Insurance: Lloyds joins the search

Lloyds TSB has become the first high- street bank to launch a motor insurance comparison site, insurance.co.uk., which will search 35 policy providers for the best deal based on an individual's needs.

However, this does not represent the full spectrum of car insurers, and questions of independence have been raised as Lloyds TSB offers its own package of motor insurance products.

Sara Evans, a spokeswoman for insurance.co.uk, said: "We are looking to grow the number of providers included on the site, although we are confident that the current range offers the best deals on the market.

"We are aware that consumers may have concerns [about independence], but the commission we take from all the providers is the same, so it is not in our interest to favour one over others."

The site will join a number of price- comparison websites, most of which offer searches on a large range of financial and utilities products and services. The popularity of these sites has grown as hikes in utility bills and other household costs have left consumers keen to cut everyday costs by switching providers.