Car insurance, home insurance, life insurance – there is a lot you can get insured for these days. It is a hassle and a pain, what with the long forms, the hours on the phone, and having to remember every tiny detail of your life.

So it is understandable that once it’s done and dusted, we don’t want to think about it ever again. That is why many of us are so prone to sticking with the same insurer year in, year out. But if you bite the bullet and take the time to shop around for a better deal, you could save hundreds of pounds every year.

A survey by a price comparison website recently found that a third of Brits have never switched insurance provider for home or car insurance. Many are put off by the daunting prospect of switching, but it is actually quite simple, especially if you have all the necessary information from the last time you applied.

Car insurance

Many drivers have woken up to the savings that can be made by switching car insurance providers. The best time to change car insurance provider is when your existing plan is up for renewal. That way you’ll avoid any hefty cancellation costs. Having said that, every insurer is different so it is worth checking what your insurers cancellation fees are, especially if you want to change quite a bit earlier than your renewal date.

Before you go looking around for a new deal, see what the renewal quote is for your existing plan. That way, you’ll be able to compare deals like-for-like. And many insurers guarantee to beat the price of your renewal quote.

Another good idea is to try applying for car insurance with existing provider as a new customer. Many insurance providers save their best deals for new customers, to get people on board, so just apply from scratch and see if it is any cheaper than your renewal quote. And don’t worry about your provider getting uppity, this is perfectly legal and they will have to give the cheaper price they quoted you.

Home insurance

While you switching car insurance will often save a bit of cash, home insurance is where you can get great savings. Research has found that Brits could save over £100 just by switching but that most don’t bother – either out of loyalty or laziness.

As with car insurance, find out how much it will cost to renew your existing plan, then use that price to compare providers. A good technique is to use multiple comparison websites to make sure you get full coverage of all the insurance providers out there. It may seem like a lengthy process, but all sites ask for the same information so just have it at the ready and you’ll be done in no time.

One important thing to remember – with both home and car insurance – is to check what type of cover you are getting. The low price you’ve just found may seem good, but might not include some important aspects of your previous insurance and could end up costing you more.