When most people think of using a comparison site to save money, they’re usually looking to manage the costs of either their van insurance or car insurance – but industry experts say there are many other ways to save through the use of one of these websites.

While it is true that many of the aggregator websites currently proliferating across the internet could be referred to as ‘niche’ websites, the lion’s share of these comparison websites aren’t one-trick ponies.  You might initially go to one of these sites to look for ways to manage your motoring costs by finding budget van insurance – especially with petrol and diesel prices going through the roof – but you can oftentimes find deals on other financial products as well that could see you saving even more cash.

In an excellent example of coming for the motor insurance savings and staying for the opportunities to spare your wallet even more, independent research has found that nearly everyone can make some impressive savings if they use a comparison site to look for less expensive home insurance.  Other services that can be helpful include finding a less expensive option when it comes to pet insurance – and anyone who’s had to suffer through a beloved family pet with an expensive illness can attest to how financially disastrous that can be – and as expensive as pet insurance can be, it pales in comparison with what you might need to shell out for health or life insurance.

However, most comparison sites can be seen as your one-stop-shopping destination for many different financial products.  Some comparison sites even allow you to compare credit card offers from different financial service providers – and in this economy, switching to a card with less expensive charges and fees means you can keep your car or van on the road just that much longer.

One major comparison website recently announced it was adding a new specialist broker to its car insurance panel, industry experts recently reported.

Flux Direct, the broker in question, specialises in providing insurance for nearly every vehicle on the road today, from providing insurance cover to supercars, modified performance vehicles, classic cars, or commercial van insurance.  Flux Direct has decades of niche motor insurance cover markets, providing what many industry experts have called a ‘lifeline’ to those who have struggled in the past to find affordable insurance cover.

The comparison site’s director of insurance partnerships, David Jackson, commented on the announcement, remarking that Flux Direct brings an added dimension to the comparison site, as it will aid the aggregator to extend its offerings to even more customers.  Mr Jackson expressed his pleasure that the new addition will enable the comparison website to provide additional options to customers looking for competitive insurance quotes.

Comparison sites typically provide more than simple personal car insurance, as customers can find deals on may different financial products.  Most comparison websites offer not just personal and commercial vehicle insurance but products such as credit cards, pet insurance, life insurance, and home insurance, and also offer comparison services for digital television, broadband, phone, gas, and electricity utilities.

The financial services market has shifted in a fundamental manner thanks to the advent of comparison sites.  Consumers no longer need to spend time and energy seeking out quotes from individual providers any more, instead simply allowing a comparison site to do the legwork for them.

With costs seeming to be marching inexorably upwards, it can often be quite shocking when it comes time to renew your commercial van insurance cover, but industry experts say that if you take the time to compare van insurance quotes through the use of a comparison website, you can make some significant savings.

There are many advantages to using a comparison site in order to provide you with several quotes at once.  One of the best reasons to do so is that you will be saving time in addition to possibly saving money, as no longer do you need to go through a sea of insurers to find the best quote, putting your personal details in time after time on their websites, and instead only have to do it once before being furnished several quotes.

Even better still is that shopping around will most likely result in you finding a much more affordable price quote than you’re currently paying.  Insurers almost exclusively reserve their best deals for new customers in order to remain competitive, which means that sticking with your current insurance provider is quite often not the most cost-effective option – and that your loyalty is most likely going unrewarded.

If you’re going to be using a comparison site, industry experts say that you do need to keep a few important things in mind.  Many times the least expensive quote is not the best option, as each insurer offers different features with their ‘comprehensive’ cover.

If you’re going to need breakdown cover or the ability to get a replacement vehicle without paying out of pocket, you should make sure to select an insurer that will offer these things to you.  Likewise make sure that you’re not selecting a voluntary excess that would be too expensive to actually pay if you do find yourself in an accident in order to avoid the up-front savings becoming a false economy down the road.

Providers of both commercial van and personal car insurance have begun to refuse to cover drivers that have been caught using a mobile while driving, even if it is a first-time offence, industry experts recently warned.

Eight insurers were recently surveyed by the AA, with the motoring organisation discovering that fully half of them would raise a driver’s rates by almost 20 per cent for being awarded three penalty points for the offence.  However, the other half indicated that motorists that engage in such behaviour are such poor insurance risks as to refuse to offer them cover at all, the AA found.

Industry experts say that other insurers may be even more heavy-handed.  In addition to refusing to provide a quote, there could be many insurance providers willing to raise rates by as much as 50 per cent in order to cover the increased risk in insuring someone convicted of using their mobile whilst behind the wheel – and there are other offences, such as speeding, which can trigger massive rate hikes as well, with the AA finding that seven out of the eight insurers it surveyed stating that even the most minor of speeding violations would lead them to increase an offender’s motoring costs.

The average rate hike for a speeder was found to be 9.3 per cent by the AA.  However, other insurers surveyed independently indicate that this figure may be much too conservative, as one insurance provider stated that a single speeding conviction would prompt a rate increase from 10 to 20 per cent alone.

Van drivers are growing tired of being stretched to their limits when it comes to keeping their vehicles on the road, sources say, and with the average price of petrol increasing higher than 140p a litre (and diesel being even higher), small business owners are having to scramble to keep their vans moving in the face of massive operating cost increases.

Motoring experts say that petrol has gone up in price by almost 8p since the beginning of 2012, and even though the average price is hovering at about 140.2p per litre, this upward trend shows little to no indications that it will slow.  Those who need to purchase diesel fuel are even worse off, as a record high of 146.72p per litre is currently wreaking havoc with anyone with a commercial van that uses the fuel to keep their vehicle running.

The power to choose what we pay for our fuel is largely out of the hands of the average motorist, experts say.  However, you can control other unrelated costs of driving, such as how much you pay for commercial van insurance, in an effort to leave more cash available for other areas of your motoring budget.  An excellent way to save money on van insurance is to use a comparison site to find multiple quotes, as insurers often attempt to remain competitive by offering excellent rates to new customers.

However, industry experts warn that many of these inexpensive policies come with a price.  You need to check carefully that your level of cover is going to be sufficient before taking out a policy from a new insurer experts warn, and many providers will raise customers’ rates by a significant margin upon renewal, which would necessitate once more switching insurers after your initial 12 months of cover.