Budgetdirect Reviews 

Had my first car accident in the 15+ years Ive been driving. A guy t-boned me and hit my back drivers passenger door at a round about when I was already driving through. They said it was my fault that i didn't give way to my right. They also didnt tell me who was liable after chasing up for a month, but told me that they knew I complained a week after the accident because they didnt tell me who was liable. They changed the story saying the other party didnt put a claim in, both of us were liable, and then said they didnt have an outcome. Even the panel beaters said the other party was at fault just by looking at the damages. The customer service was digusting and as soon as I pay my over priced excess, I told them I was finding another insurance. If i could give 0 stars, I would. Would not recommend.

Very aggressive tactics by assessor Kenny Nguyen Dandenong Victoria intimidating feel like I was In courtroom, questioning like common criminal . This practice of bulling needs to stop , after paying insurance for 40 year never make a claim damage worth $1300 become big spending on Budget Direct . Shame on you

Very easy to do, I did it on my phone initially while a long way from home. Navigating the app was easy and the cost was much better than others I looked at.

If I could give zero stars, I would.
​Having been a loyal customer with multiple policies over the years, I am appalled by the service I received following a recent hit-and-run involving a rental vehicle. Despite filing a police report and doing everything possible to assist, my claim sat stalled for over three months. Each time I called to follow up, I was repeatedly told Budget Direct was waiting on the rental company for driver details, and that I would either have to wait indefinitely or pay the excess myself—which I refused to do for an at-fault accident.
​Frustrated by the lack of progress, I personally took legal action and sent a formal notice to the rental company demanding the driver's details. To my shock, they replied immediately with proof that they had been waiting on Budget Direct for two months to take action. The rental company had actually been following up with Budget Direct, who continuously failed to perform basic tasks to move the claim forward.
​Beyond the delays, the customer service was utterly amateurish and unprofessional until I finally managed to reach someone willing to help. This entire process has been stressful, mismanaged, and deeply disappointing. I will be cancelling all of my policies and taking my business elsewhere.
Avoid this company at all costs.

Was relatively easy for me to do online. I usually struggle with doing forms on line as I'm not tech savvy. Not sure of exact date I did it but was a few weeks ago. In July 2026

Waited 2 months for them to decline my claim after being with them for many years with multiple policies. Apparently i've missed a payment some months ago which they failed to let me know about. I've since cancelled all other policies and will never recommend or use them again!

The price is fair and it was very easy to negotiate.

My experience with Budget Direct has been nothing short of frustrating from start to finish.

After my accident, the claim process dragged on far longer than it should have. The assessor approved some repairs but then inexplicably refused to repair other damage that was clearly related to the same accident. There seemed to be no logic or consistency in the assessment.

To make matters worse, while my Land Rover Defender was being repaired, they offered me an MG3 as a replacement vehicle. A tiny hatchback is not remotely comparable to a Defender. There was absolutely no consideration of like-for-like replacement, despite the obvious difference in vehicle size, capability and purpose.

The entire repair process was plagued by inefficiency. The panel beater required my vehicle for 30 days, largely because of delays and poor processes. It's little wonder insurance premiums continue to rise when insurers' own inefficient claims management appears to be driving up repair times and costs.

The repairer Budget Direct sent me to was equally disappointing. I was told they couldn't remove a wheel because the locking wheel nut key was missing. The problem? My vehicle doesn't even have locking wheel nuts. Instead of taking the time to properly inspect the vehicle, they claimed they had to perform a questionable repair with the wheel still fitted, despite being perfectly capable of removing it all along.

When I finally got the vehicle back, the quality of the repairs was poor. There was paint overspray and other workmanship issues that should never have passed final inspection.

Throughout this entire ordeal, I lodged a complaint with Auto & General Insurance (Budget Direct's parent company) regarding the handling of the claim. Despite raising concerns from the outset, my complaint was never properly acknowledged or addressed.

After this experience, I cancelled my policy and moved my insurance elsewhere. Between the delays, poor communication, questionable repair decisions, inadequate replacement vehicle, and substandard repair quality, I have completely lost confidence in Budget Direct.

Do yourself a favour and look elsewhere for car insurance. There are plenty of insurers who understand that when customers make a claim, they're looking for competent service, efficient processes and quality repairs. Unfortunately, that was not my experience with Budget Direct.

I’ve tried to sign up without using my personal, private phone number because I know already that Budget Direct has no respect for my time and will interrupt me with text spam at their whim when they want to so I don’t trust them with my mobile phone number. Yet here we are, being spam texted to complete a survey after I explicitly said don’t text me. I also asked why we can’t login using any normal authentication method like username/password, passkeys or OTPs and that’s apparently too hard in 2026. I can only use the Budget Direct service by providing a mobile phone number which they can’t help but abuse. Be better. Use proper non-mobile-phone authentication AND STOP SMS SPAMMING ME!!!!

I was an existing customer with exactly the same cover, but my premium had gone up considerably. I received an online quote more than $500 cheaper... with yourselves...but instead of simply honouring the quote as an existing customer, I was made to cancel my policy and re-apply to get the price. Surely there needs to be something in the system to make this easier!

A frustrating experience with this insurer. The minor cost savings on premiums are not worth it. When you need to rely on a policy for repairs they perform substandard repairs which leave the car with ongoing issues and then ghost you!

It has now been almost a year without resolution. For an insurer, this level of delay and lack of communication on a claim that should be routine is not good enough.

I contacted them due to a windscreen chip to ask if I was covered for windscreen chip repair. They said, “yes” I was put through to claims and they told me I didn’t have windscreen insurance. I was then told that $150 chip repair would cost me $1000 excess. The whole process was circus and felt like a complete scam! Further worrying, because an older person might fall for it.

The person I spoke to was very helpful. They explained it all in a way i understood, were paitient, friendly and professional.

Easy and flawless process.
Price is reasonable too.

My roadside assistance was charged to an expired Credit Card. I didn't update the card because I didn't want to continue with the service. They refuse a refund because its outside a 21 day period.They wont recognize that the charge was incorrect.
I was going to look at Household Insurance but now will not ever consider Budget Direct again. Please beware!

You were very helpful in my questions I asked ,polite

Ease of use except having to wait for a operator kept on hold 20 mins

The process was very easy from my initial contact. The service provided by Customer Service was exceptional. Anything I was unsure of was fully clarified and the price of the policy was affordable in comparison to my previous insurer.

My experience with Budget Direct has been extremely disappointing.

After my vehicle was repaired through their authorised and questionable repairer, I collected it only to discover the wheel alignment was clearly incorrect, creating an immediate safety concern. An independent technician later confirmed the issue, leaving me out of pocket for additional repairs that should never have been necessary.

I also requested reimbursement for the Didi fare I had to pay to collect my vehicle from the repairer. Despite emailing Budget Direct on 30 May 2026 and providing supporting receipts, my request has been ignored and I have received no meaningful response.

The lack of communication, poor customer service and failure to address legitimate reimbursement requests have been frustrating. After everything I experienced following my accident, I expected far better support from my insurer.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Budget Direct.

Loyal, stupid Budget Direct customer for years. Recently quoted by AAMI for car insurance to find out BD are charging me DOUBLE. When queried with BD their online person said the premiums were correct. No infringements, no claims, no commuting, not expensive cars. Bunch of scammers.