If you want to go directly to another section of our guide to car insurance, you can click on one of the links below:

Part 1 - Car insurance explained
Part 2 - Where your car insurance premium goes
Part 3 - Liability and legal requirements
Part 4 - Car insurance jargon buster
Part 5 - Why car insurance costs so much
Part 6 - Optional extras
Part 7 - Cutting the cost of your car insurance

If you’re on the lookout for car insurance it can be difficult to decide where to go and which insurers will meet your expectations when it comes to making a claim. That’s why moneysupermarket.com has compiled a guide to help you find the right car insurance quote for you.

Shopping around

The internet has made shopping around easier without the need to wait on call centres. In addition, some insurers will offer as much as a 20% discount to people who buy their car insurance online.

Broadly there are four options available when researching and buying car insurance. These are:

· Insurance Brokers – Aim to deliver the customer choice by utilising their computer systems. However, a broker can only ever present the insurers he has deals with.

· Direct Insurers – They cut out the middleman because commissions paid to brokers can be saved if the insurer gives the benefits to you. These include: Direct Line, e-Sure, Admiral, Hastings, 1st Alternative, Churchill, Privilege, Norwich Union Direct and Cornhill Direct, Moreth>n, Elephant and Budget.

· Branded Providers – Established names who have added insurance to their extensive list of products. These include: Virgin Money, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, MBNA, Marks and Spencer, the Post Office, the major car dealerships and Kwik Fit.

· Full Search Provider – With a full search provider you are able to enter your data and then a full search of the market is performed to return a list of potential car insurance providers that will include insurers, direct insurers, brokers and UK brands.

If you’re concerned the cheapest quotes are from insurers you’re unfamiliar with, why not find out more about the company’s financial reliability? This can be done through the Standards and Poors website. Their ratings work as follows:

AAA Extremely strong
AA Very strong
A Strong
BBB Good
BB Marginal
B Weak

At seek4finance.co.uk we will save you the task of trawling through brokers, direct insurers and branded providers by comparing more than 50 car insurance companies to find the cheapest car insurance quotes available online.

Now you’re fully equipped… good luck in finding your perfect policy!