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Hastings Direct: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 3.14 (642 reviews)

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3.10

Based on 642 reviews, last reviewed 29th Jan 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

20% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

34%

20%

34%

Latest highest rating:

5

Sensible approach to black box (You Drive) policy. I had a black box (You Drive) policy. My car needed repairs which took several weeks and meant I wasn't driving it. Hastings Direct contacted me askin... Read more Reviewed on: 20th October 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

DO NOT USE HASTINGS PLEASE Terrible - my car gets stolen and they refuse the claim for a key discrepancy issue and THEN LOSE THAT key! Car has been found by the police and Hasti... Read more Reviewed on: 29th January 2025

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About this product

Looking for your new car insurance provider? Check out the Hastings Direct car insurance reviews on Smart Money People, left by genuine customers to help you make an informed decision when choosing your next provider.

Founded in 1997, Hastings Direct offers car, van, bike and home insurance, providing flexible policies with a wide range of optional extras. Its car insurance policies come with varying levels of cover, alongside a telematics policy, YouDrive, which rewards good driving with lower renewal rates.

What factors do you consider to be most important when choosing a car insurance provider? Are you looking for a telematics policy that can save you money? Perhaps you require breakdown cover or courtesy car cover? What about windscreen cover, or protection from vandalism? Whatever your needs, check out our Hastings Direct car insurance reviews to see how existing customers rate their policies.

Have you had a Hastings Direct car insurance policy? Share your experience with the Smart Money People community to help us increase trust and transparency in financial services. Tell us how satisfied you were with the price of the premium, and whether you managed to find cover for all of your needs? If you’ve had a YouDrive policy, did you find the scoring of your driving fair, and did you find a noticeable discount on your renewal? Leave a Hastings Direct car insurance review today and help other drivers.

Hastings Direct Car Insurance reviews (642)

Review of the Hastings Direct, Car Insurance:

CheekyCharges Campaigner

Well i had already been with them a year, and they sent my quote for the next year and it was over 50% more than the previous year even though i was in double figures for no-claims and there were no changes from last year. So I decided to used a comparison website and inputting the same details as on the quote, the same company came up as the cheapest insurers on the comparison website, at over 50% less than their quote. So i called them and asked why i had 2 quotes with such different prices and they couldn't answer me, they also tried to quote me a price that was between my two other quotes and when i said it would be cheaper for me to leave them now, and then re-join them with my online quote their answer was 'So why did you bother calling then?' I was simply amazed at that! So the Golden rule should always be- NEVER accept the quote from your current insurers without looking around first, it will save you a fortune! Reviewed on: 6th March 2016

poor customer service

wouldn't let me complete quote online then proceeded to add over £100 to the quote price for having to call them. Reviewed on: 16th March 2021

Reliable customer service

Effective and Efficient services Reviewed on: 13th March 2021

Unprofessional and dishonest.

Guys don't touch them with a bargepole! Trying for 3 days to change my policy with no reply. Eventually had to go with another company. Now trying to charge me £45 for cancelling within the last month, even threatening with debt collection. They made a big deal of supporting the NHS etc, but in reality they're screwing me over. Reviewed on: 19th February 2021

Hastings direct car insurance guilty of mis selling worthless car insurance with constitutes fraud avoid

This insurance company sold me a car insurance over the phone and send me incorrect papers and when I had an accident all they had promised turned out to be untrue and my fully comprehensive was only worth a 3 part and that constitutes mis selling and is fraud. They also tried to make me pay twice for the insurance which is not legal either and their customer service is appalling. Avoid this company if you want to be fully insured by a profesional and honest insures. Reviewed on: 2nd February 2021

Fraudulent scam operators

Fraudulent scam - now with shocking customer service! Originally quoted around £600 / year for car insurance - with monthly payments of £57 / month. Went through the acceptance and payment process using these figures. When insurance documents came through and direct debits had been taken, cost of policy had risen to £1,100 with monthly payment £99 / month. I did not see the (almost double!) inflated yearly price at any point during the process so believe that I have been scammed based on a fraudulent quotation. To compound the issue, I can't believe this company could act any more dishonestly. The customer service operative I dealt with to try and resolve this took almost an hour to understand what the issue was - and still didn't grasp the problem. Now after battling with the complaints team, they have been totally unhelpful and dismissive about THEIR mistake and the theft of my money. Now onto the Ombudsman and legal advice!! DO NOT USE! DO NOT USE! DO NOT USE! Reviewed on: 1st February 2021

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP. This company is a rip off. They advertise one price on a comparison website, which you feel sounds like a reasonable deal. So you sign up then they take additional money from your account without notification or authorisation as they are not happy with the information provided. Very bad business conduct which i'm not sure is even legal. Reviewed on: 2nd December 2020

Rip-off

Purchased car insurance via price comparison website, the date of purchase was one month out for a car I have owned for 5 years - car was bought in June but July on the v5 document. Hastings called me on the day my insurance started to tell me I had to pay a £30 amendment fee or if I cancelled they would keep £20 for an arrangement fee - disgusting. Having read reviews elsewhere I am not the only person this has happened to. Reviewed on: 23rd November 2020

One of the cheapest on the comparison sites - but cost me dear. Never again!

I will never use Hastings again. Really difficult to contact - up to an hour wait on the phone to talk to someone and then you get cut off. The 'my account' service is a joke and just did not work - ever. After I had signed the deal and paid in full Hastings started to make my life difficult asking for lots more info from me and requesting further documents from old insurer about a perfectly legit claim I made some 18-months ago. Hastings then found an excuse to charge me another £280 because my old insurer was slow providing this info. I cancelled my Hastings insurance after approx 3-weeks which cost me £90 in cancellation fees. Feels like I was scammed - I think one of Hasting's business tactics is to make easy, risk-free money from cancellations such as mine - £90 for 3-weeks insurance they must be raking it in from mugs like me! Reviewed on: 22nd November 2020

Sadly Cant leave NO STARS

Requested a refund of insurance as after buying a new car and requesting a quote which was OVER DOUBLE the original quote, went elsewhere. Well WHAT A JOKE, £45 admin charge for cancellation so a refund of £11. £45 for pressing a few keys on a computer. What a scam, will NEVER use Hastings again and will tell all my mates to steer well clear. Reviewed on: 22nd November 2020

2 minutes on the phone to cancel auto-renewal

20 minutes on the phone to cancel renewing my insurance as they'd cranked up the price as punishment for loyalty. But, 20 minutes on the phone was the only way to cancel it. Despite telling them I'm disabled, that phone calls are tiring, despite being online with my account, emailing them etc... No. 20 minutes on the phone was the only way. FURIOUS Reviewed on: 17th November 2020

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