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Budget Direct Car Insurance

Budget Direct Car Insurance

 Verifiedbudgetdirect.com.au
Budget Direct Car Insurance
3.6

9,481 reviews

Positive vs Negative
71%29%
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Claim Resolution Time
  • <1 hour
  •  · 
  • <1 day
  •  · 
  • <1 week
  •  · 
  • 1-2 weeks
  •  · 
  • 3-4 weeks
  •  · 
  • 1-2 months
  •  · 
  • 3+ months
Claim ApprovedYes · No
Customer Service
3.6
Timeliness
3.5
Job Satisfaction ?
3.2
Transparency ?
3.4
Value for Money
3.7
4 DKS  · Quick process and reasonable price considering the number of drivers listed.
5 Carmen  · Very happy with the service I received over the phone. And very easy to set up .
5 leonor s.  · I have no problems with your website, easy to find the information. I talked to a staff member who was very very nice and efficient
5 ozboy1935  · Straightforward procedure to check product and choose car insurance cover.
5 Rylee  · The policy works super well for me, but the service from Jewel was so brilliant. Felt so supported by them, thank you so much!
5 Brett  · Been with Budget Direct for well over 10 years now and they are by far the best on pricing and service. The other companies cannot compete.
Scott R.
Scott R.
  Comprehensive

Budget direct in my experience has been great. Unfortunately I had a car accident and it was a write off many years ago and budget direct were quick in acting on my case. I was still laying in my hospital bed when I was contacted by the assessor and was told it was a write off and they were very quick in giving me an answer and a VERY FAIR PRICE. I’ve been with budget direct since the mid teens in the 2000. I Highly Recommend Budget Direct. Show details ·  1

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Lol
LolWA
  Comprehensive

Obtaining the quote was quick & easy online. Finalising by phone was efficient & completed easily. The whole process was straightforward. The insurance was competitively priced & the staff were helpful, knowledgeable & efficient. Show details ·  1

Ask the reviewer
Pilar
PilarSA
  Gold Comprehensive

Worst insurance experience I have ever had. My vehicle was involved in an accident while I was travelling with my two children. Nearly 3 months later, I still do not have my car. Throughout this claim I have experienced: Poor communication- Disclosure information about my policy Constant delays Different information from different departments… Read more

Repeated promises of callbacks that never happened Having to chase updates myself A complaint that was closed before the matter was resolved

Initially I was told my vehicle may be a total loss. Later it was approved for repairs. After major repairs, including transmission work, I was advised there were still mechanical issues and error codes requiring further assessment.

What concerns me most is that I was never clearly informed of all my policy entitlements after the accident, including accommodation and transport assistance. As a result, I have spent months trying to manage without my vehicle while caring for my children.

The matter has been escalated to AFCA, I am still waiting for payment, written reports, and a final resolution.

After almost 3 months without my vehicle, I expected much better communication, transparency and customer service.

Based on my experience, this has been an extremely disappointing claims process.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Pilar. I appreciate you posting this feedback… Read more

Reviews with attachments

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michael
michael
  Comprehensive

Great Value and great service would definitely recommend budget direct Show details ·  1

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Jane
JaneSA
  Comprehensive

Consultant was very helpful and set me up with the insurance i needed Show details ·  1

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Lorraine
LorraineNSW
  Comprehensive

Firstly, importantly, quoted price cheaper than 2 competitors by 25%. I needed to phone back to ask what the actual market value was. Phone answered promptly (a happy surprise) consultant asked identifying questions & promptly told me a very good market value. Show details ·  1

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Karen Clark
Karen Clark
  Comprehensive

Policy was great value. It was easy to set up.  Show details ·  1

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Nicholas
NicholasNSW
  Verified Comprehensive

My Experience so far with Budget Direct has been excellent. Setting up my comprehensive car insurance was straight forward and hasell free. Had a claim recently put in for damage caused to my driver's side mirror. I found all the staff involved with my claim to be thorough, professional, and well mannered. The damage got repaired 10 days after making the claim, which I have thought it was impressive. Thank you Budget Direct, thumbs up from me. Show details ·  1

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Elli
ElliVIC2 posts
  Comprehensive

My first time with this co. Received fairly good price for car insurance. Show details ·  3

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Jason
JasonVictoria
  Verified Gold Comprehensive

Quick and easy phone call The agent was polite helpful and very good at their job. 10 out of 10 This is my third policy so Budget Direct must be doing something right. Show details ·  1

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Louise G
Louise GNSW3 posts
  Comprehensive

We have all our insurances with you after a bad experience with Coles price rise with no claim we are so happy we changed to you Show details ·  1

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Sohaila A.
Sohaila A.
  Verified Third Party Property Only

Thanks for your help and looking forward to help us in future as well. Show details

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Sohaila. Thank you for taking the time to leave… Read more

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amazen h.
amazen h.NSW3 posts
  Comprehensive

They truly are a scam company. I habe never claimed an insurance in my life but when someone knocked the bumper from behind they said it's 50/50 and they said excess applies. Stay away from these scammers for motor vehicle and car insurance Show details

