Revealed: Over 55% of car insurance quotes are obtained in the week before renewal, wasting £100s

Will buying insurance three to four weeks in advance guarantee the best price?

Not necessarily on its own. We've a set of tricks and tips to try below to help you bag the cheapest premium:

• Try counter-logical tricks. It's all about risk averages and 'actuarial' tables, which can lead to bizarre ways to save. Use trial and error to see if comprehensive's cheaper than third party or if you can save by tweaking your job description. Adding extra drivers can cut costs too if they're a lower risk than you. This is especially strong if you're a young driver adding a responsible older driver, but it's worth a try for others too.
  
  
• Check your renewal price. It's usually sent 28 days before it's due – call your provider if you don't get it.
  
  
• Three to four weeks before you need cover to start, use comparison sites. If you get a better quote than you've had so far, it's likely to be the cheapest you'll get. See our Car Insurance guide.
  
  If you're not ready to buy the policy, many insurers will let you 'lock in' a quote once you have it, so you can buy later (assuming nothing changes in your circumstances, eg, you don't get a speeding ticket or have an accident).

Here are more tips on getting the right price:

• If you're at renewal, it's easy. NEVER automatically accept your renewal quote – use our car insurance tips to bag the cheapest deal.
  
  
• If you're midway through your policy, check if you can save. For a £50ish admin fee (factor that into your costs), you can usually cancel your existing policy and get the rest of the year refunded, provided you've not claimed.
  
  
• Combine comparison sites to find your cheapest deal quickly. There's no single cheapest insurer, as prices are different for everyone, so check them all between three and four weeks before you want your insurance to start. See our Car Insurance guide for more.
  
  
• Then check the big firms that comparisons miss. Aviva* and Direct Line* won't appear on comparison sites and can be competitive.
  
  
• Also check the hot deals comparison sites miss. See our full list of current hot deals.