Commercial Feature - Today’s market for car insurance is filled with a great deal of companies that offer various coverage plans for all types of motorists. While it is nice to have so many options to choose from, it can be rather time consuming to go back and forth from website to website to get quotes.

For this reason, comparethemarket.com is now offering a free comprehensive comparison service whereby users are able to fill a short bit of information which will then lead them to compare car insurance quotes from over 85 trusted brands including Tesco, Aviva, Marks & Spencer, Fortis and Admiral.

Perhaps before you start looking for the best deals on car insurance, it’s a good idea to refresh yourself on what this form of coverage entails and the different categories that are available to UK drivers. This will help you understand the price of your premium, as well as to figure out which plan is most suitable to your own unique situation.

For starters, if you drive a car on public roads you are required by law to be insured. If you fail to have automobile coverage, you may risk being fined or even losing you car. Minimum law requirements state that drivers must have insurance against third party injury or damage claims. This means if you were at fault for injuring someone else or damaging their property, you will need insurance to cover the claim.

While third party insurance gives you the minimum cover required by the law, it is issued very rarely as most individuals prefer to combine this with other protection such as fire and theft damage.

The most common form of car insurance coverage available is a fully comprehensive policy. Despite a misleading title, it cannot protect against each and every conceivable risk. However, it will pay for repairs or the replacement of your car if it is damaged or stolen. This is the safest bet for all drivers, and it is certainly apt to leave the greatest peace of mind while on and off the road.

On top of deciding what insurance platform is best for you, insurers recognise three common classes of driving. First, there is social, domestic and pleasure driving which is the standard option that most people use outside of driving for business. Second; social, domestic, pleasure and business class adds additional protection while travelling between workplace locations. Lastly, there is commercial travelling, which offers all of the protection of social, domestic, pleasure and business motoring with coverage added to protect you while delivering goods or services for a commercial business.

With all this in mind, you may be wondering just how insurers come up with premium costs. These vary widely and are dependent on several factors such as age, driving experience, car type and more.

To begin, the model of your car can partially determine the cost of your premium. If the costs of the body parts in your vehicle are considerably more expensive than those in an average vehicle, you will typically be required to pay more money to ensure protection. Other things such as how easy it is to repair your car, its value when new, and how difficult it is to steal are often all considered.

Not surprisingly, sports cars and high performance vehicles tend to be more expensive to insure than standard vehicles as statistics show that these cars are more frequently involved in accidents, and often cost more to repair.

On top of a car being a great determinant in what a premium will be, the unique characteristics of its driver will also be considered by insurance companies. Factors that can influence the cost of a premium include everything from a person’s age, their driving experience, occupation, accident record and a history of convictions. Insurance rates tend to go up with a greater history of accidents and convictions, and conversely tend to be less expensive with a cleaner record.

In terms of age, young drivers under the age of 25 pay a higher premium. This is due to statistics indicating that this age group is more likely to be involved in accidents than any other age group, thus making them a greater liability to insurance companies.

Insurance providers are quick to reward drivers for proving themselves capable of maintaining a clean driving record. This means that motorists who go for a year or more without making any insurance claims qualify for a discount off of their basic premium.

The last thing to mention here is motoring abroad. It’s nice to know that all private motor vehicle policies that are issued in the UK are automatically extended to all countries within the EU. This cover is only limited to third party liability, but it does still allow all UK citizens the chance to travel throughout the continent without having to go through any additional red tape.

Now that you have been provided with a bit of a refresher as to how car insurance works, you can start comparing quotes for premiums and find the best deals that suit your unique driving situation in the comfort of your own home.

While you are on comparethemarket.com to find car insurance quotes, you will also notice a variety of other insurance comparison services that can further help to save you money. Tools are also available to view different quotes for home insurance, life insurance, business insurance and some more obscure options such as pet insurance, bike insurance and even pub insurance.

Don’t be one of the 98 per cent of people who are spending more money than they have to spend on a car insurance plan. There are many other money-saving options available on comparethemarket.com, so at least be sure to take a gander to see what you could possibly be saving. Before you know it, you’ll be more than simply reeducated on car insurance, you’ll be benefitting from some pretty hefty savings.