Best Car Insurance Australia

We analysed 40 comprehensive car insurance policies to help you find the best car insurance. Here’s our pick of the bunch, based on pricing, features and customer service.

How to find which car insurance is best in Australia?

The best car insurance fits your needs and budget, helps you in your time of need and pays out if the time comes.

Older or cheaper cars may need basic coverage, while others benefit from comprehensive policies with extras like roadside assistance and hire cars. Policy prices have risen in the last few days, so you've come to the right place to look for a better deal.

Here's a few terms to know before you get started:

  • Accidental damage is when someone else damages your car.
  • Agreed value is the payout you'll get if your car is totalled and can't be repaired. It's a predetermined amount set when purchasing the policy. Ideal for expensive or modified cars.
  • Market value is the payout for a totalled car, based on its pre-accident market price. This is riskier, since value changes daily. Best for cheaper cars or those who can afford to chip in savings for a new car, if the market value falls short of your expectations.
  • Legal liability refers to the amount you're covered for if you damage someone else's property. It starts at $20 million as standard.
  • Roadside assistance helps with breakdowns like flat tyres or dead batteries. Ideal for frequent travellers without nearby help.
Finder Score Roadside Assistance Accidental damage Agreed or market value

Best for customer satisfaction

Youi logo
Finder Score
Youi Comprehensive
Finder Award
Finder Score
Agreed or Market
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Why we like it

Youi received multiple national 2025 Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards across the Top Value, Customer Service, Easiest Claims and Most Recommended categories, proving highly favourable for many Australians.

Pros

  • It has an Australia-based customer service team, which is great for those who value a local presence.
  • The team is friendly and approachable. They're great at helping you understand parts of the policy you may not understand.

Cons

  • The quote process starts online but then a Youi representative calls you. This is frustrating for many who prefer to complete the quote online. This can only be avoided if you get a quote on Sundays or outside of their sales team hours (after 10:30pm on weekdays and 8:30pm on Saturdays).
  • If you're not willing to ask for a price reduction, the original quote can be more expensive than other popular insurers.

Best for value

Budget Direct logo
Finder Score
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Receive 15% off your first year's premium when you purchase cover online. T&Cs apply.
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Why we like it

Budget Direct remains one of the best-value car insurers on the market, taking home the 2026 Finder Award for Best Value.

Pros

  • It has a broad range of coverage options, allowing you to tailor your coverage as you need. This gives you more control over the overall cost of your premium.
  • New customers can get 15% off their comprehensive car insurance when they sign up online.

Cons

  • If price is your primary concern, there are cheaper policies available.

Best for bonuses

Qantas Car Insurance logo
Finder Score
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Bonus points offer: Earn up to 35,000 Qantas Points with every car insurance policy. Ends 1 April 2026. Plus save 15% on your 1st year’s premium when you purchase online. T&Cs apply.
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Why we like it

We picked Qantas car insurance for the points lovers category because it regularly runs promotions where points are up for grabs. With many loving to travel but struggling for the funds, the ability to earn points while spending on mundane insurance items is appealing.

Pros

  • Qantas's comprehensive policy offers a similar level of coverage to more expensive insurers, yet remains comparatively cheap.
  • It includes higher coverage limits than others like up to $1,500 for key replacement (others offer up to $1,000).
  • You can save 15% on your first year's premium when you purchase online. T&Cs apply.

Cons

  • If you choose to cancel your policy early, you may be charged a fee of $40. Some other policies don't charge you to cancel early.
  • If points aren't important to you then there are other, more well-known brands available for cheaper.
  • Its product disclosure statement (PDS) is split over 2 documents, creating unnecessary admin.

Best for price

Bingle logo
Finder Score
Finder Score
Market
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Why we like it

We picked Bingle Comprehensive as our top pick for the best price because it won a 2026 Highly Commended Finder award for Best Low Cost Car Insurance. It won this award because of all the quotes we gathered across 40+ car insurers in Australia, Bingle was among the cheapest.

Pros

  • Ideal for someone looking for a policy that only covers essentials, including accidental damage to their own car and others', cover against fires, theft and storm damage and other handy features.
  • Option to add-on various extras like access to a hire car after an accident (will cost extra).

Cons

  • It will cost you extra to pay monthly instead of annually, which can be tricky for those who can't afford the annual premium upfront.
  • Everything is online-only. There is no customer support centre to call. This can be difficult for those who prefer a phone call or physical store.

Best for features

Coles logo
Finder Score
Finder Score
Optional
Agreed or Market
Save 15% off your first year’s premium when you take out a new policy online. T&Cs apply.
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Why we like it

2026 Highly Commended Finder Award winner for Best Features, thanks to its unique cover benefits, including grocery replacement.

Pros

  • You can save 15% on your first year's premium when you buy a policy online. T&Cs apply.

Cons

  • It will cost you extra to pay your premium monthly or fortnightly, rather than one annual lump sum. Other insurers let you pay monthly at no extra cost.
  • If you want to cancel your policy early, it'll cost you $40. Other insurers don't charge a fee for this.
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Why you can trust our research

40 car insurance policies analysed

1,400+ car insurance quotes collected

300+ hours of research

How to negotiate a better deal on your car insurance

The best car insurance is often about finding a balance between a policy that covers all you need at a price you can afford.
The thing about insurers is, they don't expect you to negotiate or to even know that this is an option. The reality is, a lot of insurers are willing to negotiate on price, if you just ask the question. So, if you find a policy you like but it's a bit outside the budget, here's a script you can follow.

You: "Hi, I was looking at my car insurance premium and it's more expensive than I was expecting. I was wondering if there's any flexibility around that price? I've gotten a few other quotes elsewhere that are coming in cheaper."

Them: "Hello. No worries, let me see what we can do for you."

At this point, they'll typically transfer you to someone in sales.

Sales team: "Hi, I can see here that you'd like to see if we can do a better price for you on your car insurance premium. We can reduce this by around 7%. How does that sound?"

You: "That's excellent, thank you!"

Alternatively, if they're unwilling to budge on price then it's time to compare and switch. You can simply say: "That still doesn't fit within my budget, thank you for your time anyway".

Tried and tested tips

What to avoid when getting car insurance

Here's what I've learnt, as someone who compares policies for a living.

  • Don't assume being well-known = a good policy. Oftentimes, it's the smaller, lesser known brands that offer a great value policy. They charge less because they can't lean on their brand so much to get business, but they often cover more features.
  • Don't pay monthly without checking for fees. Some providers charge up to 15% more for you to pay monthly and by the end of the year, you end up dishing out hundreds more.
  • Don't overinsure your car. Comprehensive insurance is not mandatory and it's very expensive to hold, especially if you're paying more in insurance than your car is worth! Think about what you actually need based on the value and use of your car, and you ability to buy another .
    • Third party property damage: Does not cover damage to your own car so it's best for people with really old cars that aren't worth much and don't care if it gets damaged.
    • Third party fire and theft: Only covers your car from damage that arises from a fire or theft - you can be covered for up to around $10,000. So it's best for people with a vehicle under the value of $10,000.
    • Comprehensive: Covers your car for damage that arises due to accidents, fire, theft, storms and more. Great for those with higher value cars or those who couldn't afford to replace their car in the event of an accident.
How much are Aussies spending on car insurance?
Every month, we ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for car insurance. To show you how age impacts the cost of your monthly premium, we've broken these numbers down by generation. Here's what their bill looked like in February 2026.
  • Baby boomers: $105
  • Gen X: $120
  • Gen Y: $201
  • Gen Z: $185
Price based on 500+ responses about their monthly premium in February 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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.
Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 574 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living
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Co-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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