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.
✓ Courtesy car
Provides the policyholder with a car to use while repairs are carried out on their vehicle as part of a claim
✓ Personal accident
Covers the policyholder and passengers if they are injured in an accident
✓ Stolen keys cover
Covers the cost of replacing keys and locks in the event that your car keys are stolen
£ NCD protection
Allows the policyholder to make a specified number of claims over a period without affecting their no claims discount
£ Motor legal protection
Covers legal expenses for legal action you may take as the result of an accident
✘ Lost keys cover
Covers the cost of replacing keys and locks in the event that your car keys are lost
Does Direct Line offer the best car insurance?
Here's how Direct Line scored in our latest car insurance survey:

To help you find the best car insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst.
How we analyse car insurance
We analyse and rate 73 key elements of standard car insurance policies to come up with the overall policy score. We assess how important each individual element is to drivers when choosing and using a car insurance policy, and weight it accordingly when calculating our total policy score.
Initially, we score all of the product elements out of five, reflecting how competitive each provider is in this area compared with other insurers. Weightings are then applied to the higher and lower element scores to enhance / reduce their impact in the overall product score.
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, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews.
In detail: every part of Direct Line's car insurance rated
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, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews.
How Direct Line's car insurance scored for seven elements of customer satisfaction.
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.
✓ Multi car discount
Discount amount varies
✓ Joint car and home insurance discount
A variable multi-product discount is available
✘ Dash cam discount
Not offered
✘ Membership discount
Not offered
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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