We analysed 30+ car insurance policies — that’s almost the entire market — to find you the best picks of the bunch. These are the ones that rev us up.
Here's a few terms to know before you get looking.
Accidental damage is when someone else damages your car. Like in a car accident. Good for those who couldn't afford to replace or repair their car.
Agreed value is the payout for a totaled car, based on a predetermined amount set when purchasing the policy. Ideal for expensive or modified cars.
Market value is the payout for a totaled car, based on its pre-accident market price. Riskier since value fluctuates. Best for cheaper cars or those who are happy with the current market value of their vehicle.
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.
Our top pick for Best Customer Satisfaction Car Insurance: Youi Comprehensive
Pros
Youi won the 2024 Finder Award for Customer Satisfaction because its own customers rated it highly for; customer service, features & benefits, ease of application and trustworthiness.
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.
Accidental damage:
Fire and theft:
Storm:
Roadside assistance: $0 Hire car after theft: Limit not disclosed - Up to 14 days Personal effects: Up to $750 Agreed or market value: Agreed or Market
We picked Youi Comprehensive Car Insurance as our top pick for Customer Satisfaction because it won the 2024 Finder Award for Customer Satisfaction. To find the winner, customers of various providers across Australia were asked to rate their car insurer on the following:
Customer service
Features & benefits
Ease of application
Trustworthiness and reliability
Youi scored highly across all eligible states, therefore winning the national award.
Our top pick for Best Value car insurance: Budget Direct Comprehensive
Pros
It's cheap. The average policy costs $992 a year, according to our research — $371 less than the average cost of other comprehensive policies.
It doesn't compromise on cover, making it good value for money. It has similar coverage to more expensive insurers like NRMA, Allianz and AAMI, yet often remains cheaper.
If price is your primary priority then there are cheaper insurers available, but they don't cover as many benefits.
While it's a good value policy, there are other policies with more features and higher benefit limits. They cost more but can be a better fit for those who want higher coverage.
Accidental damage:
Fire and theft:
Storm:
Roadside assistance: $76.46 Hire car after theft: Up to $1,000 - Up to 14 days Personal effects: Up to $500 Agreed or market value: Agreed or Market
Budget Direct Comprehensive won the 2024 Finder Award for Best Value Car Insurance. To find our winner, we analysed policies from 30+ comprehensive car insurance providers and collected quotes across 6 different driver profiles. We used this information to understand what each policy offered and weighed that up with how much it costs. Given Budget Direct offers similar coverage to other more expensive brands, yet has a price point similar to those with less coverage - we determined it to be the Best Value policy for 2024.
Our top pick for Bonuses: Qantas Comprehensive Car Insurance
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.
Accidental damage:
Fire and theft:
Storm:
Roadside assistance: $89.95 Hire car after theft: Up to $1,000 - Up to 14 days Personal effects: Up to $750 Agreed or market value: Agreed or Market
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. This is because it can help with the affordability of travel while taking care of life admin tasks.
It covers the basics only which is how it stays so cheap. It's good for someone who needs the essentials only; cover for — accidental damage to their own car and others', cover against fires, theft and storm damage + a few other bits and pieces.
There's still the option to add-on various extras like access to a hire car after an accident. These will just cost extra.
*According to the driver profile used in our research. Your own quote will differ.
Cons
Given it's a bare bones policy, some with higher coverage needs may find it lacking. It's best for those who only want something simple.
It's managed entirely online. The policy, claims, complaints etc are all managed online only. There is no customer support centre to call. This can be difficult for those who prefer a phone call or physical store.
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.
Accidental damage:
Fire and theft:
Storm:
Roadside assistance: $0 Hire car after theft: Up to $50 per day - Until claim is completed Personal effects: Agreed or market value: Market
We picked Bingle Comprehensive as our top pick for the best price because it won the 2024 Finder Award for Low Cost Car Insurance. It won this award because of all the quotes we gathered across 30+ car insurers in Australia, Bingle was the cheapest.
Our top pick Best Features car insurance: Hume Bank Comprehensive
Pros
Hume Bank Comprehensive includes cover for everything you'd expect, plus a bit more. For example, it includes the following as standard:
Your choice of repairer - this means you can pick who repairs your car if it ends up in an accident.
Up to $3,000 in compensation for a hire car if your car is stolen - most other brands have a cap of $1,000 for this benefit.
Up to $1,000 in compensation for personal effects if your car is stolen, totaled or otherwise damaged. 'Personal effects' refers to the items inside your car at the time of an incident, like a laptop or tools. This is good to have if you're often driving with expensive items in your car.
