Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance Review: Pros and Cons

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Budget Direct was established in 2000, and since then has issued policies to more than three million Australians across its home, pet, travel and car insurance offerings. According to its website, its policies are underwritten by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited, an Australian insurance company regulated by APRA.

The comprehensive car insurance offering by Budget Direct  has won a slew of awards from industry bodies, including the Canstar’s National Outstanding Value Car Insurance Award for 17 years in a row.

The policy has received 3.8 stars on average from 8306 reviews on Product Review, and was ranked the sixth-best offering in our pick of the best comprehensive car insurance policies for Australians.

Details of Budget Direct’s Comprehensive Car Insurance policy are outlined below—from automatic inclusions and discounts to occasions where claims may be void.

Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance policyholders can choose between market value or agreed value, subject to eligibility.

Generally speaking, in the event of an accident the policy will cover:

Break ins, accidents, and after accident care

If you are involved in an accident that is not your fault, Budget Direct will provide a hire car while your car is un-driveable. In the event that a hire car cannot be located, you will be covered for a maximum daily limit of $75 for alternative transport.

Additionally, if an accident occurs that leaves your car in this un-driveable condition, towing and emergency transport are also automatically covered. This towing offering will be to either a repairer or storage, whereas transport is to the address where your car is normally parked (such as your house or workplace, should it be a work vehicle).

Where transport is not available, accommodation will be covered; the maximum daily limit of emergency accommodation is $200 per day up to a total of $,1000.

Any accidental damage that occurs to your car during this accident, or at any time, is also automatically covered by Budget Direct.

In terms of break-ins, your personal items are covered up to $500, while car seats are covered up to separate $500.

Will Budget Direct replace my car if it’s written-off?

Yes, Budget Direct will replace its comprehensive car insurance policyholder’s car in the event they are written-off. This inclusion is only available for new cars, however, with the cover valid in the first two years or 40,000 kms from the initial registration (whichever comes first).

Can I choose my own repairer?

It is not an automatic inclusion or standard offering of the Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance policy for customers to be able to choose their own repairer. Instead, customers can choose to add it onto the policy as an option if they wish to pay for it.

Is free roadside assistance included?

As is the case with the choice of repairer, free roadside assistance isn’t automatically included in the Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance policy. Instead, roadside assistance can be purchased separately.

Budget Direct Customer Service (aka How Easy is it to Make a Claim?)

Budget Direct gives its customers the choice of lodging a claim online via its online portal on its website, or over the phone. The online portal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, meaning you don’t have to wait for customer service hours.

Along with the claims phone line, Budget Direct also has a separate phone line for enquiries and a livechat feature.

As previously mentioned, Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance policyholders can choose to add a number of extras to their policy: such as roadside assistance and the ability to choose their own repairer, as well as the option to reduce their window glass excess.

Budget Direct doesn’t offer outright discounts for safe driving or driving less, but rather factors these concepts into your premium. The “safe driving” discount relates to those who don’t have a history of making claims: at Budget Direct, drivers are rated upon taking out a policy and can receive a discount up to 15% in the premium based on their ranking.

“Drive less, pay less” is another popular discount offered by car insurance policies for drivers that don’t use their car on a frequent basis. There is no specific discount for this within the Budget Direct insurance policy—instead, it is factored into the premium.

There is also a 15% discount currently available (for the first year of the policy) when the Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance policy is purchased online.