British price comparison firm MoneySupermarket has become the first company to launch a car insurance comparison app which is currently available free of charge to all UK based iPhone owners.

Developed in associated with MIG; the app aims to make the car insurance comparison process both faster and easier for users. Indeed it is expected that the app could well revolutionise the way that motorists go about comparing insurance deals, allowing them to retrieve quotes in a matter of minutes from any location.

Quotes in three taps

The first time that users utilise the MoneySupermarket car insurance app they will be required to create a MoneySupermarket users account in the event that they do not already have one set up from website usage. This will require the entry of personal information which is necessary in order to build up the risk profile on which premiums are calculated. The kind of information required will include the user’s age, gender, date of birth and occupation. The advantage of having such an account set up is that these personal details do not need to be entered every time that quotes are desired; saving user’s significant time and effort in the long run.

Efforts have also been made to reduce the amount of time it takes to enter vehicle details, with users now simply having to take a photograph of the vehicle registration plate when requested. The app will then source out the information that is required in order to calculate car insurance premiums from databases held by motoring authorities. This not only makes the process much faster; but also removed the potential for input errors.

Once these two data sets have been entered, users will then be provided with a range of quotes available through over 100 different car insurance providers. Each of these quotes will have a click to call button alongside them which can be used to contact the insurer directly at the national rate if more information about policy specifics is required. Alternatively the user can click the ‘purchase’ button which will allow them to action the policy on the spot if they are certain that it meets their requirements.

Revolutionising the industry

MoneySupermarket’s Julie Fisher has predicted that their app will completely revolutionise the car insurance industry due to its speed and ease of use which are currently the impediments which result in motorists choosing to simply accept their present insurer’s renewal offer rather than shop around for the best price.

One of the company’s big competitors is already believed to have a similar app in development, and it is also expect that the concept will be adopted in other areas of insurance such as home and travel insurance.

It is likely that comparison companies in other countries will be taking note of developments within the UK, so you can expect similar apps to be launched for non-British residents in the very near future. The android phone market is also unlikely to be left devoid of car insurance comparison apps for long.

The app can now be downloaded free of charge from iTunes.