways to cut costs without going that far. We've help for both scenarios...
'I paid 96p for a year's fully comp cover'
Following the steps above often produces huge savings. Those who normally just accept their insurer's renewal regularly see £100s shaved off the cost. And significant numbers of MoneySavers report getting deals for under £100.

In October 2009, civil servant and grandmother Barbara Wakerell smashed the old £14 record for using this car insurance system (see MSE News: 96p car insurance).
Policy price: For Barbara, the cheapest was £120.96 from Swinton Insurance for a fully comprehensive policy, with protected no-claims bonus, and including a courtesy car.
Insurer cashback: The company had its own £70 cashback promo.
Cashback site: She then got a further £50 using a cashback site.
All together that meant the total cost of the insurance was just 96p. Barbara said:
I'm always looking for a bargain so when I found my car insurance for £120.96 I thought I was doing well. But when I also got £120 cashback I realised I had done really, really well. Can anyone beat that?
Since then we've had some for under £50 but nothing that comes close to 96p, so if you've beaten it, let us know.
Car insurance FAQs
How to complain about your insurance provider
The insurance industry, and this includes car insurers, don't always have the best customer-service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include claims either not being paid out on time or at all, the unfair charges for changing address, drivers, car or exclusions being hidden in small print. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but, if not, then…

Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
RESOLVER – FREE COMPLAINTS TOOL*
If the company won't help, Resolver also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
Clever ways to calculate your finances