Around 60% stated that fuel prices was the main reason for downsizing their cars, but with the cost of car insurance, almost one third also stated cost of car insurance as a reason for downsizing to a car with a lower car insurance premium.

The research also shows that the new car business will struggle as a quarter of the respondents indicated that they would consider a second hand car to save on cost.

Car insurance costs are also predicted to increase this year as several sources in the business claims that prices are now up to 20% lower than they need to be. This just enforces the importance of comparing car insurance prices and cover before taking out a car insurance policy.

You can check out our overview of car insurance comparison sites and direct providers here.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Following two season with Nissan as the sponsor, Sky’s original replacement sponsor pulled out just before Christmas due to budget issues, leaving Sky Media with short time to secure a new sponsor. For GoCompare this could be a bargain deal as reports indicate that they got the sponsorship package for around half the asking price. Creatives for the sponsorship has been created by Sky Creative and features openers, closers and break bumpers. The package also includes features on all supporting programs on Sky channels.

For us tv viewers this means even more car insurance adverst on tv, but for the sake of Jack Bauer we will just have to live with it.

GoCompare.com is one of the leading car insurance comparison sites in the UK.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

In an increasingly crowded car insurance comparison marketplace where if you are not advertising on tv you might as well not be in the market at all, CompareTheMarket has taken a creative approach that has perhaps taken some of its competitors by surprise, shaking up the otherwise very price focused advertising we have gotten accustomed to from the car insurance comparison sites.

CompareTheMeerkat might have gotten its creative approach from a combination of the movies IceAge and Borat, with the starring meerkat talking with an accent similar to Borat, although portraited as a more wealthy internet entreprenuer behind the Meerkat comparison site. What is good to see from this campaign is the complete approach they have taken, creating a fully functional website on the back of the concept, used to create leads and traffic to the ultimate goal: getting people to buy their car insurance from CompareTheMarket.com. A facebook fan page has also been created for Aleksandr the Meerkat, something we would expect from a well integrated campaign like this.

Aleksandr, the founding meerkat of Comparethemeerkat.com, explains in the ad his dilemma in getting people to understand that CompareTheMeerkat is not the same as CompareTheMarket, which is a car insurance comparison site.

Now the question is, will this increase the sales generated from Comparethemarket.com? Although we are sure that they will receive a good chunk of awareness and traffic from this, they still have to be competitive on price as most people will compare car insurance prices on more than one site. Or as Confused has responded through their search engine advertising, people are looking to save money on their car insurance, not to compare meerkats!

Personally i like this campaign and that someone has dared to be different and more creative in their approach to what otherwise has been considered a very dull industry (insurance). One thing is for sure, CompareTheMeerkat has generated a lot of buzz as people are talking about the adverts and the website in offices across the UK.

We look forward to see what comes next from Aleksandr, Comparethemeerkat.com, and Comparethemarket.com

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

There has been a few different studies and opinions about this over the years, but this recent one shows that 57 percent of the UK motorist quizzed about their most important factor when picking car insurance provider, picked the price. It is quite natural that a lot of people will pick price as the key factor when choosing their vehicle insurance provider, especially with the increased cost of driving these days.

What was perhaps a bit surprising was that only 19 percent picked car insurance level of cover as most important. Perhaps there is a bit confussion out there over the importance of making sure your car insurance has the right cover, as they also identify that it is important to ensure your car insurance quote has the righ cover as well as the lowest price.

It’s a tedious process, but it is usually worth it to check prices from a few different car insurance providers. Here are a list of car insurance providers and comparisons sites.

While doing some surfing on different websites i came across a few different banners and adverts for car insurance that i took notice of, and their message made me think whether or not you can get a better deal on car insurance outside of the aggregator sites.The car insurance aggregator sites are very good for comparing prices, but i’m not sure if you will always find the best deals with them. Often the insurance companies themselves run special promotions offering freebies etc. such as the offer i saw from Tesco car insurance offering a free Karcher pressure washer worth over £100 with any new policy. Is this an offer you could also take advantage of if you applied through a car insurance comparison site?

I know when it is time to take out a new car insurance policy i will check both the price comparison sites as well as check online for any special promotions any of the lowest priced car insurers are offering.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

The result of the FSA review was that there were a few cases were they felt the information returned to the consumer by the price comparison sites were not clear or sufficient enough to give them a good overview of the market. They also said that they would be visiting some of the companies to ensure that the information they provide is appropriate.

BIBA is one of the organizations that are pushing the FSA to look closer at the practice of some of the price comparison sites, something we believe will be a positive move that will only help clarify and create standards, ensuring that we as consumers can trust the information we receive to be accurate and correct.

One of the key areas are the assumptions that some of the sites make when it comes to returning quotes. GoCompare was recently welcomed into the warmth of BIBA after they found that their practice of comparing the car insurance policies like for like was a positive move from a price comparison site, and something the industry need to move towards to ensure the consumer gets the best service possible.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Among those 400 car insurance schemes you will find some newcomers to the panel that includes esure, Halifax and Sheila’s Wheels.

As impressive as the 400+ number sounds, there is a difference between comparing many schemes from the same insurance company and actually comparing the whole market, which unfortunately no car insurance comparison company currently do. We would still suggest that everyone compares prices with at least 3-5 different insurers and price comparison services to ensure you get the best price and policy available.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Getting a car insurance when young will often cost a lot more than the actual value of your car, not to mention if you want to have some fun and perhaps modify your car slightly so that it looks cooler with the opposite sex, or your mates. But there are ways to combat expensive car insurance for young drivers.

• If possible have the insurance on your parents and you as a named driver
• Don’t buy a muscle car that is modified
• Don’t even think about modifying your car at all
• Do you need comprehensive cover? Consider the actual value of your car, third party might be enough
• Get an alarm installed, and if possible a tracker
• Avoid parking on streets or other dangerous areas
• Take advanced drivers course, like Pass Pluss
• Marry your girlfriend and take the car insurance through her. Couples get cheaper car insurance.
• Change your name from William to Alfie. Your name affects your car insurance.

Rule 3 is therefore - Take the bus and save the environment and your pocket! But if you need to drive, make sure you tick as many of the above boxes as possible.

And of course, remember to compare car insurance prices with several suppliers and don’t be scared to bargain with them.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Being single and living in the city is not considered the best risk scenario when it comes to car insurance.  We have previously written about how singles punished on car insurance, and there is no secret that with inner city crime rates your car insurance will go through the roof.

But we are not gonna bore you with car insurance talk today, we just want to say enjoy the movie, and should you be living the Sex and the City lifestyle, we hope you have the job to back up the cost of your car insurance!

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

The study done on about 12 million quotes done over the last 12 months showed that Kwik-fit and Swiftcover consistently provided the cheapest average premiums. Endsleigh was able to snap up the most improved award as they went from 47th last year to 6th this year.

Both Kwik-fit and Swiftcover appear on most car insurance aggregator panels, and as always we recommend that you do quotes with at least 2-3 different sites to make sure you find the best cover possible.

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.