At the moment I´m wading through the various offers from the different insurance companies for the xyz insurances I need or don´t need (Mark has given some good advice on that!) and guess the answer to my question is buried in the forum here somewhere but thought to make a new thread specifically related to this as I´m sure it will be useful to others and may save you some dosh and heartache in the future.

Almost all the quotes for the various insurances I´ve received are for 5 years. But is it obligatory you take it for 5 years or can you insist on a 1 year contract. If you can, are you likely to have higher premiums for taking a 1 year contract or should it be the same?

You'll find the answer to this on the Comparis site here. Also click on Switching Insurers which will clarify the situation. There is also an A to Z which has a lot of info.
You could contact Jenny who is a member of this forum for a quote.