A new survey has confirmed Moneysupermarket.com as the best price comparison site for motor insurance.

The results of the survey, conducted by the independent market research group Ipsos MORI, showed that Moneysupermarket returned the lowest car insurance premiums for nearly twice as many profiles as its nearest competitor.

The survey used mystery shoppers to compare 100 quotes for different makes, models and ages of car at postcodes from across the UK with the six main insurance comparison sites including moneysupermarket, Tesco Compare, Confused, Gocompare, comparethemarket and Uswitch.

A spokesperson for Ipsos MORI commented on the survey results... "Findings from the mystery shopping exercise showed moneysupermarket.com is almost twice as likely to provide the cheapest annual premium for motor insurance compared with other leading comparison sites. In 42 out of 100 tests, it delivered the best, or equal to best, quote in terms of price: this is well ahead of its nearest rival."

Managing director of insurance at moneysupermarket.com, Richard Mason added... "Ipsos MORI's findings confirm drivers can rely on and trust moneysupermarket.com to find them the best insurance deals. We obtain quotes from 60 different insurers and insurance brokers which is why we are able to find highly competitive premiums across all areas of the market."

These results together with those from other market research confirm that consumers shouldn't just rely on their existing insurer or the most visible brands to offer the best deals. Comparing your needs and circumstances with as much of the market as possible is often the most effective way to ensure you get value for money from your motor insurance.

The UK's 34 million motorists are paying almost £2 billion a year more than necessary on annual motor insurance premiums by not shopping around for cover online, according to swiftcover car insurance.

Swiftcover was found to have quoted cheaper premiums more often than any other insurer on the price comparison website moneysupermarket.com in 2007. Motorists could save hundreds of pounds on their renewal premiums by simply spending thirty minutes online comparing premiums from multiple insurers using a price comparison site like moneysupermarket, gocompare or comparethemarket.

Marketing Director at Swiftcover.com, Tina Shortle commented... "With household bills rising ever higher, it seems crazy that UK consumers should willingly waste over £1.9 billion by sticking with the same old insurer year after year. Smart consumers know that an online insurance company is likely to be cheaper because it doesn't have to pay hundreds of call centre staff and can pass on the savings to its customers."

Top Tips for Saving Money on Car Insurance

In addition to shopping around at renewal time, drivers can lower their premiums even more by trying some or all of these steps...

1. Choose a car from a lower insurance group. All cars have an insurance rating of 1-20 given by the Association of British Insurers. The more expensive and powerful the car is the higher it's rating will be. A group 1 car would be a very small and cheap model and a group 20 car would be a powerful or expensive model.
2. Drive a smaller car. If your car is worth £5,000 rather than £50,000, it will cost your insurer ten times less to replace if it is stolen or written off. Reducing the risk to the insurer has the same effect on your premiums.
3. Don't pay for policy features you won't use. For example, many policies automatically add an extra charge for overseas cover or a courtesy car. Check what your policy does cover and remove the options you don't want. Consider budget or no-frills policies from providers like Tesco Value Insurance and Norwich Union Simple Cover.
4. Average the risk by adding your spouse. You can cut your premiums simply by adding your spouse to your policy if he/she has a clean driving record.
5. Pay more to save more. Again, reducing the risk to the insurer by agreeing to pay a larger excess will often reduce your premium.
6. Buy online. Insurers who operate mostly online should have lower overheads which often means lower premiums for customers.
7. Some insurers offer discounts for extra security devices like alarms, immobilisers or tracking devices.
8. If you have a drive or garage, park your car there for lower premiums.
9. Don't assume that because your original quote was cheap your renewal premium will be the same. Insurers often provide discounts to new customers which aren't repeated at renewal time. Go online and compare your renewal premium against the market.
10. Go green. Some insurers including Swiftcover.com offer a 10% discount for owners of environmentally friendly hybrid cars like a Honda Civic, Lexis GS, Lexus RX and Toyota Prius.