Hastings Direct was launched in 1997, originally as a broker for car insurance. Its product range has since expanded to include home, bike and van insurance.
It's part of Hastings Insurance Services Limited, which also includes insurance brands InsurePink, People’s Choice and Hastings SmartMiles, and its policies are underwritten by Advantage Insurance, AXA, Lloyds Bank, RSA, Integra and Prestige.
Hastings Direct offers the following levels of home insurance cover:
Policy | Policy level | Buildings: maximum sum insured | Contents: maximum sum insured |
---|---|---|---|
Direct Home Insurance | Standard | £1,000,000 | £150,000 |
Premier Home Insurance | Premium | £1,000,000 | £150,000 |
Essential Home Insurance | Essentials | £500,000 | £150,000 |
Table note: The policy scores and information in the panel and tables below are for the "Standard" level of policy |
What does Hastings Direct home insurance cover?
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.
✓ Burst pipes
Covers water damage caused by burst pipes in the property
✓ Key cover
Covers the cost of replacing keys and locks in the event that your house keys are lost or stolen
£ Accidental damage
Covers accidental damage to personal belongings, fixtures and fittings
£ Home emergency
Covers callouts and temporary repairs resulting from a home emergency
£ Personal possessions
Covers personal belongings against loss, accidental damage or theft when taken outside the home
£ Boiler cover
Covers the failure of a boiler or central heating system
£ Legal protection
Covers legal costs resulting from claims such as property and employment disputes
Does Hastings Direct offer the best home insurance?
Here's how Hastings Direct's standard policy scored in our latest home insurance survey:

To help you find the best home insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst.
How we analyse home insurance
We analyse and rate 46 key elements of standard buildings home insurance policies to come up with the buildings policy score, and 65 key elements of standard contents home insurance policies to come up with the contents policy score. We assess how important each individual element is to consumers when choosing and using a home insurance policy and weight it accordingly when calculating our policy scores.
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.
Hastings Direct's home 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 Hastings Direct's home insurance rated
Table last updated in March 2022. Next update in March 2023.
Does Hastings Direct offer different levels of cover?
Hastings also offers Premier home insurance, which features a higher level of cover, and Essential home insurance, which offers a lower level of cover.
To see how Hastings Direct's home insurance compares with other policies check out our guide on the best and worst home insurance.
How can you save money on Hastings Direct home insurance?
The first offer an insurer makes isn’t necessarily the best they’re able to provide. So, before coughing up your cash, check what other insurers are offering for comparable cover and ask if your current insurer can better it.
Carefully consider what’s optionally included in the quote. You may want the confidence of an all-singing, all dancing policy – but certain add-ons might not be for you or could duplicate cover you already have separately.
Where you buy your cover can sometimes make a difference to what you’ll end up paying, which is why we recommend checking prices through multiple comparison sites (where available) as well as trying them direct.
Hastings Direct home insurance can be bought online and over the phone, or on the following price comparison websites:
- Compare the Market
- Confused.com
- GoCompare
- MoneySuperMarket
- Quotezone
Find out more: how to get cheap home insurance quotes
What is Hastings Direct's claims number?
You can make a home insurance claim with Hastings Direct by submitting a claim form online or by calling one of the following numbers, depending on which insurer underwrites your policy:
- Axa and Advantage: 0345 873 4429
- Geo: 01708 777 454
- Integra: 01274 700 810
- Lloyds Banking Group: 0345 074 4826
- Prestige Underwriting Services Ltd: 0800 9177 292
- Royal Sun Alliance: 0330 041 6186
Find out more: is it worth claiming on your home insurance?