Nobody relishes the prospect of a protracted car insurance search. Invariably we'll be gagging to get our new dream machine out on the road and, lets be honest, we'd all rather fork out on a decent set of wheels than dash too much of our budget on car insurance. The following quick pointers should help you find the right deal quickly and painlessly.

• Firstly you'll need to consider what type of cover you want to opt for. Basic third party insurance will cover the cost of damage to another driver's vehicle and is the minimum legal requirement. Although this'll be a cheaper option it won't give you much protection on anything in the way of damage to your vehicle.

• Unless you're on a particularly tight budget it's probably advisable to look beyond third party and plump for fully comprehensive car insurance. This offers the extra assurance of covering any damage to your own car in the event of an accident caused by yourself. Shop around and you'll find that you can get add-on benefits like the use of a replacement car whilst yours is being repaired.

• If you plan on using your vehicle for occasional business related travel make sure you check whether you're covered for accidents that happen outside your social, domestic routine unless explicitly mentioned in your agreement you probably won't be. In this event additional cover is advisable.

• If you're a young driver insurance premiums are almost certainly going to be higher than for a more established, experienced driver. A good way to reduce costs is to get some extra qualifications beyond the standard driving test, like motorway or night driving.

• Limit your cover to named drivers.

• It might be an equally worthwhile money saving tactic to improve the security on your car. Check with your insurer but often the installation of car alarms, immobilisers and parking your vehicle in a garage overnight can help.

• It's worth keeping your eyes peeled for a protected no-claims discount. It will cost you a little more but protects any accumulated no-claims discount that may otherwise be reduced in the event of a claim. They can give you very worthwhile savings (potentially up to 65%).

• Save time and money by going through a broker or a company who uses the services of numerous insurers, this will make sure your cover is the most suitable and hopefully cheapest selected from a larger pool of deals.

• Do make sure you keep you insurer notified of any changes of circumstance and indeed anything that may affect you cover, any failure to disclose relevant information might invalidate a claim.