It’s almost certain that most internet users have used a price comparison site at least once over the years. The Competition and Markets Authority found that over 80% of internet users have utilised their services, so an investigation carried out by consumer advisors Which? that uncovered a startling amount of inaccuracies on car insurance policies could potentially affect a huge amount of drivers.
Which? discovered that mismatching details were found within six out of ten policies listed, suggesting that policies that are being purchased through price comparison sites were unsuitable for their drivers’ requirements. Within those offending policies, at least one detail was found to be inconsistent with the information contained within the policy documentation.
The range of irregularities is particularly damning. For example, less-than-reliable levels of cover in the event of personal accident, with one provider offering cover of up to &5,000 for disability on comparison sites, but with their policy documentation stating that their actual limit was half of that mount. Ten claims were also found from providers confirming that a courtesy car would be provided if repairs to your normal vehicle are required, with the policy document offering no guarantee of this detail at all.
Larger groups were also found to be providing highly similar policies under different brokers, with 30 of the top policy results found to be offered by as little as 12 providers. Indeed, some near-identical policies appeared as often as eight times across four price comparison sites, with frequently the only difference between them being the provider.
“We were staggered to see such a high amount of errors across the policies listed on price comparison sites,” said Which?’s money editor, Harry Rose. “Millions of consumers visit these websites, hoping to find all the information they need to make an informed decision in one place - yet our findings cast real doubt on their ability to do so.
“These sites should up their game to ensure customers know exactly what they’re purchasing and from whom, otherwise they might well end up with policies and contracts that simply don’t meet their needs.”
Several price comparison sites contacted Which? in the aftermath of their report to offer assurances that their policies remain consistent, from site to policy documentation, and are regularly checked for any inaccuracies. Regardless, the best course of action at this stage appears to be to warn consumers not to take car insurance policy details on price comparison sites as definitive proof of the policy’s details, given how easy it appears to be to purchase a misleading, inadequate policy.