Budget Direct

Budget Direct, Australian insurer for car, home and other lines

Budget Direct is an insurance company operating in Australia that sells its policies primarily through its website. Its range covers car, home and contents, travel, pet, motorcycle and life insurance, plus a roadside assistance service. The company presents itself as Canstar and Money magazine's "Insurer of the Year" for 2026, an award it says it has won five years in a row from Canstar and ten from Money.

Car and motorcycle insurance

In car insurance it offers comprehensive cover, third party cover and a third party fire and theft option. For motorcycles it follows the same structure with comprehensive, third party and third party fire and theft cover, and also includes a specific scooter policy. The site provides customers with a claims helper and sections to compare what other policyholders said they saved.

Home, contents and rental

The home offering is organised around the combined building and contents policy, building insurance, contents insurance, landlord insurance and renters insurance. The company provides calculators to estimate the replacement cost of a home and a claims helper specific to this line.

Travel, pets and life

In travel it distinguishes four options: comprehensive, essential, basic and annual multi-trip, and includes domestic travel insurance and COVID-19-related cover, as well as an overseas emergency assistance service. Pet insurance is divided into Plus, comprehensive and essential, with variants for dogs and cats. The life insurance line comprises life insurance, total and permanent disability (TPD), trauma and income protection, and is supported by a specific calculator.

Roadside assistance and commercial discounts

Roadside assistance is offered as a standalone product for $76.45 a year with the 15% online discount applied to a full price of $89.95, and also as an emergency service for those who break down. The company applies a 15% online discount for the first year to new policies purchased online for car, home, motorcycle, pet and travel, and a combined discount of up to an additional 15% for the combined building and contents policy. Both benefits are limited to the first year, do not apply to renewals or government fees and charges, and may be affected by minimum premiums. The site also indicated a promotion of a $100 digital gift card for new life policies with a minimum annualised premium of $400, valid from 8 July to 31 December 2026.

Customer service and policy management

Policyholders have access to an online policy manager, vehicle assessment centres, a channel to lodge complaints and a customer assistance service. The company also offers fuel discounts through its rewards programme and maintains a network of contracted repairers.