Car Insurance Solved® with Budget Direct
Lower your Car Insurance premium by choosing a low-kilometre policy or restricting your policy to drivers over a certain age – the biggest range of any major insurer: 21+, 25+, 30+, 40+ or 50+.
We're in this for the long run. Get a lifetime guarantee on authorised repairs if there's damage to your car, as long as you own the car.
With our Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance policy, if your brand-new car is written off within two years or 40,000 km (whichever comes first), we'll replace it with a new one.
A car accident can happen at any time of the day. That's why we've made sure you can lodge a claim over the phone or online at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
Choose award-winning cover with Budget Direct. Our Car Insurance options have won the Canstar Outstanding Value Car Insurance award for 19 years in a row from 2007 to 2025.
Save more by driving less. Get a cheaper premium with our Low Kilometres Policy if you drive less than 10,000 km a year.
If there's damage to your car making it unsafe to drive, we'll pay the cost of towing.
If you're in an accident where you're not at fault or if your car is stolen, you'll be eligible for a hire car once we accept your claim.
Not all benefits apply to all levels of cover. Compare Car Insurance cover
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. For full details, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
Car Insurance Cover Options
Our Comprehensive Car Insurance policy covers loss or damage to your own car and the damage it causes to other people's cars and property.
Comprehensive Car Insurance can provide cover for:
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Legal liability up to $20 million
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Fire damage and theft, including towing
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Hire car following a no fault accident
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New car replacement
Our Third Party Property, Fire and Theft Insurance covers your legal liability for the accidental damage your car causes to other people's property. It also protects against loss or damage to your vehicle due to fire or theft.
Third Party Property, Fire and Theft Insurance can provide cover for:
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Legal liability up to $20 million
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Damage caused by an uninsured vehicle up to $5,000
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Fire damage and theft, including towing
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Hire car following a no fault accident
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New car replacement
Our Third Party Property Only Insurance covers your legal liability for accidental damage your car causes to other people's property, including their vehicles.
Third Party Property Only Insurance can provide cover for:
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Legal liability up to $20 million
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Damage caused by an uninsured vehicle up to $5,000
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Fire damage and theft, including towing
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Hire car following a no fault accident
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New car replacement
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details on what’s covered by Budget Direct Car Insurance.
What's the right car insurance for me?
From third party to comprehensive cover, compare our Car Insurance policies to find the right level of cover.
Compare Car Insurance Savings
Price Comparison Figures
Why Choose Budget Direct Car Insurance?
If you choose Budget Direct Car Insurance, we'll make sure you and your car are protected with our range of benefits including:
24/7 claims,
365 days a year
Award-winning,
flexible cover options
A lifetime guarantee
on authorised repairs
Cover that can be
tailored to you
What's covered by Car Insurance?
Budget Direct Comprehensive Car Insurance protects you against loss or damage to your car as well as liability for accidental damage your car causes to other people's cars and property. Comprehensive Car Insurance customers can be covered for:
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Loss or accidental damage to your car (storm, flood, hail, fire, collision and attempted theft or malicious act)
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New car replacement
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Damage caused by an uninsured vehicle
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Damage to someone else's car or property
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Towing
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Hire car following no fault accident or theft
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Damage or theft of personal effects in your car
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Replacement of stolen keys
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Damage to caravan or trailer in a collision (excluding trailer's contents)
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Emergency transport and accommodation
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Damage or theft of child seat/baby capsule in your car
What’s not covered by Car Insurance?
Budget Direct Car Insurance does not cover you for loss or damage for every circumstance. There are exclusions such as:
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Ridesharing or food delivery
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Racing, contests or rallies
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Unlawful use
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Tyre damage (caused by punctures, cuts or bursts)
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General wear and tear
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Unexplained or ongoing mechanical, structural or electrical malfunctions or breakdowns
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Using the wrong fuel
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details on what’s covered by Budget Direct Car Insurance.
Award-Winning Australian Car Insurance
After comparing over 65,000 quotes, comparing 51 Comprehensive Policies offered by 43 insurance providers, across 42 Consumer profiles, Canstar proclaimed Budget Direct winners of the National Outstanding Value Car Insurance Award for 2025. In the process, Budget Direct became the only brand in any category to win a Canstar National Outstanding Value Award 19 years in a row.
We also won Money magazine's Best of the Best 2025 award for Best-Value Car Insurance 7 years in a row (2019-25); Mozo’s Experts Choice 2024 award for Australia's Best Value Car Insurer; and Finder's 2024 Best Car Insurance - Value award.
