Once the comparison is ready, you get a table from me: criteria row by row, offers column by column. This article is the user guide to that table – so you don't just look at it, you read it: what the rows mean, where the typical traps are, and how a good decision comes out of it.
- The table is not a price list: the premium is just one row among many – cover and service sit right beside it.
- For every offer I mark the strengths and weaknesses – instead of the "best offer", we look for the best fit.
- The table doesn't end in a verdict but a recommendation: the decision is always yours.
The premium rows: a figure plus conditions
The premium block in the table is never a single figure: alongside the annual premium sit the payment schedule and method, plus any built-in discount commitments (typically e-communication, mileage, direct debit). Two offers' premiums can only be compared cleanly when the commitments behind them match – if one premium comes with more conditions attached, the table flags it. That way, a "cheaper" offer can never turn out to be cheaper only because of a commitment you can't actually keep.
The extras rows: itemised cover
The extras block is itemised: accident cover (who it covers, at what level), legal expenses cover (which cases), assistance (what's included), and other services. What's shown is the content, not the brand name – because the same name can mean something different at each insurer, as the article on reading policy terms shows. This is where the real difference between two similarly priced offers becomes visible – and where it comes out if your current policy includes an extra that the new ones wouldn't.
The service row: the layer of experience
The table's third block is the least quantifiable: claims-handling experience, service channels, how usable the online platform is. This is where broker experience comes in – lessons from many clients' many cases, including subjective elements, which are marked as such. This row decides things when two offers are close in price and content: day to day, service is part of the product, and at claim time, this is the row that "pays out".
The bottom row: the recommendation – and what's behind it
At the bottom of the table I write a recommendation: which offer, and why, I think fits your situation – or that your current policy is competitive and it's worth staying put. The reasoning behind the recommendation comes from the table, not a hunch: it's traceable, it can be questioned, and I'm genuinely glad when you ask. The decision is yours – my job is to make sure every row in the table is accurate – and if you let me know before your renewal date next year, I'll bring the full picture up to date again.
What should you ask the table? Three good questions
You get the most from the table by asking it questions. Three that work well: "What do I get for the difference?" – if two offers' premiums differ, the table should show you exactly which rows the difference lives in; if it's in none of them, the decision is easy. "What's missing from this offer that my current policy has?" – the hidden cost of switching is always the cover you lose. "Which row actually matters to me?" – for a family, the accident cover; for someone who travels a lot, assistance and Green Card handling; for someone with a disputed claims history, legal expenses cover carries more weight. The table supplies the data – the weighting is yours; and that's exactly what makes the decision genuinely the client's, in line with how I describe my own role: I assess, I inform – you decide.
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