Searching for car insurance can be a drag. Thankfully the internet has made it much easier to find cheaper deals at the click of a button or two. Now we have more time to scrutinise quotes and pinpoint which one will give us the most for our money.
This is especially important when it comes to the extras and freebies. Behind the obvious gimmicks that try and lure us in are some useful promotions that could help determine which quote we go for.
Let's take a look at the best of the bunch from a few different insurers.
Cinema discount for a year
If you take a car insurance policy out with Direct Line before the end of August you will receive two-for-one cinema passes for a whole year. This offer is only available to new customers and can be used every day (up to a maximum of ten per day), on any movie, at any time in over 200 cinemas nationwide.
Ok, so it sounds like a big gimmick and it is! But the savings are what count and if you have a best buy quote from Direct Line it is worth considering as a factor in making a decision.
Savings will depend on how often you want to watch a film but if an average ticket costs £7.20 and you went to the cinema twice a month with a friend for a year, you each would spend £172.80. With the Direct Line offer you would only spend £86.40 each.
The downside is you can't pre-book tickets, so catching a new release as soon as it comes out might prove difficult. Plus a surcharge will be necessary for 3D films, Premier Gallery and Director's Hall screenings. Even so, frequent movie-goers will see the benefit as well as those that only go once in a while.
Free insurance
Aviva is offering 15 weeks' worth of free car insurance if you take out a policy online. That's nearly four months off the price of your policy! Alternatively you can get 10 weeks' free car insurance if you prefer to buy over the phone. A minimum premium applies and you must have four years' no claims discount and be a new customer to be eligible.
Through Aviva I got a quote of £961.00 (for a 24-year old driving a Vauxhall Corsa). But because of over four years' of no claims discount I got the 15-week offer, which provided a discount of £184, bringing the policy price down to £777.
However, this still didn't beat my best quote so I won't be taking up the deal.
Churchill is also offering a great deal of eight weeks' worth of free car insurance if you take out a policy. The offer applies until September 30th 2012.
Free fuel
Swift Cover is giving one person the chance to win a years' worth of fuel up to the value of £3,000. That's over 2,200 litres of unleaded at today's average prices. Three runners up will each receive £200 worth of fuel vouchers. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning the prize is to save a quote on the website, take out a policy or renew an existing policy. This competition ends on October 30th.
But if you don't fancy your chances, Tesco is offering £50 to spend on fuel at its pumps for new customers who take out a policy. This could get you 37 litres of petrol based on figures from the AA Fuel Price Report. But you will need to have a Clubcard to apply.
Free breakdown cover
The Post Office is offering one year's free breakdown cover worth £49 to new customers that take out a policy before the end of September. The breakdown cover is from the RAC and includes roadside assistance and recovery. In order to recieve this freebie you need to purchase the policy directly from the Post Office.
The AA, RAC and Sainsbury's Bank also offer free breakdown cover for up to one year to new customers taking out a policy.
If you're able to get a best buy quote from any of these insurers, having the added bonus of breakdown cover will save you money. A bare bones breakdown policy usually costs between £20 and £30.
Cashback
If you have ever used a cashback credit card or cashback website, you will know how satisfying it can be to earn money back when you spend. Now some insurers are using this to try and entice new customers.
With Swinton you could get £40 cashback if you take out a car insurance policy before the end of December. It will take 90 days after the policy's start date to receive the money or you can use the offer to reduce the price of your policy instead.
Halifax is offering £50 cashback when you take out a policy through its website. You get the money after 60 days of holding the policy.
Bear in mind that cashback on a car insurance policy can be a false economy. If the policy you take out in order to get the £50 cashback is £100 more expensive than another quote, this is not saving or making you money.
I found that when I tried to get a quote with each of these companies, they were both £400 more expensive than my best quote - so clearly neither are policies I could benefit from. The key is to shop around and do the sums.
Is a freebie worth it?
If you're a film fan, want to save money on fuel or enjoy earning cashback then there is deal sweetener out there for you.
But no matter how good the offer may sound it is important to purchase the best level of protection for your needs at the best price.
This involves shopping around and generating quotes through comparison centres as well as individual websites. Only after you have pinpointed the best set of deals can you start to be selective about the extras.
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