The best car insurance for you is one that gives you the amount of coverage you're looking for at a price you can afford. Car insurance is one of the biggest household bills in Australia with drivers spending an average of $1,363 on a policy. This is where Finder's car insurance experts come in — we've researched over 90% of the most popular car insurers in Australia and shortlisted 4 of the top policies to help you find the best car insurance for your needs. Our list is curated based on the following:
Customer satisfaction — We surveyed thousands of Australians to understand who they've had the best experience with. This policy is for drivers who prioritise customer service, features and benefits, ease of application and value for money.
Value for money — This policy offers ample coverage without breaking the bank. It's not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. It's good for drivers who want something cheap but effective.
Price — We got over 1,800 quotes from the most popular car insurance providers in Australia to find who offered the best price on average. This is for drivers who want a simple policy and prefer low cost over features.
Variety — We analysed policies from 35+ car insurance brands and found few that offered more than one comprehensive product. This policy is for the driver who likes lots of options to choose from.
Expert picks selected by Gary Ross Hunter – car insurance specialist
Best for customer satisfaction: Youi comprehensive car insurance
Youi car insurance is the editor's pick for customer satisfaction because it's highly rated for: customer service, features and benefits, ease of application and value for money. 93% of Australians surveyed said they'd recommend Youi car insurance to a friend.
Includes roadside assistance. It's the only car insurance provider out of 32 to do this.
Is willing to negotiate on price. Multiple Finder staff have called Youi and negotiated a cheaper car insurance policy than the one they were originally quoted.
Australian customers of Youi scored it 4.38/5 for customer satisfaction.
Youi roadside assistance only pays for the first 2 call-outs in a year.
You usually need to finalise your car insurance quote over the phone.
It can be more expensive than other insurers.
All comprehensive car insurance policies include cover for accidental damage, legal liability, theft and weather events. This table shows where policies often differ.
Provider
Average cost
Roadside assistance
Personal items
Locks & keys replacement
New car replacement
Customer satisfaction rating
Youi
$1,359
Included
Up to $750
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.38/5
AAMI
$1,218
Optional
Up to $1,000
Optional
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
NRMA
$1,043
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
N/A
Our average pricing is based on research of 1,800+ quotes from 30 insurers in Australia across 60 customer profiles. See our methodology.
Youi is the highest rated well known Australian car insurer by customers. It was voted by over 5,700 Australians as the best car insurer in the Finder Customer Satisfaction awards, scoring 4.38/5. We asked Australians across all major states (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA) for their opinion about their current car insurer. Each customer rated the insurer out of 5 for:
Features and benefits
Customer service
Value for money
Ease of application
We also looked at other popular review websites. Youi scored higher than any other large car insurer, including Budget Direct, NRMA, Allianz and AAMI. Additionally, Youi only received 103 complaints to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). By comparison, other very large insurers AAI Limited (AAMI), Insurance Australia Limited (NRMA), Allianz and QBE received much more – 935, 623, 275 and 177 respectively.
Free roadside assistance
Youi is the only insurer to automatically include roadside assistance when you take out a comprehensive car insurance policy. We could not find any other online insurer on the market that offered this benefit. You typically have to pay around $100 per year for roadside assistance cover.
We've outlined the key features of a Youi policy and included policies with similar benefits. Keep in mind, this is a snapshot only and the full product can only be understood by reading the product disclosure statement.
Best for value: Budget Direct comprehensive car insurance
Budget Direct car insurance is our best value pick because it's one of the cheapest comprehensive car insurers for all age groups. Despite that, it doesn't cut corners with its coverage. It also has a better customer service record than its main competitors.
It's cheap. The average policy costs $992 a year, according to our research – $371 less than average.
It doesn't compromise on cover. It's very similar to major insurers like NRMA, Allianz and AAMI.
High customer ratings. It scored highly in the Finder Customer Satisfaction awards (4.32/5) and on other popular review websites.
Budget Direct isn't the cheapest insurer. Bingle is cheaper – but it doesn't include as many benefits.
It has a $500 limit for stolen or damaged personal items. AAMI's is $1,000.
It's product disclosure statement (PDS) is split over 2 documents, creating unnecessary admin.
All comprehensive car insurance policies include cover for accidental damage, legal liability, theft and weather events. The table below shows how Budget Direct stacks up against 2 other popular insurers.
Provider
Average cost
Roadside assistance
Personal items
Locks & keys replacement
New car replacement
Customer satisfaction rating
Budget Direct
$992
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
AAMI
$1,218
Optional
Up to $1,000
Optional
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
NRMA
$1,043
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
N/A
Our average pricing is based on research of 1,800+ quotes from 30 insurers in Australia across 60 customer profiles.
