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Hastings Direct: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 2.99 (678 reviews)

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2.99

Based on 678 reviews, last reviewed 4th Apr 2026

100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

36%

19%

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

Poor service even poorer company Ive given 1 star because its the lowest… Ive given 1 star because its the lowest i can give had a major motorbike accident may last year was in a coma... Read more Reviewed on: 4th April 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 (678)

Review of the Hastings Direct, Car insurance:

Affordable for young drivers

I’m 18 and just got my first year of insurance with black box which helps save lots of money. It was quick delivery and the app is excellent - I recommended to all my friends starting to pass their driving tests! Reviewed on: 16th September 2024

Worst company I have ever used!

On a comparison website they were coming in with a slightly cheaper quote than other companies. I should have read the reviews first. They are a terrible company who charge for every slight policy alteration. Esure don't. They tried to charge me over £33 for cancelling my insurance with 16 days left on policy as I was selling my car. I had paid up for the year so in actual fact they owed me 16 days, although I never expected a refund. Why would you charge when I am cancelling and guaranteeing never to make a claim?! I decided to hold onto my car for the extra days rather than give them a penny more! The advice of my friends... crash into a tree and claim big...make them pay. Good job I'm a decent and honest person....unlike Hastings Direct. Lost mine and all family / friends from ever shopping with you again!!!!!!!!!! Reviewed on: 13th March 2019

Absolutely horrific disgusting insurance company. Scammed my premium.

Honestly the worst insurance company anyone could ever go with. They gave me a quite good premium but for a reason. They listed a notification only as a fault claim so now it’s on the database and have to declare to other insurers. Then cancelled my policy due to my policy being based on a ‘provisional license’. Regardless of the fact I have proof of me putting full UK license, they’re claiming I was manipulating quotes even thought I have GAP insurance with a full UK license aswell. It was clearly a glitch on either the comparisons website or their own when the quote was being finalised and paid for. The whole thing has taken 3 months and they are simply brushing me off and the whole situation under the carpet - keep getting passed around to different ‘managers’ when they are solely just an assistant. Not only have they cancelled my insurance, they’re keeping my premium. So I am in loss of just under £2000, no insurance, a fault claim in my name which isn’t meant to be there and also unable to obtain new insurance due to these occurrences at the fault of HASTINGS DIRECT. They don’t care at all about customers, as long as they have your money; that’s all that matters to them. I would strongly advise anyone to avoid them at all costs. The amount of stress it has caused and I am left feeling helpless. Their agents have no training whatsoever and have the smallest respect for their customers. One ‘manager’ even said on the phone and I quote; ‘you shouldn’t have taken out insurance with us then’. The fact that their motto is straightforward insurance disgusts me. I wish I had never taken out insurance with them... I’ve lost just under £2000 and they’re refusing to give me my money back - it’s only been 2 months since I took out the policy. They’re simply taking advantage of the situation and leaving me helpless. If you are thinking of going with them, simply don’t. Check out their history as they have a long list of lawsuits against them. Reviewed on: 9th March 2019

Terrible company

Don't put housewife down as your occupation or they will ring you up after you have paid for your insurance through a price comparison site when it's too late to cancel and charge you £140 more because you are unemployed. I am not unemployed I am a disabled housewife Reviewed on: 13th February 2019

Hastings are a bunch of scam artists

Like most reviews against Hastings Direct, they are scamming young drivers with black boxes. Obviously do not work and report incorrect results, which then allows Hastings to tell the user their insurance will be cancelled. Absolute bunch of con artists, how they are still getting away with this is beyond belief. So many poor reviews on the internet, they need shutting down. Reviewed on: 17th January 2019

Very poor

Very bad customer service. Try to exploit existing customers on renewal. Switched company and got better cover for 200 pound less. Reviewed on: 8th December 2018

Bunch of thief's, still waiting for my refund!

Bunch of thief's, still waiting for my refund! Cancelled car insurance on 17th September 2018, was told I will get refund in 3-5 days, waited 10 days and nothing, so I called up again and they told me it will be processed and waited another 3-5 days once again and nothing. Today is the 4th of October and since 17th September, I have been waiting! Bunch of thief's it so shocking! Furthermore even when I had initially taken out the policy in May 2018 they had taken money out of my credit card 2 times but obviously got that back. Have now contacted my credit card company to sort this out! Reviewed on: 4th October 2018

£1500 deducted from my car insurance claim!

My car was stolen in January 2018 but Hastings Car Insurance underpaid me by £1500. I have had to borrow £1500 over the next two years and I won’t be able to buy another car until this money is paid off. This happened because Hastings were unaware that I had a speeding endorsement on my driving license, which happened a year earlier. When I was asked ‘has anything changed?’ when I came to renew my policy, I thought they already knew about the sp30. Of course, I don’t know what they have on file when they ask this question, so in future I will make them go through every question. I hired a van in 2017 and was asked if I had any speeding endorsement to which I replied “I have an sp30”. Thanks to the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 Hastings Car Insurance only have to ask if there have been any changes, so any innocent mistake that is made by the policyholder goes in favour of the car insurance company.. Hastings decided that I didn’t deliberately try to hide my SP30 (and most companies don’t charge extra for one speeding endorsement), but they still reduced my claim by 21%. This figure is set by Hastings (AND can’t be challenged) and represents the extra premium that I would have been charged if they knew about my SP30. So rather than take an extra premium of 21% they took 21% off my claim payout! Of course, if your car is stolen it is reasonable to expect that it doesn’t make any difference if you have a speeding endorsement, at the time. www.carinsuranceproblems.co.uk Reviewed on: 27th September 2018

Fantastic value & outstanding customer service

Fantastic value for the cover I have, no other insurer even comes close!! I have used their breakdown service & I was completely impressed. A quick phone call to them, updates by text message & a very quick recovery pick up time! Always polite, helpful, friendly staff, and the information given is clear and concise. Reviewed on: 23rd September 2018

Great customer service

I have been with Hastings direct for just over a year. Their customer service is fantastic. They are always there to help and are super friendly. Luckily I have never had to claim so I wouldn’t know anything about that but going by the service I have had by them so far I’m certain it would be easy and they would be just as helpful. Reviewed on: 23rd September 2018

Good service

Had car insurance with them for 3 years and service received is always great Reviewed on: 23rd September 2018

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