Budget Direct car insurance review

Budget Direct is one of the best-value car insurers on the market but it's not always the cheapest.

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You could score a 15% online discount from this Finder award winning car insurance offering from Budget Direct. Recently taking home the award for 'Car Insurance - Value' and getting Highly Commended in both the 'Car Insurance - Features' and 'Car Insurance Customer Satisfaction SA' - categories. Read on to find out whether this provider is for you.

Our verdict

Pros

  • Budget Direct's comprehensive car insurance policy won this year's Finder Award for value because it provides a similar level of cover to other insurers but at a lower price.
  • You get access to its hail alert service, Hail Hero.
  • You can get a 15% online discount on your first year's premium for a new policy purchased online.

Cons

  • You may be able to get a cheaper policy elsewhere e.g. Bingle.
  • It's legal liability limit is $20,000,000 while some other insurers, like Australia Post, offer higher limits at $30,000,000.
  • Budget Direct's comprehensive policy covers personal effects Up to $500 while other insurers like Youi cover Up to $750.
Taylor Blackburn 's headshot

"Budget Direct Car Insurance has been a great product to have for peace of mind. I have Third Party, Fire and Theft because I drive an older car (that I would replace if it were damaged or broke down) and the pricing has consistently been better than other options I've looked at. "

Taylor Blackburn
Finder crew member

How does Budget Direct compare with other car insurers?

As part of our 2024 car insurance awards, we compared 814 features and got over 1,800 quotes across 35+ comprehensive car insurance policies. Here's how Budget Direct performed next to other insurers.

Features

Product FCI Finder Score Choice of repairer New Car Replacement Roadside assistance Hail, storm and flood damage
Finder Score
Optional
  • If your car is written off in the first 2 years or is under 40,000kms
  • Optional
    Summary: The 2024 winner of our Best Value Car Insurance award. It's cheaper than most, plus you can lower costs by adding age restrictions.

    ⭐ Current offer: 15% off your first year's premium when you take out a policy online. T&Cs apply.

    Who it might be good for: Anyone who wants a good value policy.
    Finder Score
    Optional
  • If your car is written off or stolen in the first 2 years
  • Summary: One of the only insurers to automatically include roadside assistance. It also won 12 out of the 22 categories in Finder's 2024 customer satisfaction awards.

    Winner of 12 out of the 22 categories in Finder's 2024 customer satisfaction awards. Yes, that many.
    Finder Score
    Optional add-on
    Summary: Our data shows it’s the cheapest comprehensive policy. It just covers the basics such as damage to your car, theft and storms – it doesn’t go in for add-ons and extras.

    Who it might be good for: Those wanting a low-cost, no-frills policy.
    Finder Score
  • If your car is written off or stolen in the first 2 years
  • Finder’s summary: Allianz is good if you want agreed value (this lets you agree on an amount to cover your car for. For a big insurer, it also has a strong customer service record.

    Who it might be good for: Anyone who wants good customer service and agreed value cover.
    Finder Score
    Optional
  • If your car is written off in the first 2 years
  • Finder Score
  • If your car is written off or stolen in the first 2 years
  • Optional
    Summary: AAMI's comprehensive policy includes cover for legal modifications and accessories and up to $20 million cover for damage to other people's property. Optional extras like windscreen and window glass cover is also available.

    ⭐ Current offers: Save $50 when you buy a new comprehensive car insurance policy online. T&Cs apply.

    Who it might be good for: Safe drivers can benefit from the AAMI Safe Driver Rewards® program.
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    Finder Score for car insurance

    We analyse over 100 car insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we get out the other end is a nice round number between 1 and 10 to help you start comparing.

    To make sure we're comparing apples with apples, we collect quotes for 8 different personas, then work out the value of 19 different car insurance features. Our team then does some fancy maths to get the Finder Score, taking both price and features into account.

    Read the full Finder Score methodology

    Price

    Keep in mind car insurance prices are based on multiple factors such as where you live, your age and the car you drive – so costs may differ for you.

    InsurerNSWQLDSATASVICWAAustralia averageApply
    Budget Direct Logo$1,148$941$978$829$1,180$880$992Get quote
    youi$1,640$1,307$1,087$1,155$1,599$1,363$1,359Get quote
    Bingle car insurance logo$935$872$724$726$1,156$761$862More info
    NRMA logo$2,027$1,154$1,038$1,004N/A$1,034$1,043More info
    AAMI$1,884$1,106$1,015$985$1,318$1,002$1,218More info

    About our car insurance methodology

    Customer Satisfaction rating

    Each year, our experts and insights team asks Australians to score their car insurance provider. As part of the Car Insurance Customer Satisfaction Awards for 2023, we asked over 5,700 Australians to rate their car insurer on value for money, features and benefits, ease of application and customer service. Of the 15+ insurers scored, these were the top 5. See our methodology for how each provider was scored.
    Brand Overall satisfaction rating
    Youi car insurance ★★★★★ 4.38/5
    Everyday car insurance ★★★★★ 4.36/5
    AAMI car insurance ★★★★★ 4.32/5
    Budget Direct car insurance ★★★★★ 4.32/5
    QBE car insurance ★★★★★ 4.22/5

    What do Australians think of Budget Direct roadside assistance?

