Are you in need of car insurance? Want a great deal but short of time? Every good shopper knows that for the best deals, you have to look through a few windows. Your best resource is right there, at your fingertips. On the internet, you look through as many windows as you like in no time at all, and get the multiple auto insurance quotes you need to get great bargains at websites that specialize in comparing car insurance.

So, where do you start? Of course, everyone's most valuable resource is word of mouth. Surely you must know someone who went shopping online for their auto-insurance needs. Remember that you don't want to waste any precious time, or share your personal data for that matter, with sites that are just looking to add you to a mailing list. Talk to your friends to get some good recommendations, but failing that, just jump on whatever search engine you prefer. It's as easy as entering a few keywords and you're on your way to saving yourself a load of cash on insurance.

Now that you're on your way, you have to make sure that you're prepared to truly find that great deal and take advantage of it. Of course, you need to know what factors go into the insurance itself. Online or not, it's always the little details adding up that surprise us in the end price, so better to be prepared with all your concerns from the get go.

Clearly, the value of the car you're insuring is the first factor in any policy you may find. Something else though, that greatly influences the end price of your coverage, is exactly who is going to be driving the car. Sure, if you've got a driving record with a list of violations as long as your arm, chances are you'll pay through the nose, or maybe not even find an insurer willing to assume the risk at all. But, even with a great record, believe it or not, little details such as your age, years behind the wheel and even gender also make a difference in the final amount of the insurance.

Okay, now that you're prepared, start surfing. Check out those leads you got from friends or your search engine. Once you get to the sites, the rest is as easy as pie. Basically, you spend a couple of quick minutes answering the questions the site asks you, filling in your vitals where necessary, and in seconds you'll have a list of quotes, organized however you prefer, be it by price, location or what have you.

Once you click on an interesting offer, you're redirected to the insurer's website Remember though, this is your chance to really get that great deal you've been looking for, so be sure to read that fine print before making any decisions. Don't be shy. It's your investment, so if you have any doubts at all, don't hesitate to call the insurance company directly with the numbers their site provides. Better safe than sorry, right?

And now, for the icing on the cake – the discounts. This is the best part of checking that fine print, finding a little bonus for your self. Often, people with great driving records or no claims to date get special discounts based on reduced risk. As it turns out, the good-guy doesn't always finish last. And that's all there is to it. If you like what you see, make a deal. Congratulations are in order. Not only have you probably found a great bargain, saving some of your hard-earned money, but you've certainly saved yourself quite a bit of time and trouble by getting multiple auto insurance quotes on the net.