When your car renewal notice pops through the letterbox, you’ll typically do one of two things. You could either be one of those people who give it a quick glance, think that the premium looks okay and forget about it. Or, you’ll be one of those for whom renewing your car insurance can be a way to make great savings on the coming year’s premium.

If you are in the latter group - well done! If you are the former, then you could well be paying much more for the cost of your motor insurance cover than you need to.

Renewing your car insurance doesn’t have to be a time consuming experience. Taking a little time to shop around for your cover rather than just automatically renewing it should be a quick and easy experience, which could often see you get a policy with even better features than before, and save you money too!

Why shop around?

You may think that you don’t have the time to shop around in order to save a few pounds. But in reality you could be saving a lot more than a few pounds, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of effort either.

If the last time you looked at renewing your car insurance it involved telephoning lots of brokers and visiting various banks on the High Street to see what policies were available, then the good news is that times have changed.

You can now access dozens of insurance brands and car insurance policies all from one place - your PC. And you can almost certainly find a lot more than you ever could by visiting the High Street. In fact, you can access motor insurance policies from a wide range of UK providers, meaning you are empowered to choose the right deal by cherry picking the one you want.

By using an insurance comparison website such as Tesco Compare, you can find the right cover by choosing a selection of those policies that best fit the bill and then comparing them on a like for like basis.

And you don’t just have the ability to compare them on price, but on some of the key policy features too, such as whether a courtesy car is included within the quote or how the premiums are payable (e.g. monthly or annually).

With insurance providers competing for your business and adding in more and more incentives for you to buy from them, you may find that you end up not only with cheaper cover, but additional policy benefits that you had never thought of before. Some examples could include inclusive handbag cover (great for the ladies); inclusive breakdown cover (great for everyone); or a further discount if you buy another policy such as home insurance with them.

So when your car insurance renewal notice does pop through your letterbox, don’t be complacent - get started on shopping around for cheaper and better cover!