What Car? Q&A - Where can I compare insurance groups?

Q: I am shortly to become self-employed, so I need to consider insurance group ratings more carefully when looking for a new car. Where can I make comparisons of insurance groups to minimise the cost of insuring my new car?
Richard Warrender

A: For insurance groupings, select a car from the drop-down menu on the whatcar.com website, then click on ‘Running costs' and the insurance grouping will be displayed in the information box.

Here we list the rating for every car and a typical quote based on a 35-year-old accountant with a clean licence and full no-claims bonus. He lives in Swindon, commutes in his car every day and parks it off-street.

Alternatively, check out the new car buyer's guide towards the back of What Car? magazine.

The insurance grouping is only a guide, so it does not necessarily follow that two cars with the same insurance group rating will cost the same to insure.

Remember that quotes obtained online are often cheaper than those over the phone, so take a look at the insurance section in the What Car? classified advertisements section, and aim to spend an afternoon phoning round and surfing the net for quotes.

Websites such as www.confused.com and www.moneysupermarket.com/motor search insurance company websites for quotes for you, but won't necessarily cover every insurer – though they can cut down the amount of time and hassle you spend surfing.