One-stop shop goes online to offer best deal on your car insurance

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Admiral Insurance has launched an online service, confused.com, which aims to be the most comprehensive place to find the least expensive car insurance on the internet. It claims to be the only free, online, one-stop-shop car insurance finder covering 33 of the 34 main insurers.

Admiral Insurance has launched an online service, confused.com, which aims to be the most comprehensive place to find the least expensive car insurance on the internet. It claims to be the only free, online, one-stop-shop car insurance finder covering 33 of the 34 main insurers.

Potential customers who loaded in their details are passed to "intelligent robots" which translate the data into a form suitable for each insurer, collect the quotes and send them back to the customer, who then contacts the insurer direct.

"Our independence will mean customers trust us to champion their cause and drive better deals for them," confused.com's managing director, Australian-born Kate Armstrong, says. "Although part of the Admiral Group of companies, we are a completely separate business and don't favour the Admiral brand over any other in the market."

Like an ordinary insurance broker, confused.com will make its money from a fee for every quote it sends an insurer. Ms Armstrong says Admiral started the business because it believes people want a one-stop shop for cheap car insurance, but does not want to compete on price under its own brand. Confused.com does not sell or advise on insurance, merely offers a price comparison.

"We believe passionately in our service," Ms Armstrong says. "We believe it will change the way people buy car insurance."

A dummy run on the site to insure a new Ford Ka produced 14 quotes within a few minutes, ranging from £493.50 a year from Tesco to £1,421.89 from AA Insurance.

Emma Davy, a 30-year-old solicitor in Cullompton, Devon, reckons she has saved more than £150 by using Confused.com. Ms Davy, who drives a Land Rover Discovery Tdi, had previously insured through a specialist 4x4 insurer. She said: "Usually I call a range of brokers and insurance companies, but it takes so long and can be such a pain that I thought I would try confused.com. The site was simple, quick and easy and I needed to fill in only one form. When the results came in just 15 minutes, it was clear I could get a far better deal through Direct Line. And I kept my phone bill down."