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Thank you for taking the time to provide a review… Read more (+2 replies)

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James D.
James D.QLD6 posts
  Comprehensive

Wasted a lot of time today and yesterday trying to update my debit card. No warning on their website that their system is down. Just found this out by speaking with staff today who said it's been like this for 2 days. Prompt kept asking for a valid expiry date when entering the correct date. Then got an SMS saying I was late with my direct debit… Read more

payment. Well, that's because your system is hopeless and you're not decent enough to have a warning on your website alerting people to this. You think your time is more valuable; it isn't. I'm finding someone else.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hello James. Thank you for taking the time to post… Read more

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Arash M.
Arash M.NSW2 posts
  Gold Comprehensive

I have not purchased this insurance and will not. for benefit of public, people please be aware of the fradulent scam Budget Direct is running. attached are two screenshots, first of their Gold PDS part B and second of their website. you can clearly see that they are fradulantly lying on the quote generation of their website about the 21 days… Read more

Accident Car Hire while their PDS is stating 14 days car hire. I'm fairly certain this is illigal. I recommend you to stay clear of this company

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Arash. Thank you for taking the time to provide… Read more

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Valdas B.
Valdas B.3 posts
  Verified Comprehensive

Extremely Disappointing Experience with Budget Direct My accident happened on 6 August 2025 — a truck drove into my stationary parked car. I contacted Budget Direct immediately. What followed has been over six months of frustration. There was constant miscommunication between departments. Every time I called, no one seemed to know what was going… Read more

on with my claim. I had to chase updates myself because nobody took ownership.

I informed them in advance that I would be overseas on a pre-planned holiday, yet they continued sending correspondence while knowing I was not in the country. The assessment process took weeks. The repairer they appointed said repairs would take months. I was also told they intended to use non-genuine parts on my two-year-old car — which I strongly disagreed with.

After five months, I finally got my car back. However, the repair was incomplete — the inside was not properly painted. I raised this immediately. Months passed with no reassessment. The repairer refused responsibility, and Budget Direct eventually told me to take the matter to Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

Over 193 days later, this is still unresolved. In my experience, Budget Direct does not care about their customers once the policy is sold. The delays, poor communication, and lack of accountability have been extremely stressful.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to… Read more

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Aimee W.
Aimee W.QLD
  Comprehensive

I am currently in an unresolved dispute with Budget Direct following authorised repairs to my vehicle. The core issue is that I did not receive what was quoted and authorised, and the insurer has been unable to provide evidence that I did. The approved repair quote specified new replacement parts. However, the vehicle was returned with components… Read more

that appear repaired or reused, including panels that show signs of panel beating rather than replacement. Despite repeated requests, I was not provided with a repair report, itemised invoice, part numbers, or confirmation that new parts were supplied. The vehicle was also returned with ongoing and worsened issues, including electrical faults and alignment problems. When I raised concerns that the completed work did not align with the authorised quote, I was told I would need to fund independent diagnostics myself to establish causation — even though the insurer authorised and paid for the repairs without verifying completion. They have also left the responsibility of sourcing these invoices and reports on myself, rather than them as the customer who paid the bill to source these. This has left me with a vehicle that I cannot reasonably say was restored to pre-loss condition, and an insurer that appears unable to demonstrate that the quoted new-part repairs it paid for were actually delivered. This matter is now with AFCA. Based on my experience, I would strongly caution anyone with a complex claim to consider whether they are comfortable proceeding without clear proof that authorised new parts and repairs will actually be provided

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hello Aimee. I appreciate your feedback and can am… Read more

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Reviewer
Reviewer2 posts
  Verified Comprehensive

I am writing this to warn anyone thinking of joining Budget Direct: Don't do it. My experience following a minor accident in mid-October has been a disaster from start to finish. 1. The "Online" Lie & Poor Communication Their website is full of technical errors. I couldn't lodge my claim online and was forced to call. Since I work full-time, I… Read more

asked them to contact me via email. They ignored this and kept calling during business hours when I couldn't answer. They clearly do not care about their customers' time.

2. Lazy and Conflicting Staff The staff are untrained and inconsistent.

The Odometer Issue: I needed to update my odometer. The first agent (a female) refused to help, insisting I use an email link that she never sent (and old links were expired). When I called back, a male agent updated it manually in 10 seconds. The first agent simply didn't want to do her job.

The Claim Status: The first agent told me my claim was approved and I just needed to go to the repairer. Weeks later, I found out approval was stalled because of "missing information." I had to restart the process because the first agent lied or didn't check properly.

3. Unacceptable Delays (3 Months!) I lodged my claim in mid-October. Due to their internal delays and failure to notify me or the repairer, my car is not scheduled to be fixed until January 19th. That is a 3-month wait. They do not provide a rental car for this delay, so if my car wasn't drivable, I would have been stranded.

4. The Cancellation Trap After this horrible service, I decided to cancel my policy. I tried to do it online, but their system blocked me and required a phone call to finalize it. This is a cheap tactic to stop you from leaving. Since it is the holiday period and their offices are closed, I am literally unable to cancel my policy.

