Our recent mystery shop has revealed some comparison sites are giving unreliable information on car insurance. Just how accurate are these sites?
With so many companies offering a wide range of quotes, the world of insurance can be a confusing one. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that taking out insurance policies can often feel like a bit of a chore.
Like with so many avenues of life, we’re always on the lookout for anything that can seemingly make our lives easier, and insurance comparison sites claim to do just that.
When there are plenty of providers to choose from, we need to be able to compare them quickly and, crucially, accurately.
Multiple choice
Somewhat ironically, there are plenty of comparison sites to choose from these days – but how much should we be trusting the results they return?
When we put them to the test, we found some cause for concern – in six out of 10 policies there were discrepancies between the information on the comparison sites and what was in the insurer’s policy.
In one case, a comparison site appeared to overstate a provider’s disability cover by as much as £2,500!
What are your experiences?
According to the Competition and Markets Authority, as many as 85% of people on the internet have used a comparison site at least once.
With that in mind, it seems a number of you here on Which? Conversation are also likely to have used their services in an attempt to quickly locate the best deal. So what are your experiences?
When it comes to car insurance, we’d recommend not relying on the policy details published on the comparison sites themselves. Instead, be sure to directly check the details that matter to you most on the insurer’s website itself. If there are any clashes or ambiguities, contact the provider for clarification.
I’m curious to find out just how much users trust the quotes and information they get back, or if you feel more research is required.
Have you ever spotted similar discrepancies to what we found in our investigation? If so, how did you resolve the issue with the insurer?