Price comparisons websites are an online phenomenon. Just think, a few short years ago we were spending hours glued to the phone, talking to various companies trying to find the cheapest quote. This was a vexing task to say the least, being put on hold for eons before receiving an astronomical quote did not do wonders for the stress levels. Then came the dawn on the online quote, a much quicker method that eradicated the necessity to converse with a call-centre drone. This meant getting an instant car insurance quote but still having to do the rounds of each companies’ site before coming up with the cheapest figure. Then a few years ago some bright soul had an epiphany and came up with the price comparison website. Cue a sea-change in how peopled shopped for insurance.

Now consumers can get a huge range quotes for long term or one day car insurance from dozens of companies all in one hit. This means the quotes can be assesed in great detail, giving the proverbial window shopper a wide overview of their options in a few quick mouse clicks. This is a revolution, at least in the workaday world of insurance, meaning consumers are getting a sweeter deal and insurers are suddenly thrust into a much more competitive marketplace than ever before.

No sooner has the revolution began than we start to see a backlash against price comparison from certain companies. Direct Line are a notable example, using the fact that they do not appear on price-comparisons as their unique selling point. If nothing else this illustrates the reach that ‘Go Compare’ and ‘Compare The Market’ have achieved. This has both benefits and disadvantages, customers will find it more difficult to place Direct Line in the market landscape, but on the other hand they may miss out on crucial business from those that see comparison sites as one-stop-shop for insurance plans like temporary car insurance.

This has blurred the boundries somewhat, are we staying one step ahead of the game by using firms which don’t show up on comparison sites? Will the trend continue with all the major insurers moving away from the current trend leaving the comparison sites obsolete? Who knows. What we can say is that searching for car insurance is still a chore. Perhaps the old days were better, there was less choice and we could interact with a real person, albeit one with the mental capacity of a dust mite!