They make it hard to claim, hard to fix your car, and impossible to leave. Avoid this company.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or… Read more

Latest follow-ups

Vanessa
VanessaSA4 posts
  Comprehensive

Signing up to to budget direct for our car insurance was so much easier than I had anticipated, we did it all over the phone and it was very straightforward. We found them to be the cheapest car insurance for what we needed. Show details ·  1

 Follow-up  · We spent quite some time researching other providers and found budget direct to be the cheapest, the customer service was very good and it was surprisingly such a simple easy and smooth process.

Harshil P.
Harshil P.VIC3 posts
  Fair Incentive Verified Comprehensive

Very poor experience. Claim took too long and was rejected even after I provided all documents and accepted fault. No support, no clear communication. Left me without a car and unable to work during a cost of living crisis. Extremely unfair and disappointing. Show details

 Follow-up  · 1 month with out car. Just I am waiting for claim review. They always say it was under review. Reason was right. I accepted in first time when they ask and I sent documents they need in 2 days. If I accepted than why they took long. I use my car some time in Uber. But they took long to say that. I can understand but here everyone need car 1 week… Read more

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Harshi, thank you for taking the time to provide… Read more (+2 replies)

Shaun
Shaun2 posts
  Comprehensive

My policy went up about 20% after three years that’s not a lot of love, open a new policy on-line you get a deal, be loyal you end up bent over, maybe i shop around my next renewal. Thanks Show details

 Follow-up  · I was contacted by the insurance company suggesting I contact them regarding a better deal. Im still struggling with the fact that a new policy holder gets all the perks where loyal customers get no love.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hello Shaun. I'm sorry you have been disappointed… Read more

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Positive reviews

Sam
Sam4 posts
  Gold Comprehensive

The online quote was quick and easy and didn’t require a follow up phone call. The price was the best by far. No brainer. Great value. And the ability to edit and or update online makes for less hassle. Show details ·  1

Andy F
Andy F2 posts
  Comprehensive

It was all pretty simple. I had a question and a human being actually spoke with me and the phone was answered in quick time. It's called customer service, something in this country is rapidly disappearing. Well done Show details ·  1

David A.
David A.
  Gold Comprehensive

I have been using Budget Direct for years, and honestly I’ve had 0 issues with them and they have been nothing but great and easy. Claim was easily resolved, communication throughout the claim was excellent and they are really great value when it comes to the policies they offer Show details ·  1

Negative reviews

Maryann
Maryann
  Comprehensive

Look I’ve taken out insurance with you and am paying $65 a month however I thought you would send me a green slip as my car is due for registration next week and have herd nothing from you  Show details

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hello Maryann. I'm happy to look into the policy… Read more

Jordan K.
Jordan K.
  Comprehensive

The claims experience post accident The claims experience post my motorcycle crash has been one of the most drawn out and tedious experiences I have had with any insurer. After weeks in hospital following my accident, the last thing I needed was the frustration of dealing with an insurer. Paying a premium to a company means they need to come to… Read more

the game with their services when required.

After a week or so of finding out where my bike even was after being towed, I was told by an inspector it would be written off, but it was my job to look up the market value by comparing local sales. Pretty sure that's their job. A week or so went on to which I receive a text from a repair shop. Odd given I was expecting a write off, following this up I learnt Budget failed to advise me on their decision to send the bike for repair review.

Expressing concerns over this lack of communication we are now 2 months post accident and I am still without a vehicle and Budget push the responses to come from the repairer. Im not concerned about the repair time as I understand parts require ordering, I am concerned about the lack of input from my insurer and the customer follow up.

I had followed up for pay out of personal effects that only was done now 2 months post submission and should have been issued when the bike was sent for repairs. To which I also forgot to mention I had no agreement on, it would be unlikely for me to have declined repair as I need my bike, but I didnt verbally agree or sign my vehicle to be handed over to who it went to.

It is our responsibility as customers to click every additional add on box for rental car, specific goods, values etc etc. Beware that they are only budget due to gutting all the life out of a policy that you're left with bare minimum and quite frankly defeats the purpose as insurance isnt to be left better or worse but to get you back to where you were.

I honestly feel I am worse off after this claim with minimal compensation.

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Jordan. Thank you for taking the time to write… Read more

Jonathan C.
Jonathan C.6 posts
  Comprehensive

A customer of budgetdirect went into the back of me, they admitted liability but refuse to get our car fixed. Whenever you call you're on hold or transferred among teams and they say they'll get back to you but never do. Claim #118524163. After publishing the review they got in touch and booked me with a repairer who doesn't work on EV's ‍‍ Show details

Budget Direct
Budget Direct    

Hi Johnathon. I am sorry to read of your… Read more

Recent reviews

Tina t
Tina tQLD
  Comprehensive

The young man that spoke to me on the phone was quite knowledgeable respectful talkative spoke clearly the policy that he offered me was really good why I signed up Show details ·  1

C. Padthayanan
C. PadthayananVIC2 posts
  Comprehensive

The UI and steps is quite easy and detailed, however the premium and excess while below given first year discount still quite higher than pre-COVID or even after lifting of lockdown. Show details ·  1

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