In most countries car insurance is a legal requirement for anyone taking a vehicle on the road. The purpose for this is to guarantee that should they cause damage to another vehicle or property, or injury to another individual, that they will then be able to cover the expense through their insurance. When purchasing a vehicle then it's paramount that you look into car insurance (or other auto insurance for vans and motorbikes etc) and get a quote before you make a purchase and factor that cost into your budget. The exact amount you pay for auto insurance will vary depending on the vehicle (with variables being the age, the cost, the 'steal-ability' and the engine size among other matters), your locations (mostly depending on the nature of the area and whether you have on-road parking etc) and on you (how long you've been driving, whether you have points on your license, your age, your qualifications and your gender). Furthermore, the quote will also vary depending on the company offering you the insurance and the type of insurance you go for. It's important then that you fully understand what all of the relevant terms mean before taking out any form of auto insurance.

The first thing to decide is precisely what kind of car insurance you need and generally you will have the option of one of three forms that are routinely offered. These are: Third Party Only Insurance, Third Party Fire and Theft Insurance and Fully Comprehensive Insurance (often abbreviated to 'fully comp'), and the type that you ultimately select will depend on the value of your car as well as your initial budget. Third Party Only Insurance describes auto insurance that will only cover you for damage done to third parties (I.e. people other than yourself). This is the minimum legal requirement and means that should you have a collision your insurance company will pay for the damage to other cars or property, but that you will have to pay to repair your own car. Third Party Fire and Theft offers the same service as Third Party Only Insurance, but will also pay for your car should it get stolen or burned. While this will mean you'll still have to pay for your own car should you have an accident, it also means that for not much more pre month you can have your car replaced by your car insurance should it get stolen (though this will be on a like-for-like basis as opposed to the new-for-old offered by fully comp).

Finally, fully comprehensive insurance will mean that you'll be covered for any damage you cause to your car and the third party in cases of an accident. Additionally you will be covered for fire and theft and will be provided with a newer car should yours get stolen. As an additional bonus, anyone with fully comprehensive insurance will be able to drive third party vehicles without being specifically insured on them which means you can borrow cars from friends and relatives.

Deciding on the car insurance for you will really depend on your budget as well as the price of the car you own. Obviously quotes for fully comp are significantly higher, but this is worth the extra expense if your car is worth a lot of money.