In our research of 30+ comprehensive car insurance policies, available nationally, Hume Bank was in the top 10 cheapest providers. It's very competitively priced for what you get.
Hume Bank is underwritten by Allianz. This means the policies, claims and complaints are all processed by the same team. While this doesn't mean much for the purchasing of your policy, some people feel more at ease when smaller brands are parented by bigger, more reputable companies.
Cons
If price is your primary concern, there are cheaper policies available. But they won't cover as many features.
Roadside assistance is not available, you'd have to purchase it elsewhere if that's a feature you want.
Accidental damage:
Fire and theft:
Storm:
Roadside assistance: $0 Hire car after theft: Up to $100 per day - Up to 30 days Personal effects: Up to $1,000 Agreed or market value: Agreed or Market
Hume Bank Comprehensive won the 2024 Finder Award for Car Insurance with the Best Features. To find our winner, we analysed policies from 30+ comprehensive car insurance providers and scored them from best to worst. Those with more features and higher benefit limits got a higher rating than those without. From there, we collected quotes across 6 different driver profiles. We used this information to understand what each policy offered and weighed that up with how much it costs. Given Hume Bank Comprehensive offers better coverage than most other comprehensive providers, yet remains comparatively cheap — we determined it to be the Best Features winner for 2024.
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
"Look around for insurers who offer sign-up discounts – this can be a great way to save! Often, the sign-up discounts will only be available if you're a new customer but that's typically no problem if you're looking at switching providers. Some offer up to 15% off which can help you save around $100 in some cases."
"If you like the look of a specific policy but it's too expensive for you, check who the underwriter is. Brands with shared underwriters have identical policies but some brands are cheaper than others. This means you can enjoy the same policy at a more affordable price point. You can find a policy's underwriter with a simple Google search or look at the product disclosure statement."
"Good to know – if your windscreen is broken and that's the only thing that's been damaged, it's not always worth making an insurance claim. This is because your excess is usually more than the cost of the repairs. To avoid this, lots of insurers let you upgrade your cover to include no-excess windscreen cover. It'll usually cost you a couple more bucks a month which is substantially cheaper than paying for the repairs yourself."
There are a lot of dos and don'ts when it comes to car insurance. Here's what I've learnt, as someone who compares policies for a living.
Don't fall for the big brand names and assume being well known = a good policy. Oftentimes, it's the smaller, lesser known brands that have a great value policy. They charge less because they can't lean on their brand so much 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 an additional $100 or so. Thankfully, there are plenty of providers who let you pay monthly at no extra cost.
Don't overinsure your car. Insurance can be confusing and many people wrongly assume they must have comprehensive car insurance. Comprehensive insurance is not mandatory and it's very expensive to hold if you're paying more in insurance than your car is worth. Have a think about what you actually need based on the value and use of your vehicle.
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 March 2025.
Baby boomers: $106
Gen X: $127
Gen Y: $190
Gen Z: $161
Price based on 660+ responses about their monthly premium in March 2025.
Top 3 car insurance brands for customer satisfaction in 2024
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 2024, we asked Australians to rate their car insurer on value for money, features and benefits, ease of application and customer service. Of the insurers scored, these were the top 3. See our methodology for how each provider was scored.
Brand
Overall satisfaction rating
★★★★★ 4.44/5
★★★★★ 4.30/5
★★★★★ 4.19/5
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 2024 Finder Awards, Budget Direct car insurance 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 2024 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 2024 Finder Awards, Bidget Direct 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 2024 Finder Awards, Hume Bank car insurance is the best value comprehensive car insurance policy in WA.
According to the 2024 Finder Awards, Budget Direct offers the best value comprehensive car insurance in Australia and Hume Bank car insurance 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 cheap car insurance options, Bingle car insurance won the 2024 Finder car insurance award for low cost.
Yes, there are often deals and discounts available for car insurance. Typically, discounts are offered to new or switching customers.
The Big 4 insurance providers in Australia are IAG, Suncorp, QBE and Allianz. Collectively, according to Parliamentary of Australia data, these larger insurers make up approximately 74 per cent of the market.
NRMA (owned by IAG) has been recognised as the most trusted insurance brand, placing 9th in a muti-industry top 20, according to market research group Roy Morgan. RAC and RACQ – motoring clubs that also offer insurance – rank 17 and 20 respectively.
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 619 Finder guides across topics including:
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
Find out what car insurance options are available for rideshare drivers, including Ubers.
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