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Hastings Direct: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 3.04 (676 reviews)

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3.04

Based on 676 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Feb 2026

92% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

75% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

34%

20%

35%

Latest highest rating:

5

I've been with Hastings Direct for a good few years... I've been with Hastings Direct for a good few years now - they've helped me with carious claims and at a difficult time when I had a car accident they... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd January 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Dodgy fees. I just finished a contract with this company. My car insurance was finished at 23:59 of the 19th of Feb. They have automatically renewed my car insura... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd February 2026

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About this product

Hastings Direct provide award-winning car insurance.

You can get a Hastings Direct car insurance quote online and manage your policy via the mobile app. There are three levels of cover, Essentials, Direct and Premier. They're available as an online product which is a lower cost, self-service policy that you manage yourself.

Hastings Direct car insurance reviews help you find out what it’s really like to be a customer. If you’ve used Hastings Direct before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

Hastings Direct Car insurance reviews (676)

Review of the Hastings Direct, Car insurance:

No quibbles!

Fantastic insurer, no issues and would recommend. Reviewed on: 12th August 2022

Easy, quick, great app

Since purchasing my policy with HastingsDirect, it has been nothing short of brilliant. The only time I’ve spoke to someone was about my claim which they handled as best as they could. Other than that I used their brilliant app for everything! Reviewed on: 7th October 2021

Shocking

HastingsDirect bumped up my insurance to £230 per month without telling me, (apparently I clicked auto renew)so once I cancelled within my cooling of period they returned the payment which was fine… they have since taken another payment of £230 per month and are refusing to pay it back stating I owe them. A complete mess that’s pushed me into an overdraft when I followed the correct procedure. Reviewed on: 21st September 2021

Rubbish

Roderick Hood 218 Pinewood Park Farnbrough Hampshire GU14 9LG To Mr Tobias Van DEr Meer conquest house, 34 Collington Ave, Bexhill-on-Sea TN39 3LW Dear Sir I am writing again as I do not seem to be getting through to your company I started a complaint with your company, and they failed to resolver, so I have been to resolver it get it sorted out . My problems started in 22/04.2021 when I could not access my detail as they had the policy number you can see this from the resolver case file. When I emailed for help, this fell upon deaf ears, so I tried calling on the telephone I was pushed round your systems put on hold and in the end just dropped . I needed to contact you to tell you I have sold the car and now have another, believe me I tried and tried but to no avail So I went to one call for my insurance, they were only too happy to help I was left with the problem of your company not talking to me. The resolver case run to end as no answers were made by your company and the case has now been passed to the insurance ombudsman I am now thinking I will contact Financial Conduct Authority via ABI your regulator as I can not let this continue. I now find you have renewed my insurance without checking with me and taken money from my account and I did write to you and told you could not access my data as I want nothing more to do with you your company however does what it wants . I contacted the Police, they seemed not very interested in my case, I will however will push it. I will be posting this to you as a mater of curtsey I will list the details I will be pressing for 1 failed to deal with any aspect of my complaint 2 I was unable to use your system because you have not put the right details in it 3 You have not refunded any money as you have sold me goods not fit for service 4 you have taken money from my account Stolen I use that term as I sill have a active complaint with you and the insurance ombudsman so why would I renew any policy with you. 5 You did not check I was still entitled to drive when you took the money I may have been disqualified or had heath issues that means you have not paid due diligence All I wanted was to get rid of your rubbish service now I am faced with taken legal redress in the small claims court and social media. When I complained about the money taken from my account you answer was unacceptable, I shall be posting you and I hope you want to avoid me taking acction in the courts Roderick Hood Reviewed on: 13th September 2021

No customer service

Great until you need your no claims bonus sending. Called twice and both times advised it would be sent but nothing Reviewed on: 25th August 2021

Awful awful cowboys

Change a policy at their own whim with vague and open terms and conditions. Extorting me of over £300! Reviewed on: 6th August 2021

Terrible

I payed for a yearly car insurance policy staring in March 2021. Shortly after a received tab which monitors your driving and, depending on how good your driving is, I believe gets you cheaper rates the following year. Sounds like a good idea. However I had no idea that this tab was part of the policy - I just chose the cheapest insurance cost as many do. I guess it was in the small print. Regardless, I set up the tab as instructed. Within a couple of weeks I was receiving emails saying that there was an issue with the tab and that my insurance would be cancelled. Phoned up Hastings and the customer service agent told me it was a mistake on their end and the tab was working fine. A couple of weeks later I started receiving the same emails claiming there was a problem with threats of policy cancellation. As this was a busy time I forgot to contact them in time and the policy was cancelled after 5 months of an annual policy. They wouldn’t reactivate it and I had to start the search on insurance comparison sites again looking for a new yearly policy which was difficult as I had to find the funds for an extra 5 months. It’s just not worth the hassle. If you want to pay for an insurance policy and then not have to dealer the it again for around 12 months until you have to renew again , don’t go with Hastings direct. Reviewed on: 19th July 2021

People need to be warned about Hastings Direct...

