When it's almost time to renew your car insurance for your Ford S-Max, you will receive a renewal notice from your insurance company. If you would like to stay with your current company on your current policy, then you simply need to let your insurer know.

But, there are a couple of reasons why you might not choose to renew, and look at switching to a different company instead. This may be because you feel that you may get better customer service somewhere else, because you feel that you could get cheaper premiums somewhere else, or, quite possibly, both.

The Ford S-Max is not one of the cheaper cars on the market. Its insurance group, depending on model and version, could be as low as insurance group 14 to as high as 27, considerably pricier than more affordable, group 1-5 cars.

There are various steps you can take in order to lower the cost of your premiums. You can take advantage of no-claims discounts, add security features, pass certain driving tests, or even let a black box monitor your driving. But one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce your premiums will be to sign up for a new policy with a different insurer.

The best ways to get quotes and compare car insurance are:

1. Go online

You can pull up several quotes online by going to one of the many price comparison sites and inputting some basic information about you and your car. Try not to rely on just one site, as they may have information from different insurers, or have slightly different ways of calculating your expected premiums. Here are a couple of good websites to check out:

• parkerscompare.parkers.co.uk

• switch.com/car-insurance

Make sure that the details you provide are as accurate as possible; otherwise you may end up receiving incorrect quotes. Be diligent in making sure that the site is not making assumptions about you, and select any add-ons that you may be interested in, or your quote will come out much cheaper than what you really need.

2. Use a broker

If you find the process confused or are worried that you're not finding the absolute cheapest deals available, then you can choose to use a broker. Brokers are great because they won't try to sell you anything that isn't the best deal for you. They can point out important differences between prospective policies and help you with your decision.

3. Call the insurance companies directly

Calling several insurance companies to get a quote is likely to be your slowest strategy, and will give you a smaller view of the market as a whole. The one bonus of this strategy is that, by calling insurance companies directly, you may be able to receive cheaper rates than online. It could compel the insurer, who wants you as a customer, to offer attractive deals in order to get you signed up right away.

4. Combine these methods

You don't have to limit yourself to just one of these three ways of getting car insurance quotes. If you really need to lower your premiums, then be proactive and try to use them all. Carry out an online comparison and get a broker to double check your findings and offer you their own suggestions. Have them take a closer look at deals that you were seriously considering.

You can also find a handful of deals first and then call up each insurer to see if they will actually offer you the online quote based on the details you give them over the telephone, and if you can't perhaps get it for even cheaper.

What if you want to cancel your policy before the renewal date?

What happens if your renewal date hasn't come along and you are already having a hard time paying your premiums? Should you switch to a better deal even if it would incur a cancellation fee?

Chances are that your cancellation fee would negate the savings you might make from switching to a new policy, but it is never a bad idea to take out a calculator and double check. If you already have a policy picked out, then you can calculate how much you could save by switching today. If it is less than the cancellation fee, then you will save money and should switch. But, if it is more, then you should wait until your renewal notice comes around.