How can you qualify for Cheap Online Car Insurance? The same way as you would with an offline provider i.e. you need to score well against their criteria. So what do they look for?

1. A clean driving history - if you have never been in an accident and have no motoring or other convictions you should qualify for lower premiums. You will be perceived as a much lower risk if you have held your license for a long period of time and are in good health.

2. Additional qualifications - if you have completed a defensive driving course and provide copies of your certifications, you may qualify for an additional discount.

3. The type of car you drive. Actuaries, the people who analyze the statistics to compute the premiums, are by nature a cautious lot. They get nervous if they have to provide cover to a twenty year old who has just got his license and bought himself a brand new sports car. Younger drivers are statistically more likely to have an accident and expensive cars not only cost more to replace but their parts tend to be costly too.

You will benefit from lower premiums if you drive a medium sized family car. Add additional safety features such as anti lock brakes and airbags and anti-theft devices i.e. an alarm.

4. The area you live in. If there is a crime problem in your locality you will pay the price in higher insurance charges. You can offset this somewhat by not parking your car on the street or in your drive but in a secure lock up.

5. The amount of miles you cover. Statistically the more you are in the car, the higher the chance of you being involved in an accident. Your auto policy will be rated to reflect this added risk.

6. Your credit rating. With the current economic climate, a lot of us are suffering poorer credit ratings than normal and this can be reflected in the prices we pay for our auto policies. If you think a mistake has been made, get a copy of your credit report from the three agencies and go through it with a fine toothcomb. Any mistake you find should be rectified as you are paying the price via higher policy charges but also on your financial products as well.

Is there anything else you can do to reduce the cost apart from shop around using comparison websites for quotes? Although online insurance has a reputation for being cheaper, your local broker may find a comparable policy at a lower price. It doesn't cost anything to ask him to look into it for you.

You should also check for duplicate cover. If you already have home, life and medical policies the chances are you do not things like legal protection on the car plan. Check to be sure because if your cheap online car insurance does not pay out in the event of a claim, it may be the most expensive policy you have ever taken out.