car insurance companies

When looking at car insurance companies, there are a few things to look out for that can help you choose one that's right for you:

• Reviews and ratings: When looking at reviews and ratings, you should try to find unbiased reviews from third parties rather than rely on the reviews that insurers might publish on their website.

• Pay-out rates: Many insurers publish their pay-out rates to tell customers how often their customers claims are successful. This is a good indicator of how likely an insurer is to pay out if you need to make a claim.

• Policy value: Value is about more than the price of your policy - it's about how much you get for your money. When you're comparing providers and policies, look at the cover you get as well as the price to make the most of your policy.

• Extra cover: Many insurers will offer additional cover options that can help you tailor your policy to meet your needs. Before you pick the cheapest option, it's worthwhile to check if there are any add-ons that may be worth the extra cost.

If your car is written-off, insurers will typically use the market value of your car to determine how much they will pay out. This will likely be less than what you paid for your car originally because a vehicle's value tends to depreciate over time and with use.

The pay-outs of a car insurance policy will be paid out either to the policy-owner or to the service provider if your vehicle is repaired. This is after you have contacted your provider and completed a claim form.

For a more detailed explanation of how to make a car insurance claim, you can read our guide 'How to process your car insurance claim'.

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You might be wondering if we work with all the companies in the market, or if our commercial relationships with our partners might make us feature one company above another. We’ve got nothing to hide, and we want to give you clear answers when it comes to questions like these, so we’ve pulled together everything you need to know on this page.