Before you waste your time making comparisons it would pay you to know what you are comparing. In other words, you need to take a few minutes to list all of the different ways you might be able to reduce the cost of your insurance before you actually start comparing prices.

So what can you do to lower the cost of your car insurance?

Well, there are actually several things you can do.

The biggest thing you can do is to simply drive legally and safely at all times. If you routinely speed or drive recklessly and you get a ticket, your car insurance premiums are going to go up ? sometimes they can go up a lot, depending on your age and the severity of your infraction.

If you drive while intoxicated or otherwise impaired and you get caught, your car insurance premiums will jump 50% or more. If you receive a second DUI or a DWI conviction you'll be lucky to find a high-risk policy that will even accept you ? at a price that will, literally, make your head spin!

If you have other types of insurance, such as homeowner's or health insurance from the same insurance company make certain that you are getting your Multiple-Policy Discount.

Do you drive an older car? Is your car so old that it is no longer listed in the Kelly Blue Book of car values? If your car has little or no Kelly Blue Book value then you are simply wasting your money if you are paying for collision or comprehensive coverage on your policy.

If you're under 25 years of age then you are automatically put into a high-risk pool and your premiums are higher than they would be if you were over the age of 25. You can get at least a 5% discount on your rates if you stay in school, study hard, and maintain at least a "B" grade average so that you qualify for the Good Student Discount.

Is your car parked in a garage at night? If so you are entitled to a special discount on your insurance.

Do you only drive on occasion? If you put fewer than 500 miles on your car in an average month you should talk to your agent about getting a Low-Mileage Discount on your insurance.

Are you 55 or older? If so you could qualify to take a special driver's refresher course. If your car insurance company offers this discount it could save you 10% or even 15% on your premium each and every month.

How big of a deductible can you afford? Be honest with yourself, because if you file a claim you're going to have to come up with your deductible in cash before your insurance company will pay anything toward fixing your car. Just remember, the higher your deductible the lower your monthly premium payment will be.

O.K., now you're ready to get online and start comparing prices for your policy at a variety of different insurance companies here in Iowa. Unfortunately since no one website compares all of the different insurance companies there are, it is up to you to make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites.

By making multiple comparisons on different websites you'll be more certain of finding the very best insurance for you at a price you can afford. It takes a little effort on your part, but the result is that you can rest easy now that you know how to get cheap car insurance online here in Iowa.