We analyse and rate 94 key elements of car insurance policies to come up with the overall policy score. To make the cut, a policy needs to have scored at least three out of five points in two thirds of the areas we’ve rated. We review a lot of policies, and our Best Buy recommendation recognises the individual products that stood out as being the most comprehensive in our analysis. Maybe – we’re fans of the cover offered by its top policies, but we have some concerns about its service.
We’ve also surveyed 170 Direct Line customers who’ve claimed on its policies. A good option if you’re looking for affordable comprehensive protection that covers the essentials. Now, Direct Line offers a wide range of cover for car insurance, home insurance, pet insurance and more. Modified parts can be hard or expensive to replace, and cars with mods are more likely to be stolen. We’re not suggesting you downsize your car if it’s not practical, but the size of your car and its engine are things we consider when we calculate your quote. Industry trends This could include higher prices for parts and labour, patterns in car theft and the types of claims being made.
What else do Direct Line offer?
Regulatory changes These are changes the Government makes, such as larger payouts or removing legal costs for specific claims. No matter what your age, safe drivers could save money at renewal with our DrivePlus telematics technology. If your keys are lost or damaged, we’ll cover the cost to replace them. If you can’t drive after an accident and you need to stay in a hotel, we’ll help myvip casino cover those costs. We’ll pay if your clothes or belongings are damaged due to a fire, theft, or accident. If you’re involved in a car crash and you’re unable to drive your car, we’ll arrange a taxi to take you, your passengers, pets and belongings to one destination in the UK.
- See what else is included with our three comprehensive cover levels below.We also offer Third Party, Fire and Theft.
- These extras are optional, so it’s up to you what you include.
- Where you live Some areas are riskier than others, and accidents are more likely if you live in an area with relatively high traffic levels.
- Crime rate A spate of crimes resulting in more car insurance claims could result in higher premiums to reflect the risk level of your car’s location.
- We’ve also surveyed 170 Direct Line customers who’ve claimed on its policies.
- You can drive other cars as long as you have permission from the vehicle owner.
What does Direct Line car insurance cover?
Driver age and experience On average, experienced drivers are less likely to have an accident than newer drivers. We assess how important different policy elements are to drivers when choosing and using car insurance, and weight different areas of cover accordingly. Direct Line offers a discount if you insure multiple cars with it, but the size of this discount varies. The average customer and claims scores were 76% and 75%.
Car cover levels only available from us direct
Having more drivers on an insurance policy may push the cost up depending on their driving history, age, points, convictions and claims history. Personal details Your address, driving license info, previous claims and other named drivers on your policy. If you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver that isn’t your fault, we’ll protect your claim-free years and also cover your excess. However, providers can’t be Best Buys if there’s evidence – either from our surveys or from Financial Conduct Authority data – of poor service or a poorer-than-average record of paying claims. It also scored 74% when assessed specifically for its claims service (joint 8th out of 14). Type of vehicle you drive Your car’s value, engine size and desirability could increase the risk of it being stolen or the cost of it being repaired.
Direct Line: how can I claim?
With Comprehensive Plus it’s 24 months. It was among the top 10 policies we reviewed, with a score of 69%. Of the six Direct Line policies we reviewed, its Comprehensive Plus policy did best in our analysis. See how this compares with the best car insurance, or read more about how we rate car insurance. We’ve reviewed all six of these Direct Line policies. Direct Line has been one of the biggest names in car insurance since it launched in 1985 as the first insurance provider to offer policies exclusively by phone.
As they’re online products, you’ll manage everything to do with your policy online. These extras are optional, so it’s up to you what you include. You can also tailor your policy with optional extras to suit how and when you drive. “Easy process to insure my vehicle – great price for a great policy” “Taking out the car insurance was easy to do and price was very competitive.”
We asked Direct Line customers who have recently made a claim how they felt about their car insurance. However, its lack of admin fees for mid-term policy adjustments, personal accident cover of £10,000 and generous no-claims discount protections were highlights in our analysis. The cover provides protection against legal liability for death or bodily injury to a third party and damage to third party property. When overall levels of traffic change, the number of claims can change too. Crime rate A spate of crimes resulting in more car insurance claims could result in higher premiums to reflect the risk level of your car’s location.
You’ll need your policy number and documents, your vehicle registration and your crime reference number, if applicable. Direct Line’s Essentials policy scored 55%, and its Essentials Online scored 53%. ‘-‘ represents where we have insufficient sample size (less than 40) to generate a star rating. However, another customer wasn’t so satisfied, stating that they had to ‘constantly chase information’ about a claim. Direct Line earned a customer score of 74% which puts it in 9th place in our table of 12 car insurance providers. These are Premium Online (which scored 67%), Standard Online (65%) and Essentials Online (53%).
Why choose Direct Line car insurance?
- Your car details Your car’s registration number (or its make, model and year), as well as its value, purchase date and annual mileage.
- If you’re involved in a car crash and you’re unable to drive your car, we’ll arrange a taxi to take you, your passengers, pets and belongings to one destination in the UK.
- However, there are restrictions to this benefit such as age (must be over 25 at policy inception / renewal date) and occupation.
- Policy start date An inaccurate or change in start date may affect your premium.
- The cover provides protection against legal liability for death or bodily injury to a third party and damage to third party property.
If you use your garage, you’ll still get a hire car for up to 21 days consecutively. We’ve got a special van insurance quote journey to help you get the best cover for your vehicle. We’ll help if either you or your partner are injured or killed in a car accident. There are restrictions to this benefit, such as age (must be over 25 at policy start / renewal date) and occupation. You’ll get a replacement car at no extra cost for the duration of your car’s repair if it’s being fixed by one of our approved repairers. See what else is included with our three comprehensive cover levels below.We also offer Third Party, Fire and Theft.
Modified cars might look great and may improve your car’s performance, but they’re usually more expensive to insure. However, you do need to take your insurance certification with you to prove you have vehicle insurance Yes, policyholders can add temporary additional vehicles to their policy for up to a maximum of 90 days in a period of cover. The cover is limited to third party only and should be viewed as emergency cover. However, there are restrictions to this benefit such as age (must be over 25 at policy inception / renewal date) and occupation. Traffic levels The level of traffic on UK roads will change over time, influenced by things like the cost of petrol.