By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Dean is an award-winning personal finance writer who’s spent over 15 years helping consumers navigate the tangled and fascinating world of insurance.
In this article
Direct Line offers three home insurance policies – Silver, Gold and Platinum, which we've reviewed here.
We've also surveyed 89 Direct Line customers who have recently made a home insurance claim.
Established in April 1985, Direct Line is one of the largest UK insurers and also offers car insurance, pet insurance and travel insurance.
Direct Line Insurance belongs to the Direct Line Group, which also owns Churchill and Privilege, and UK Insurance Ltd underwrites its home insurance. In July 2025, the Direct Line Group was bought by Aviva.
Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the insurer's T&Cs before committing to any financial products.
Direct Line's best policy ranked within the top ten for contents cover - but the insurer received a middling customer score.
78%
Policies
out of 21 home insurers with a customer score
See how this compares with the best home insurance, or read more about how we rate home insurance.
We reviewed three Direct Line policies. Select a policy from our table to see what it offers and how it scores.
| Buildings - Alternative accommodation | £125,000 | |
| Buildings - Burst pipes | Included | |
| Buildings - Escape of water excess | £450 | |
| Home emergency cover limit | £1,000 | |
| Home emergency - Central heating/boiler repair | £250 | |
| Buildings - Groundwater flooding | Not covered | 0 out of 5 |
| Subsidence excess | £1,000 | |
| Contents - Valuables unspecified single item limit | £4,000 | |
| Contents - Alternative accommodation | £75,000 | |
| Contents - Accidental damage | Full cover included as standard | |
| Contents - Guests' belongings | £3,000 | |
| Contents - Theft of contents in the open | £4,000 | |
| Contents - Damage to contents in the open | £4,000 | |
| Contents - Theft from outbuilding | £7,500 | |
| Contents - Damage to contents in an outbuilding | Up to sum insured | |
| Contents - Personal possessions cover single item limit | £4,000 |
Table last updated in October 2026. Next update in September 2027. We recommend checking policies before buying.
This insurer isn't available on MoneySuperMarket, but you can get quotes from other insurers and compare the cheapest with our reviews.
Compare dealsWhich? earns commission to fund its not-for-profit mission if you buy a product
Dean Sobers, Which? home insurance expert, says:
Direct Line's Platinum policy stood out for its contents cover. Its score of 77% placed it among the top ten policies we rated. It met all our criteria on paper to be a Best Buy - but was held back by its underwriter's claims acceptance rates and complaints levels.
Features contributing towards its impressive performance included high levels of cover for guests' belongings (£3,000), £1,000 cover for cash and full accidental damage cover as standard. This covers sudden, unintentional and unexpected physical damage to anything defined as 'contents' in the policy wording whilst its in the home or in the process of being moved to a new home.
When it came to buildings cover, the policy was roughly in the middle of our table - with a score of 72%. This was a decent enough score, but Direct Line would have earned some more points if was a member of Flood Re's Build Back Better scheme - which wasn't the case at the time of our analysis. You also can't claim because of the blockage of a sewer pipe - which you can with other policies.
Platinum provides contents cover of up to £15,000 for the belongings of a family member temporarily living away from home while studying. The Gold policy offers the same with up to £10,000 cover. This cover came as standard in just over half of policies we reviewed.
Gold and Silver are Direct Line's cheaper alternatives - with some lower cover limits and with some features such as accidental damage coming as optional add-ons, rather than as standard. Gold was about average in our analysis - with both buildings and contents scores of 69% (overall averages were 69% and 71%, respectively).
Silver placed towards the bottom of our table - with 66% for its buildings cover and 56% for its contents.
We asked Direct Line customers who have recently made a claim how they felt about their home insurance.
Direct Line received a customer score of 78% – joint 11th out of 21 providers rated.
It also scored 78% when we asked people to rate its claims handling, placing it 13th out of 22 providers compared. See the list of results here.
When we asked more about the rating customers gave Direct Line, one person told us the 'policy documents and information are clear and easy to understand', with another agreeing: 'Terms are set out in a clear, simple format for ease of reference.'
Some customers were a little less pleased, with one reflecting: 'It did the job – however, it didn't pay as much as I was hoping.'
| How comprehensive the policies are | |
| How affordable the policies are | |
| Clarity of policy | |
| Dealing with queries | |
| Dealing with complaints | |
| Value for money | |
| Fair treatment of long-standing customers | n/a |
Table last updated in September 2026. Next update in September 2027.
'n/a' represents where we have insufficient sample size (fewer than 40) to generate a star rating.
Direct Line sample size: customer score: 89; claims score: 107.
With a customer score of 78%, Direct Line shares 11th place in our satisfaction table with Admiral, coming just below 1st Central, HSBC, Lloyds Bank and Nationwide (which all scored 79%) and slightly ahead of First Direct (77%).
Its standard policy - Gold - earned a buildings score of 69% - placing 21st among standard policies - just behind standard policies from Churchill and Hastings (with 70%), and ahead of standard policies from 1st Central, The AA, Coverbaloo, Esure, and Sheilas' Wheels - which scored 68%.
Gold also scored 69% with its contents cover, which placed it 11th of the standard policies compared. Just in front was standard cover from Ecclesiastical and Tesco - each with 70%. Quote Me Happy's Essentials Plus policy was just behind, with 68%
You can make a claim online or via the Direct Line app.
To make a claim, call 0345 246 8412.
If it's a home emergency and you have a standard home insurance policy, call 0345 878 5081. If you have a Plus policy, call 0345 878 5322. It also has a Home Emergencies Advice line on 0345 604 3280.
Possibly. Direct Line's contents cover impressed us – but it had average scores in our customer survey and we had some concerns about when it came to acceptance rates and complaints.
Find the right policy for your home using the service provided by MoneySuperMarket
Get a quote now