Customer service: 4.2/5 ★★★★★
Value for money: 4.1/5 ★★★★★
Features and benefits: 4.1/5 ★★★★★
Recommend to friend: 4.6/5 ★★★★★
Ease of application: 4.3/5 ★★★★★
Based on 398 customer reviews taken from the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards.
It's an award winner
Budget Direct won the 2024 Finder Car Insurance Award for best value. To determine our winners, we got 1,800 quotes for 30 eligible comprehensive car insurance policies based on 60 different customer profiles.
Our experts then researched and rated a total of 814 features. The final score for the best value winner was based on a 30:70 split of the price and features score. Budget Direct came in first place because it offered similar cover to other insurers but at a lower price.
It's cheap
Budget Direct was cheaper than average across Australia. Despite this, it still offers a thorough policy that is competitive with much more expensive policies.
Customer reviews and AFCA complaints data
Australians rated Budget Direct 4.32/5 stars in the 2023 Finder Customer Satisfaction awards. This places it in the top 5 best rated car insurers of the 15 that were assessed. To determine these scores, we asked 5,787 Australians across all major states (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA) for their opinion about their current car insurer. Each customer rated the insurer out of 5 for:
Features and benefits
Customer service
Value for money
Ease of application
We also looked at external customer reviews. Budget Direct ranked higher than all other popular car insurer including NRMA, AAMI, Allianz and Coles. Only Youi is rated slightly higher.
Additionally, when looking at compliants data from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), Auto & General (which issues Budget Direct policies) received significantly less (706) complaints than AAMI, though it does have a smaller market share (meaning it's likely to get less complaints). AAI (which issues AAMI's policies) received the largest number of motor insurance-related complaints (1,698) during the most recent financial period.
We've outlined the key features of a Budget Direct policy and included policies with similar benefits. Keep in mind, this is a snapshot only and the full product can only be understood by reading the product disclosure statement.
Provider
Roadside assistance
Personal items
Locks & keys
New car replacement
Average cost
Budget Direct
Optional extra
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
$992
Virgin
Optional
$500
Yes
Yes - If your car is written off in the first 2 years or is under 40,000 km
$1,057
NRMA Comprehensive
Optional extra
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
$1,043
ahm
Optional
$500
Yes
Yes - If your car is written off in the first 2 years
$1,469
Coles
Optional
$500
Yes
Yes - If your car is written off in the first 2 years
Best for price: Bingle comprehensive car insurance
If you want a really cheap policy, Bingle car insurance is rarely beaten on price — as such, it won the 2024 Finder Car Insurance Award for low-cost. On average, it costs around $862. The catch? It covers the essentials (e.g. damage to your own car and others) but not much more.
Typically the cheapest comprehensive car insurer available.
It covers accidental loss or damage to your car, including theft and weather events.
Can cover ridesharing.
New for old car replacement isn't automatically included. Most comprehensive policies cover this.
It's online only with some customers complaining it is difficult to contact.
You can't choose your own repairer.
All comprehensive car insurance policies include cover for accidental damage, legal liability, theft and weather events. The table below shows where policies often differ. As you can see, Bingle is cheap because it doesn't cover you for as much. If you're not concerned about cover for these events, then it could be a good policy for you.
Provider
Average cost
Roadside assistance
Personal items
Locks & keys replacement
New car replacement
Customer satisfaction rating
Bingle
$862
No
No
Yes - limit not disclosed
Optional
N/A
AAMI
$1,218
Optional
Up to $1,000
Optional
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
NRMA
$1,043
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
N/A
Our average pricing is based on research of 1,800+ quotes from 30 insurers in Australia across 60 customer profiles.
Bingle won the Finder Car Insurance Award for low-cost. That's because it offers the cheapest comprehensive car insurance on average across Australia.
We selected this top pick based on over 1,800 quotes we collected for 60 different driver profiles ranging from 20 to 60 year-olds, across all major states. The car model we used for all quotes was a 2019 Toyota Corolla Ascent 4 Door Sedan.
We've outlined the key features of a Bingle policy and included policies with similar benefits. Keep in mind, this is a snapshot only and the full product can only be understood by reading the product disclosure statement.
NRMA car insurance offers two different comprehensive options and Veteran, Vintage and Classic Car Insurance cover. It's good if you want a trusted insurer (it's won Roy Morgan's most trusted insurer award since 2018) and the flexibility to choose from a range of options depending on your budget. Most insurers just have one comprehensive car insurance option.
