The hard way to buy car insurance

Anyone over 30 will remember what an awful thing trying to get car insurance used to be, says Merryn Somerset Webb. That’s why most of us love comparison websites. Except Direct Line, that is.

car insurance used to be. You had to set aside several hours, get out the yellow pages and call around for quotes. This involved giving all your details in full each time and then either waiting on hold while someone on the other end did their sums or waiting for them to call back later with a quote and hoping you weren't on the phone to another insurer when they did. It was interminably boring.

That's why most of us love comparison websites. Today finding a cheap quote takes a matter of minutes. Visit Confused, MoneySupermarket, or Go Compare type in your details and you are pretty much done. And not just with your car insurance. These comparison sites list everything from the best deals on gas and telephones to the best ones on life and building insurance.

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