I feel that I have received absolutely awful customer service from Hastings. I have never had an accident before, and we all hope that we will never have to use our car insurers, but that if we ever do it will be a simple process (words used by Hastings themselves when I called)...that is what we pay for after all. Unfortunately I had an accident in May and the process was anything but simple, thanks to the failings of Hastings. To start off with my number was taken down incorrectly by the call handler (despite re-confirming the correct number) and I was left waiting by the roadside for over 6 hours. There was no where around for me to walk to get a drink/food or any toilets within walking distance. I waited so long for help that I actually ended up in a humiliating situation (I don't want to share exactly what due to privacy, but Hastings are aware of what happened). Hastings have been awful from start to finish. I even gave my correct contact number to the person dealing with my complaint, yet it was still wrong on Hastings system. I didn't realise this until I received an email weeks later, asking why I hadn't responded to the valuation offer. I rang to update my number and later that day I received the texts that I should have received on the day of the accident. Bringing back the awful memory. My accident was on the 22nd of May and I received the texts on the 15th of June!! I have been contacted daily by Hastings to ask why I haven't accepted the valuation offer for my vehicle, despite me ringing to explain I was waiting for my complaint to be reviewed first and sending several emails to explain the same thing, with no response from Hastings whatsoever, just the same call every single day asking if I had received the valuation offer. The person dealing with my complaint even replied to say that I had given the wrong number to the call handler, however the number they said I gave incorrectly IS my correct number! The last email I received from Hastings was from the person dealing with my complaint, who assured me that the added information I gave would be looked into. I discovered when ringing to chase this up after hearing nothing, that Hastings had closed my complaint without telling me and without reaching a conclusion. I even rang Hastings and spoke to someone to tell them why I wasn't accepting the valuation offer and they didn't tell me that my complaint had been closed either. The communication has been terrible between Hastings themselves and Hastings to myself. I requested that Hastings absorb the remaining costs of my policy (which doesn't even equate to £250) due to their continued failings with my case, as I will not get a vehicle within the 30 day period they allow, but I have been informed that they cannot do this. I would avoid in the future!!!! Worst customer service I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I am a nurse working through a stressful pandemic, and this was the very last thing I needed. It's the last thing that anyone needs, which is why I'm sharing my experience. Take care everyone ❤ Reviewed on: 2nd July 2021

I would not recommend Hastings to my worst enemys.

Unable to renew for next year . I called them up and I was told my details are changed . (NO) I was told to go use another insurance company . Reviewed on: 28th June 2021

Appalling service- avoid!

If i could give no stars i would. Avoid this company like your life depends on it. I am absolutely disgusted with the service, or lack of service from Hastings. It has taken them 4 weeks to view video footage of my non-fault claim and now subsequently time has run out regarding having to pay my excess. This is not the only issue, I have been placed on hold more times than I care to speak of (equating to hours not minutes). When I logged a complaint I was basically told that because they didn't agree with my claim it would not be upheld! I took insurance with Hastings a number of years ago owing to its good reputation but I categorically am saying now that I woukd not recommend them. I am actually going to pay the remainder of my policy to be able to go elsewhere immediately. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. Shame on you Hastings - an experience than has gone from bad to worse each and every time I have had to make contact!” Reviewed on: 5th June 2021

Hastings cancelled my car insurance without any warnings..

Hastings have cancelled my car policy without any warnings, no email or a letter. Received email on 14th May stating your policy is cancelled. When asked they said because my car was write off and I should insure another car within 30 days, but I didn't know of this 30 days and Hastings didn't contact me by any mean to warn me. I spoke with Blessing on 15th May she escalated to her manager Maggy whose response to me is go check Terms and Condition, so basically Hastings are not doing their job to send me email to warn my policy will terminate after 30 days rather a MANAGER is telling me go read terms and conditions! IF THEIR MANAGER RESPONSE IS LIKE THAT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM NORMAL EMPLOYEES!! I WORK IN CORPORATE BANK AND MY ADVISE TO HASTINGS BE PROFESSIONAL AND LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Spoke with Tamara on 21st May and she's blaming the postman she said we issued you a letter on 04th May, a letter that I have never received. I said to Tamara guess what I received every letter from Hastings but not this because they never sent me a warning letter. Complete unprofessional-ism, they cover themselves they didn't do their job and now blaming the post, and rude response go check the policy terms. I will just say they have no honesty, no integrity. Reviewed on: 24th May 2021

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