Comparison portals on the Internet can provide answers here. However, the search does not always return tariffs at the best price – a closer look is worthwhile, as the current study by the German Institute for Service Quality shows. On behalf of the news channel ntv, DISQ tested four comparison portals for motor vehicle insurance.
Not every portal will find the best tariff
The comparison portals can point the way to the cheapest car insurance, but the price analysis also reveals differences between the supposed “best price tariffs”. An example: In a test scenario with identical framework data, the cheapest offer for a Mercedes C-Class is around 606 euros per year, with two other portals the cheapest fully comprehensive car insurance is 775 euros each – a difference of around 170 Euro.
Always depending on the user profile and the vehicle, the portal with the best price in the test is on average a good ten percent cheaper than the best offer from the competitor with the lowest price. In general, the savings opportunities in the higher vehicle classes and in the electric car examined are greater than, for example, in small cars and cars in the compact class.
Service with deficits
The comparison portals prove their customer orientation in particular where their domain is: on the Internet. Here the providers achieve a good service result. The tariff comparison is simple and transparent everywhere; Individually selected tariffs and their services can also be compared conveniently and without obligation. Entering personal data is only necessary if you want to complete an online transaction, with the visible SSL encryption ensuring security. It is different on the phone and with inquiries by e-mail: long waiting and processing times are only one weak point here. Although the information provided by the employees is friendly, it is often superficial and not very individual.
Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service Quality: “Anyone who is thinking about changing car insurance and wants to exploit the savings potential should not just consult a single provider for advice. Due to the almost intuitive process, the comparison on two or three portals can be done without a great deal of time.”
The ranking
Verivox is the test winner with the quality rating “very good”. In terms of online service, the portal distinguishes itself with a very high information value of the website and positive user ratings, for example with regard to user-friendliness. The provider answers e-mail inquiries in a friendly and understandable manner. On the phone, Verivox scores with very short waiting times of just nine seconds on average. In the analysis of the cheapest tariff offers, the portal comes off second best.
Check24 took second place, also with the quality rating “very good”. The comparison portal offers the cheapest tariffs overall; For eight of the 15 scenarios, the calculator provides the most attractive offer. When they sign up, consumers save an average of nine percent of the costs (compared to the recommended tariff for the “most expensive” portal), and in individual cases the savings potential is even around 22 percent. In terms of service, Check24 is second best with a good result.
Geld.de was in third place (quality rating: “good”). The portal is the third-best provider in terms of both the services and the cheapest tariffs. Geld.de provides attractive tariff offers, especially for families: For three of the five corresponding profiles, the comparison here leads to the most attractive tariff in the test.
Autoversicherung.de is in fourth place with a satisfactory overall result.
Facts about the study
The German Institute for Service Quality tested four comparison portals for car insurance companies that offer their own tariff comparison and through which a contract can be initiated. The service quality was determined using ten covert telephone and e-mail tests each (mystery calls and e-mails) as well as an online service analysis; the latter included ten tests of each website by trained test users and a detailed examination of each website, with the focus on information value, user-friendliness, transparency and security. 124 service contacts with the portals were included in the evaluation. In a second area of investigation, the cheapest tariff offers were determined and evaluated using 15 defined profiles from five car models and three user types (survey key dates: October 26/27, 2022).
More on this at www.ntv.de/tests
