When comparing insurance prices online, sometimes the cheapest car insurance is not always the best. You might not look past the dollar figure, and only see that you can be saving x-amount on your cover. But that's not all there is to comparing quotes online – and you should make sure you look beyond the final price and see what you're really getting. On the other hand, you can't outright dismiss a quote that might be a little higher than any other car insurance policies. You might discover it's actually a better deal than a cheaper quote, simply because of what's included in the car insurance plan.

So, what to do? Do you shun comparison websites altogether? Or do you ignore common sense and pick the cheapest car insurance quote from the first website you find?

The answer lies somewhere in between. Sure, you can go to one extreme or the other, but as always, you need to follow a few simple rules.

Online comparison site research

The first is to research – research the comparison website you plan on using for your quote comparisons. How many insurance companies do they source their quotes from? What factors do they include in their quotes? And is the figure the final quote?

If they only source their quotes from a few unheard-of insurance companies, maybe you should look elsewhere. You need a wide range of companies, with a mixture of well-known names and maybe one or two newer offerings. Remember you can always follow up the online quote with a quote from the actual company – online or on the phone.

Compare insurance apples with apples

And their quotes should be for the same type of cover (which might prove difficult). You can't compare Fire and Theft Insurance with Third Party. You need to be able to compare apples with apples.

What about added extras

Do they include courtesy cars? If so, in the event of what kind of incident? Theft only? Or damage from a car accident or other incidents? If the most expensive quote is from an insurance company that offers you a courtesy car no matter what has happened to your own car, then that might actually be a better choice than a cheaper quote with no courtesy car option.

Did you say you wanted hidden costs sir?

Finally, is the quote given for you to compare the final quote, or are there other factors to be taken into account? Keep an eye out for any hidden costs. For example, if the quote is set at a certain amount but then you need to work in an excess, and the fact that your age group incurs a higher premium, then it might not be as cheap as you first thought.

Cheap car insurance is easy to find, with some research and keeping in mind a few simple facts. Don't get suckered into thinking cheap is best, or that websites which compare quotes are the be all and end all.

Good luck and happy shopping !