As new offers become available, the amount of motor insurance drivers have to pay is changing. Back in 2005, the BBC published reports about a proposal by the European Commission to make car insurance for women more expensive. The EU directive would have made buying car insurance a ‘level playing field’ for both genders. Faced with the statistics however, the Commission ruled that existing policies were fair. Male drivers commit 85% of serious motoring offences and resultingly female drivers should still pay less on their insurance.

Gender, is just one of the things taken into account by insurers when they decide how much to charge drivers. The sort of car you drive, whether you’ve been in any accidents before and more recently when or how often you drive could all factor into the amount you pay. The new Pay as You Drive deals available from companies such as More Than and Norwich Union could save people money if they don’t drive often, or only take short  journeys. A GPS is fitted to the car which records how many miles they have driven and at what time of the day.

The system also tracks the car’s movements so if the person breaks down they can simply press a button and the repair team can easily find them regardless of how far up a Welsh mountain they are, or how deep in the Cotswolds wilds. Drivers pay a set fee upfront and then make insurance payments on a monthly basis to a set tariff; if they exceed their mileage allowance they make additional small payments to top-up their insurance coverage. The deal is aimed at people who only drive occasionally or mainly take short journeys.

An unfortunate symptom of the expense which car insurance brings is consumer dishonesty.  Last year a survey by Uswitch.com, in which 2,500 drivers were surveyed revealed that 1 in 10 people have lied to insurers to save on premium costs. Uswitch.com discovered that the most common lies were regarding age, address or where the car was regularly parked overnight. 3 % of the drivers surveyed said they had not declared bans for speeding or drink driving. Lying about personal or driving record details can lead to an insurance policy being invalidated and could also lead to prosecution for fraud.

It’s important to be as honest and realistic as possible when buying car insurance. The Telegraph’s lead frugal expert ‘Miss Penny Pincher’ gives some great advice to people seeking better renewal quotes: “Never just accept the renewal quote you are offered for motor cover.” She advises. ”It is always worth doing as much research as possible when buying insurance, so get quotes from at least five different insurers before buying. Comparison websites such as Moneysupermarket.com, uSwitch.com, Confused.com and CompareTheMarket.com can all provide you with a range of quotes.”

Miss Penny also highlights the fact that drivers can often increase their excess, the amount which they must pay additionally if they do have an accident. If they are particularly unlikely to have an accident this could help keep their regular insurance costs down. Taking part in a Pass Plus Scheme if you’re a young driver could also shave up to 35 % off your insurance fees.

If the price comparison sites have replaced the confusion of choosing a good deal with choosing a good comparison site, then for car insurance at least, one comparison site out-shone the rest in recent tests. Moneysupermarket.com was confirmed the best comparison site for motor insurance. A survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, an independent market research group, found that the website produced the lowest prices for almost twice as many profiles as its closest competitor and 6 times more than the lowest ranked price comparator site.