Which insurance is the cheapest?

What you really compare

The total annual cost: the premium plus insurance premium tax plus the excess you would bear on a single claim.

The exclusions: what one policy includes as standard is an extension with its own premium on another.

The sums insured and sub-limits: a low premium with a low sub-limit for jewellery is no saving if you own more than that.

The hidden differences

With a car insurance: the new-for-old period. One year against three makes a difference of thousands of euros in a total loss.

With a buildings insurance: the guarantee against underinsurance and how long it lasts.

With a liability insurance: whether care, custody and control is included and up to what amount.

Where the real saving is

Not in switching but in whether your cover still fits. Comprehensive cover on an old car, or a contents sum from 2015 &mdash. Those are the amounts that matter.

What you can do yourself

Put your policy schedules side by side and look at the exclusions and sub-limits, not at the premium line. That takes an hour and often yields more than a comparison site.