Moneysupermarket.com car insurance – Consumer app of the week

App: Moneysupermarket.com Car Insurance

By: Created by Mobile Interactive Group for Moneysupermarket.com

Price: Free

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, (Android tbc)

What is it?

An app to compare quotes and purchase car insurance.

What does it promise?

"Compare accurate quotes from a huge range of car insurance providers and then purchase straight from your phone – all in a matter of minutes. You can switch your insurance in just 3 taps."

How does it work?

When you first use the app you need to make more than three taps as you need to register your personal details. Then, unless you're accessing a previous search, you need to fill in all the usual (often boring) details: make and age of car, usage, personal details, additional drivers etc. Once you've done this, the app provides you with a list of quotes which you can go on to purchase by ringing through to the insurer or connecting to its website.

Is it easy to use?

Yes. It might take a while to set up your initial details but after that it's a breeze. The app allows you to flip quickly between monthly and annual premiums, which is a really useful way of seeing the savings you can make by paying upfront. You can also easily tweak the type and level of cover you need (eg change any voluntary excess).

When I searched for insurance on my car, I obtained quotes ranging from around £300 (Sheila's Wheels, since you ask) to £1,900 (from a firm called HY-performance, which has little chance of attracting my custom based on that quote). You can add searches as well as store and tweak previous ones.

Is it pretty?

It's functional rather than beautiful, but consistent colour-coding and good definition of clickable buttons helps users navigate effectively.

Is it fun?

I'm not sure "fun" is the word to describe obtaining on-the-go insurance quotes, but it's certainly handy.

Should you download it?

A slight quibble is that the app displays a lot of information about policies, but not the actual policy details or terms and conditions; and some consumers may wish to obtain quotes from insurers not on the Moneysupermarket.com platform (it claims to compare prices from more than 100 insurers). The app may also benefit from putting some of the useful guides that appear on the website, on the app.

But minor drawbacks aside, this is an undeniably useful app. If you are car-hunting and see a car in a garage forecourt or for sale privately, you can quickly see if the insurance would make it prohibitively expensive to own.