In these troubled times, you're probably looking to tighten your belt wherever possible. But there's at least one way that you can save money today–finding cheap car insurance online. While there are hundreds of ways to search for cheap car insurance online, here are a few tips:

Find a Free Quote

Just like you, companies are finding it difficult to keep on top of the failing economy. An abundance of cheap car insurance policies is the result.  In addition, many companies are now offering free online quotes so that would-be customers can comparison shop.  All you have to do is input some relevant information, and–voila–you have a car insurance quote listing information for several companies.  With this free quote, you can easily see which company is offering the cheapest insurance.

Know Your Info

When you shop for cheap car insurance online, you are often asked to fill out forms before you can get a quote.  Although these forms are very short, some get frustrated about the requirement, and are likely to falsify information if they don't know it. But car insurance companies use this data to calculate your rate, so by putting in wrong information, you're getting ineffective quotes.  This means you may actually end up choosing a more expensive car insurance package.

Think Discount

Although car insurance might not be cheap to begin with, it sure gets that way after you apply discounts to it!  Even if you're shopping online, don't forget about the discounts that you might be offered given certain situations.  Car insurance companies often offer discounts for having good grades in school, being a good driver, or driving a car with low mileage.  Some companies even give discounts just for shopping online.  This means that you can definitely get the best car insurance by shopping using the computer from the comfort of your home.

Safety First

Of course, it's important that you look out for scams when searching for cheap car insurance.  If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Be sure to only give information to a company that you know is legitimate, and be wary of those claiming to be auto insurance "brokers" who charge you a fee to find cheaper auto insurance.  In addition, never send wired money or give cash to an online service or individual claiming to be an auto insurance broker or company. These people simply take your payment, leaving you uninsured and with less cash in your pocket.  

With these simple methods, you can find cheap car insurance online in a matter of minutes.