Direct Line car insurance review

The insurer has been the market leader for car insurance since being launched by Peter Wood as the first telephone insurance provider in 1985. It floated on the stock market in October 2012.

It is part of the Direct Line Group, along with Churchill and Privilege, and its policy is underwritten by U K Insurance Ltd.

• Read our reviews of all the insurers who took part in our car insurance analysis

What does Direct Line car insurance cover?

The information below gives an at-glance view of the key areas that Direct Line's car insurance covers as standard.

Elements marked with a ✓ are covered as standard, those marked with a ✘ are not covered as standard. Elements marked with a £ can be added to a policy as optional extras for an additional cost.

Does Direct Line offer the best car insurance?

Here's how Direct Line scored in our latest car insurance survey:

Car Insurance

Direct Line review

Overall Which? score

%

Our total score score combines both the Which? Customer Score, ratings from real customers of the provider, and our expert analysis of the provider's policies. The total score is made up of 50% of the Customer Score and 50% of the car insurance policy score.

Which? customer score

%

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction, based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Policy score

%

Which?'s rating of the quality of this company's car insurance policy. We analysed 73 features of its cover to calculate the policy score.

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To help you find the best car insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst.

Direct Line's car insurance policy: is it good or bad?

We've rated hundreds of policy details and picked out the best and worst elements of this cover.

Members can log in to read our full policy analysis. If you're not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial of Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and thousands of others.

In detail: every part of Direct Line's car insurance rated

Core coverExcessesNo claims discount (NCD)Additional coverMisc coverPayment, fees and admin

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Courtesy car - included?
Most important	Courtesy car - guaranteed availability?
Secondary	Courtesy car period
Other	Courtesy car provided if car is stolen?
Most important	Windscreen damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Most important	Window damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Most important	Sunroof damage - limit per claim (Approved Repairer / Non-approved repairer)
Secondary	Personal belongings - limit per claim
Other	Personal belongings - items excluded
Secondary	Medical expenses - limit per claim
Other	Physio treatment included under medical expenses?
Other	Audio equipment - Limit per claim (Manufacturer fitted / Non-manufacturer fitted)
Other	Sat Nav - Limit per claim (Manufacturer fitted / Non-manufacturer fitted)
Other	Child car seat - Limit per claim
Secondary	Misfuelling cover - included?
Secondary	Misfuelling cover - limit per claim

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Fire excess (standard compulsory)
Most important	Theft excess (standard compulsory)
Most important	Accidental damage excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Non-approved repairer excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Windscreen replacement excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Windscreen repair excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Driver under 21 excess (standard compulsory)
Secondary	Driver 21-24 excess (standard compulsory)
Other	Excess protection included?
Other	Excess protection - limit per claim
Other	Excess protection - number of claims allowed per year

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Number of claim-free years required to attain maximum NCD
Secondary	Can other drivers earn NCD on this policy?
Most important	NCD protection included?
Most important	NCD protection claims (number per year)

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Motor legal protection - included?
Secondary	Motor legal protection - limit per claim?
Secondary	Motor legal protection - covered if driver uninsured?
Other	Motor legal protection - covered if vehicle cloned?
Other	Motor legal protection - recovery of clamping and towing fees covered?
Most important	Personal accident cover - included?
Secondary	Personal accident cover - limit per claim in the event of death
Secondary	Personal accident cover - limit per claim in the event of disability
Other	Personal accident cover - limit per claim if hospitalised
Other	Personal accident cover - maximum eligible age
Most important	Theft of keys - Included?
Secondary	Theft of keys - limit per claim
Most important	Loss of keys - Included?
Secondary	Loss of keys - limit per claim
Secondary	Total loss courtesy car - included?
Secondary	Total loss courtesy car period

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Repairs Guarantee Period
Secondary	Keys in car exclusion
Secondary	Liability limit for property damage (including legal expenses)
Other	Onward travel costs in the event of an accident - limit per claim
Other	Accommodation costs in the event of an accident - limit per claim
Secondary	Driving other cars extension - included?
Other	Driving other cars extension guaranteed?
Other	Driving other cars - emergency cover only?
Other	Driving other cars - only covers main policyholder?
Other	Driving other cars - covered in Europe?
Secondary	Comprehensive cover to drive overseas - included?
Secondary	Driving abroad - Days per trip limit
Other	New car replacement - damage
Other	New car replacement - period

Weighting	Policy element	Details	Rating
Most important	Interest charged on payment by instalments (APR)
Most important	Renewal Fee
Secondary	Adjustment Fee
Secondary	Duplicate Documents Fee
Secondary	Cancellation fee within cooling off period
Secondary	Cancellation fee after cooling off period
Secondary	Payment Default Fee
Other	Emergency helpline
Other	Claims helpline
Other	Windscreen helpline
Other	Legal advice helpline
Other	Notice if insurer cancels

Table last updated in March 2020. Next update in January 2021.

To see how Direct Line's car insurance compares to other policies check out our guide on the best and worst car insurance.

How did customers rate Direct Line's car insurance?

As well as looking at how Direct Line's car insurance policy stacks up against others, we've also analysed how customers who have recently made a claim feel about it too.

Members can log in to see our range of customer service star ratings and read about individual customers' experiences. If you're not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial of Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and thousands of others.

How Direct Line's car insurance scored for eight elements of customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction element	Which? customer rating
Application process
Clarity of policy
Dealing with queries
Ease of managing your policy online
Treatment of longstanding customers
Dealing with complaints
Value for money

Table last updated in March 2020. Next update in January 2021

"-' represents where we have insufficient sample size (less than 30) to generate a star rating

How can you save money on Direct Line car insurance?

Direct Line's car insurance policy is not available on price comparison websites.

Above information correct as of December 2019

What is Direct Line's car insurance claims number?

If you need to make a claim with Direct Line car insurance call 0345 246 8471.

You'll need your policy number and documents, your vehicle registration number and crime reference number, if applicable.

• Find out more: is it worth claiming on your car insurance?

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