$0 excess for glass damage with NRMA Comprehensive Plus – most insurers make you pay extra for this feature.
Lots of optional add-ons to help you adjust your price.
One of the only brands to offer vintage car cover.
There are at least 6 cheaper insurers according to our Finder Awards.
It has lots of negative online reviews.
The Vintage car insurance option won't cover you if you use the vehicle regularly.
All comprehensive car insurance policies include cover for accidental damage, legal liability, theft and weather events. This table shows where policies often differ.
Provider
Average cost
Roadside assistance
Personal items
Locks & keys replacement
New car replacement
Customer satisfaction rating
NRMA
$1,043
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
N/A
AAMI
$1,218
Optional
Up to $1,000
Optional
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
Budget Direct
$992
Optional
Up to $500
Up to $1,000
Yes - see PDS for limits
4.32/5
Our average pricing is based on research of 1,800+ quotes from 30 insurers in Australia across 60 customer profiles.
NRMA is one of the only major insurance providers to offer multiple comprehensive car insurance options. Typically, insurers only offer one level of cover. This makes it a good option for multiple budgets. It has also won Roy Morgan's most trusted brand in insurance award since 2018.
We've outlined the key features of a standard NRMA comprehensive policy and included policies with similar benefits. Keep in mind, this is a snapshot only and the full product can only be understood by reading the product disclosure statement.
Finder survey: Why do Australians have comprehensive car insurance?
Response
Peace of mind
68.73%
I want cover for damage to my own car
29.97%
I want lots of features
1.15%
Other
0.14%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023
Best rated car insurers
2023 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
★★★★★ 4.38/5
★★★★★ 4.36/5
★★★★★ 4.32/5
★★★★★ 4.32/5
★★★★★ 4.22/5
Finding the best car insurance
Why you can trust our research
90% of Australia's most popular car insurers analysed
5,700 customers surveyed
1,800 prices gathered
250+ hours of research
Written by experts
Editorially independent
Dougal's search for the best car insurance
I took 20-30 minutes to research other car insurance providers, put together a few quotes and went back to my existing provider to see if they'd negotiate. They were more than open to compete with the rest of the market, and marked down their initial price to one that justified staying with them. It's really surprising how much you can save when you put just a small amount of time aside to compare which options make the best car insurance for you.
You pay the same as buying directly from the car insurer. Better still, we regularly run exclusive deals that you won't find on any other site – plus, our tables make it easy to compare policies.
We're experts
Our team of car insurance experts have researched and rated dozens of policies as part of our Finder Awards and published 330+ guides to make it easier for you to compare.
We're independent
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by an insurer. That means our opinions are our own and we work with lots of car insurance brands, making it easier for you to find a good deal.
We're here to help
Since 2014, we've helped 300,000+ people find car insurance by explaining your cover options, simply and clearly. We'll never ask for your number or email. We're here to help you make a decision.
Frequently asked questions
No. Different policies will suit different people. It's more about comparing your options so you can find one which is right for you, at a price you can afford.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Budget Direct provides the best value policy for those located in Queensland. Keep in mind there is no universal best car insurance policy and your driver profile may differ to the one we used in our awards. To find the best car insurance policy for you, be sure to compare multiple quotes and read the PDS.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Hume Bank Comprehensive provides the best value car insurance for those in New South Wales. It ranked in first place for both value and features meaning pricing and comprehensivesness of the policy have been taken into account. Remember, there is no universal best car insurance as everyone's circumstances and needs are different. To find a car insurance policy that best fits your needs, be sure to compare multiple policies and read the PDS to understand what you're covered for.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Hume Bank Comprehensive provides the best car insurance for those in Victoria. Keep in mind, there is no universal best car insurance. Circumstances and needs differ from person to person and are based on a range of factors such as age, gender and location. To find the best deal for you, it's wise to compare multiple policies.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Youi is the best value comprehensive car insurance for drivers in South Australia. According to our research, it costs an average of $640 per year in SA.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Budget Direct is the best value comprehensive car insurance policy in WA. Our research indicates Qantas Comprehensive car insurance is the best car insurance policy for features in WA.
According to the 2023 Finder Awards, Budget Direct offers the best value comprehensive car insurance in Australia and Youi is the best for features. However, it's important to note that the criteria used to determine our award winners may be different to your own circumstances. Always read the PDS to understand if the price and features offered are best for your needs.
That'll depend on your personal details, but if you're looking for low-cost cover, try our guide on how to find the cheapest car insurance.
Gary Ross Hunter is 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).
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