    • 3.97/5 overall for Customer Satisfaction — lower than the average of 4.31, and this was the lowest score in the category
    • 3.96/5 for Trust — lower than the average of 4.52, and this was the lowest score in the category
    • 3.99/5 for Customer Service — lower than the average of 4.33, and this was the lowest score in the category

    Based on Budget Direct roadside assistance scores in Finder's 2024 Customer Satisfaction Awards.

    What are you covered for?

    Budget Direct's comprehensive car insurance policy offers a wide range of included coverages, and other add-ons.

    • Vehicle damage: If you're ever involved in a crash, you'll be covered for repairs or a new vehicle. This cover extends to things like theft, intentional damage from a break-in, fire, floods and storms.
    • >Vehicle towing: If your car is stolen or in an accident, Budget Direct will pay to recover your car and tow it to the nearest authorised storage location.
    • Transport or accommodation: If you can't drive your car home, Budget Direct will cover the costs to get you home, or arrange for accommodation if transport can't be organised.
    • Child seat protection: Baby seats aren't cheap, so Budget Direct will pay up to a certain cost for any capsules that are in your car at the time of the incident.

    What additional cover options are available?

    • Restricted driver discounts. Receive a discount on your premium by restricting the youngest driver of your car. You can choose to restrict the youngest driver age to either 21, 25, 30, 40 or 50.
    • Roadside assistance. Don't want to be stranded on the side of the road with a flat battery or tyre? You might want to take out roadside assistance cover.
    • Hire car. Get your hire car costs reimbursed if your car is stolen or in an accident.
    • Windscreen excess reduction. Choose to reduce your windscreen excess by adjusting your premium.
    • Choice of repairer: If you have a garage or smash-repairer of choice, you can choose to add on "Choice of repairer" so you can have your car fixed by the business of your choice.

    Compare Budget Direct policies

    Product FCI Accidental damage Roadside assistance Fire and theft New Car Replacement Hire car after theft
    Optional
  • If your car is written off in the first 2 years or is under 40,000kms
  • Up to $1,000 - Up to 14 days
  • Summary: The 2024 winner of our Best Value Car Insurance award. It's cheaper than most, plus you can lower costs by adding age restrictions.

    ⭐ Current offer: 15% off your first year's premium when you take out a policy online. T&Cs apply.

    Who it might be good for: Anyone who wants a good value policy.
    Optional
  • Up to $1,000 - Up to 14 days
  • Save 15% on your first year's premium when you purchase a new policy online. T&Cs apply.
    Optional
  • ⭐ Current offer: Save 15% on your first year's premium when you purchase a new policy online. T&Cs apply.

    Who it might be good for: Drivers who only want cover for damage to another person’s vehicle and up to 15% off your first year.
    Optional
  • If your car is written off in the first year or is under 20,000 km
  • Up to $1,000 - Up to 14 days
  • Save 15% on your first year's premium when you purchase a new policy online. T&Cs apply.
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    Deal

    15% online discount on car insurance

    Receive 15% off car insurance when you purchase cover online.

    Finder Awards badge

    Congratulations, Budget Direct!

    Budget Direct received the following awards in the 2024 Product Awards and the 2024 Customer Satisfaction Awards:

    • 'Car Insurance - Value' - Winner
    • 'Car Insurance - Features' - Highly Commended
    • 'Car Insurance - National & SA' - Loved Brand (Highly Commended)
    • 'Car Insurance - National & SA' - Quality Service Brand (Highly Commended)
    • 'Car Insurance - NSW, QLD, SA &WA' - Value Brand (Highly Commended)
    • 'Car Insurance - SA' - Trusted Brand (Highly Commended)

    FAQs about Budget Direct car insurance

    Compare other products from Budget Direct

    Jason Loewenthal's headshot
    To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Jason Loewenthal as part of our fact-checking process.
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    Written by

    Publisher of Insurance

    Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio

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    Co-written by

    Editor, Insurance

    Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

    Gary Ross's expertise
    Gary Ross has written 648 Finder guides across topics including:
    • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
    • Managing the cost of living

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    2 Responses

      Default Gravatar
      MSeptember 7, 2024

      Do you have any insurers that cover caravan insurance?

      Thanks

        AvatarFinder
        SarahSeptember 9, 2024Finder

        Hi MJ,

        Yes, you can review some options here.

        Hope this helps!

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