Fuel prices are going up and even if they fall again, the general trend is always likely to be up unfortunately so finding other places to save on your motoring costs is always good. Your car insurance is a great place to start. But car insurance can be complex, so here are ten simple tips on how to keep those costs down.

1. Don't just let your car insurance auto renew, even if you can't be bothered to hunt down a better deal, if you phone up and say you are thinking of cancelling they may offer a discount to keep your custom, after all a smaller profit margin is better than none at all.

2. Only pay for what you'll use, so if you drive roughly four thousand miles a year, look at the discounts many insurers offer for capping millage at five thousand. Similarly if you drive a set amount a year restricting your insured miles can still help. It is always worth checking, especially if your yearly millage is predictable.

3. Don't pay to keep drivers on the policy if they never drive the car. This is especially the case with those classed as insurance risks, such as younger drivers and those with speeding tickets. It may be cheaper to get them temporary car insurance for those times when they actual are going to be driving the car. Temporary car insurance can also be used for other things, like MOT and tax on a car you want to sell, but not all policies allow this.

4. Use a comparison website to compare car insurance deals, not all insurers appear on all websites, so it can be worth checking a couple of sites and any that you've seen advertised as not being on them. These sites have the advantage that you only have to enter you details and preferences once and they will then get you a quote from a wide range of insurers and will then sort them according to price or other criteria.

5. If you have a classic car, a performance car, or you are a young driver, then there may well be a specialist insurer who can offer a cheaper car insurance deal, or offer extras that suit your needs better.

6. Consider what extras you actually need. If you wouldn't use a courtesy car then not having one is clearly not an issue. If you have break down cover from another source it may be cheaper to get it included in your insurance, or to continue with you existing cover and get a policy without it included. Having such things on a policy can push up the price, so if they're of no use to you not having them could save some money.

7. If you have more than one vehicle in your household, multi car cover can offer a better deal on your car insurance, temporary cover can be used to bridge the gap between the renewal dates of two single car policies. It isn't always cheaper, so check out the cost of both single car policies for both and a multi car policy to make sure.

8. Some providers offer a discount off their quote if you have other insurance with them, so check with your housing/contents insurance provider if they offer such a discount and use that to compare to their competitors prices.

9. Get a more insurable car. This is more a consideration for when you're getting a new car. Check the insurance group; this has a knock on effect that lower insurance group cars tend to be more efficient, saving you fuel and insurance money. Security features and a safe parking location push a quote down, large engines and greater value push the price up.

10. Allow yourself some time to do it all in. Rushing it and just picking the first deal that looks good is often a bad idea. Take some time to read over each quote so you know what you are getting with it. The comparison website you have chosen may point out the most important details, but you should always check yourself. Because while the law offers you certain protection, making sure you know what is and isn't covered as far as the policy wording is concerned is always a good idea.