A week or so ago I posted about my car insurance renewal. Since then I’ve been shopping around and comparing quotes whilst trying to get a level of cover and customer service on a par with what I’ve been receiving from my current insurer (it’s just their premiums I don’t like). Car insurance is a begrudge purchase anyway, so I might as well be sure that I am getting a deal that’s right for me.

One of the most important factors in my decision about who to insure my car with is whether they have a UK-based customer service and claims line. I also want a courtesy car, windscreen cover, legal protection and to protect my no-claims bonus.

I’ve found that although it’s easy to compare quotes and to find the cheapest policies, it’s really hard to compare policy benefits – essentially what this means is that comparing prices is not always useful, as in terms of the actual product you are not comparing like-with-like.

Obviously, I’ve been on to all of the big car insurance comparison sites that advertise on TV. They’re so “in your face” that you can’t help but want to see if they live up to their promises of the “cheapest prices” and “best cover”.

Interestingly, what I did notice is that a lot of the policies that appear near to the top of the price comparison results were very basic indeed, which struck me as a blatent attempt to get listed ‘at the top’ and therefore capture the most business. This wasn’t working for me, as price is just one motivator amongst a number of other factors.

Fortunately, there is a diamond in the rough. Gocompare.com is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. Not only can you compare by price, but also by policy benefits. I ended up shaving about £97 off my renewal price without compromising on the rest of my cover. So, for car insurance I recommend Gocompare.com.