How I Saved £35 on My Car Insurance in 15 Minutes (Using Cashback)
Most people accept their car insurance renewal price without thinking twice.
I nearly did the same — until I spent 15 minutes checking and ended up saving £35 for doing almost nothing.
This isn’t a trick or a loophole. It’s just a simple habit that most people overlook.
Step 1: Never accept your renewal price
Last week, I received my renewal from Tesco. To be fair, it wasn’t bad — it had only gone up by around £5.
But that doesn’t really matter.
👉 You should never accept a renewal price without checking.
Even if it looks reasonable, there’s a good chance you can still beat it — or at least get cashback that brings the cost down.
Step 2: Use cashback sites before comparison sites
Instead of going straight to a comparison site, I went to TopCashback first.
By searching for “car insurance”, I found several comparison sites offering cashback if I took out a policy through them.
👉 This is the step most people miss.
If you’ve never used one before, take a look at my guide on how cashback sites works so you understand how the process works before trying it.
Step 3: Get quotes (this takes minutes)
Because I’ve used comparison sites before, my details are already saved.
After a quick check and a few updates, I had quotes in under 5 minutes.
I tried three different comparison sites to make sure I was getting the best price.
Step 4: Factor in cashback (this is where you save)
Here’s the interesting part.
For the first time ever, Tesco was actually the cheapest option across all the quotes.
Normally, that’s where you’d stop and just renew.
But one of the comparison sites was offering £38 cashback.
Even though that quote was about £3 more expensive than my renewal, the cashback meant I ended up £35 better off overall.
A word of warning about cashback
There’s one important thing to understand.
👉 Cashback is never guaranteed.
- It might not track
- You may need to chase it
- It can take months to be paid
In my case, I was happy to risk £3 for a potential £35 gain.
If the difference had been £30, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
And another warning…
Very occassionally, after I received my car insurance quote, I’ve then used the cashback method… only to find out that my quote has risen by the same amount as the cashback I would earn.
It’s rare, but has happened.
Is it worth doing?
Yes — and it’s not even close.
£35 saved for 15 minutes of work works out at £140 per hour.
And once you get used to doing this, it becomes second nature.
This is exactly the kind of small habit that helps you cut your monthly bills without really changing anything.
Why this matters beyond car insurance
This isn’t just about one policy.
I do this every year for:
- Car insurance
- Broadband
- Mobile contracts
- TV packages
The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
And over time, these small wins add up to hundreds of pounds a year.
Final tip
Always shop around — even if your renewal looks decent.
And don’t forget to check cashback sites before you buy.
It’s one of the simplest ways to save money that most people completely ignore.
If you want more ways to bring your costs down, take a look at my full guide on saving money on insurance where I break down how to get better deals across all types of cover.
You might also find these useful:
What I’m going to tell you today isn’t groundbreaking, but I hope it will give you a prod to be a little more active when it comes to sorting out your insurance.
Last week, I received my car insurance renewal from Tesco. Now, I’m not going to get into how good they are as I’ve seen some horrific reviews from people.
Anyhow, it wasn’t too bad and the price had increased by just under £5. In fact, with the rate of inflation, it was actually very good.
Never take the renewal price. So once your price comes through, it’s off to a comparison site to find a better deal. But rather than going straight there, I paid a quick visit to TopCashback first.
Simply by typing ‘car insurance’ into TopCashback’s search bar, it showed me a load of results for comparison sites. By clicking on one of these links, receiving a quote and making a purchase, I would earn cashback.
*Please note that the screenshot was taken three days after my cashback. MoneySuperMarket offered £38 when I received my quote.
A quote in 5 minutes
Because I use comparison sites every year, my details are already saved. Apart from updating a few bits and checking that the details are correct, my quotes are usually ready in under 5 minutes. I went through three different comparison companies to find the best prices.
Surprisingly, and this is the first time it’s ever happened for me, Tesco was the cheapest company for every quote. The prices were all slightly more than my renewal quote, but not by much. The most expensive, from MoneySuperMarket was £3 more.
However, when you take into consideration the £38 cashback that was on offer, it meant that I cut my renewal price by £35.
A word of warning
There’s something important you need to remember when it comes to cashback sites – the cashback isn’t guaranteed. Sometimes, your purchase will not track or there may be a term or condition you have missed. Although you can chase these up and argue your case, it doesn’t mean you’ll get your cashback.
For my car insurance above, I was willing to take the hit. If the transaction didn’t track, I would be £3 worse off. If the price difference had been £30, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
And don’t forget, cashback can take several months to be paid out, especially when it comes to insurance. They want to ensure that you’re not just going to take the cashback and then cancel your policy.
Is it worth doing?
Of course. A £35 saving from 15 minutes of work works out at £140 per hour. How many of us earn that much?
But it’s important to shop around every year. Not only will it save you money, it’s good practice. The more you do this kind of thing, the more you learn and the easier it becomes. I shop around for services like broadband, mobile phones and TV constantly. I’m so used to it, I could probably do it with my eyes closed. Well, not quite.
Further reading
If you’re interested in getting the best price when you renew, check out these great tips to reduce your car insurance costs.
And, if you’ve never used a cashback site before, why not take a look at my post on how TopCashback works so you can get a general idea? Although other cashback sites are available.