Upgrade Your Comprehensive Cover
If your car was damaged in an at fault accident, we'll cover you for a hire car for up to 14 days while it's being repaired.
Protect your car's windows and windscreen, by reducing your excess for window glass damage to just $40.
Use the experts you trust. If you claim with us, you can nominate your preferred repairer to work on your damaged car.
How do I add an optional benefit to my policy?
You can add one or more of these benefits when you get a quote and buy a policy or — if you've already bought one — by contacting us or logging into your online account and editing your policy.
Note that you can reduce your window-glass excess only within 21 days of buying your policy, renewing it, or transferring it to a replacement vehicle.
Get a Quote Online and Save 15%^
Get a Car Insurance quote online and you'll receive a 15% discount on your first year's premium for a new Comprehensive or Third Party insurance policy.
Roadside Assistance
For just $89.95 a year – less than $1.75 a week – you can take advantage of our 24/7 nationwide Roadside Assistance service.
With our Australian network of more than 2,700 contractors, you’re never too far from help.
How to Make a Claim
If you need to make a claim, we’re here to help you get back on the road as quickly and smoothly as possible.
24/7 Claims
With Budget Direct, you can conveniently make a claim online or over the phone at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
Manage Your Car Insurance Policy Online
Budget Direct customers can make a claim, view and edit their Car Insurance policies, and buy more insurance online.
Find Out More
The information on this page is a summary only. For more details about Budget Direct car insurance, including the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions that apply, please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Car Insurance FAQs
Budget Direct offers three types of car insurance:
- Comprehensive covers the loss of, or damage to, your vehicle due to an accident (regardless of who's at fault), vandalism, fire, weather, and theft. It also covers damage caused by your vehicle to other people's property (e.g. their car and home).
- Third Party Property Only covers damage caused by your vehicle to other people's property (e.g. their car and home). It does not cover damage to your vehicle (unless it's damaged in a no-fault accident with an uninsured driver, in which case you have limited cover).
- Third Party Property, Fire and Theft provides the same protection as Third Party Property Only plus cover for loss or damage to your vehicle if it's stolen or catches fire.
The type of cover you have is shown on your car Insurance Certificate.
By not insuring unsafe drivers, we can keep our car insurance premiums low for safer drivers like you.
Depending on the type of car insurance you choose, there are a number of ways you can reduce your premium even further, namely:
Select the right level of cover. Do you need comprehensive cover for your car, or would third party property insurance be enough?
Set a driver-age restriction. You can get a lower premium by restricting your policy to drivers over a certain age (21+, 25+, 30+, 40+, 50+).
Increase your excess. If you're comprehensively insured and you increase your Basic Excess, we'll reduce your premium.
With Budget Direct, you can insure your car for its market value or, in some cases, for an agreed value.
Market value is the value of the car at the time of the loss or damage, taking into account factors such as reasonable cost to replace your car with one of the same make, model, age, kilometres travelled mileage and overall condition. We may use local market prices, recognised industry publications or other sources to determine the market value.
To get an idea of what your car may be worth, search for it in the Red Book or on car sales websites.
Please note that the prices provided by these sites are only meant to be a guide. Your car's market value will be determined by us at the time of the loss or damage.
Agreed value is the amount we agree to insure your car for. We may offer you an agreed value, provided:
your car is less than 10 years old; and
your car has not been converted to LPG; and
the car has no pre-existing damage; and
the agreed value is within an acceptable range of the market value.
The value for which your car is covered is shown on your Insurance Certificate and in your online account.
A car insurance excess is the fixed amount you pay towards a claim.
Depending on the circumstances of the incident that led to your claim, you may have to pay more than one excess: your Basic Excess plus any additional excesses that apply.
For example, if someone under the age of 21 causes an accident while driving your car, you'll have to pay your Basic Excess (let's assume it's $600) plus an additional excess of $600 due to the driver's age.
It means that if the damage bill was $5,000, you would pay $1,200 and we would pay $3,800.
On top of that, an additional excess of $500 would also apply if the driver who caused the accident hasn't held their full or open Australian licence for two or more years.
This means if both of these excesses were applied to a damage bill of $5,000, you would pay $1,700 and we would pay $3,300
Your Basic Excess and the additional excesses are shown on your Insurance Certificate.
If you make a claim, we'll tell you which excesses apply and when and how to pay them.
You won't have to pay an excess if the accident is deemed a no-fault accident.
There are lots of factors that can influence the cost of car insurance — your premium — including:
your policy, including the level of cover and excess amount
the drivers, especially their ages and claims history
the car, including its value and performance
where you live
how you use the car.
For more details, read our article about the cost of insurance.
