Best Car insurance Background

Best car insurance Australia

Compare the top rated comprehensive car insurance policies from the Online Partners on Canstar’s database.

Group Manager, Research & Ratings
Former Deputy Editor, Canstar
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Instantly compare 60+ Canstar expert rated policies based on the inputs below


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  • Star Rating - lowest first
  • Star Rating - highest first
  • Agreed or market value - lowest first
  • Agreed or market value - highest first
  • New car in case of write-off - lowest first
  • New car in case of write-off - highest first
  • Pay monthly at no extra cost - lowest first
  • Pay monthly at no extra cost - highest first
Bingle | Comprehensive
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Bingle logo
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Market Glossary
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If written off before 36 months old
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 24 months old or 40000 kms
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ING | Comprehensive
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ING logo
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 24 months old or 40000 kms
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Agreed Glossary
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If written off before 15000 kms
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Only monthly premiums are offered
Virgin Money | Comprehensive - Price Saver
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Virgin Money logo
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 24 months old or 40000 kms
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 36 months old or 60000 kms
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Bankwest | Comprehensive
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Bankwest logo
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before 24 months old
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Commonwealth Bank | Comprehensive
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Commonwealth Bank logo
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before 24 months old
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Ozicare | Comprehensive
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Ozicare logo
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 12 months old or 20000 kms
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Agreed or market Glossary
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If written off before the earlier of 24 months old or 40000 kms
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Unsure of a term in the above table? View glossary

The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, see top of table for details.

Which type of car insurance is the best?

Before deciding which provider and policy to choose, it’s worth considering which type of policy will be best for you. There are three main types of car insurance available in Australia and these are described below. Deciding which is best for you means thinking about factors such as the kind of vehicle you are insuring, the level of cover you need and your budget for paying for it.

Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance

Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance is the most basic form of cover and is mandatory for Australian drivers in every state and territory. It protects you financially if you injure or kill someone in an accident but does not provide any cover for damage caused to other people’s property or your own vehicle.

Comprehensive car insurance

Comprehensive is the most extensive form of car insurance and includes cover for your own vehicle as well as other people’s property. It also tends to cost more than other types of cover. Comprehensive car insurance may be suitable if:

  • you want a high degree of financial protection for a broad range of risks, including damage to your vehicle from a car accident as well as some of the indirect costs associated with being without a car while it’s being repaired.
  • you would find it difficult to cover the the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle by yourself
  • your car is under finance, as some lenders will require you to have it adequately insured.

Third party car insurance

Third party car insurance provides cover for damage caused to another person’s property – for example, if you caused a crash and damaged someone else’s car. You may also have the option of taking out a third party car insurance policy that includes fire and theft cover for your own vehicle. Third party car insurance may be suitable if:

  • the repair or replacement value of your own car is relatively low and affordable within your budget
  • you could do without your own car while it is off the road following an accident
  • you want a cheaper policy and are happy to sacrifice some of the extra cover you would get with comprehensive cover

Frequently Asked Questions about Car Insurance

Once you have decided on a type of cover, it’s worthwhile spending some time comparing policies so you can find the best car insurance for your needs.

Here are some steps to consider:

  • Look at what’s included and excluded: While two comprehensive car insurance policies from different providers may be relatively similar in terms of what’s covered, some policies offer cover for extra risks or come with helpful inclusions that others do not, such as roadside assistance. Similarly, some comprehensive policies will exclude risks that others don’t. Be sure to look at the amount of cover that’s included too, or in other words the maximum amount the insurer will pay out for particular risks.
  • Check the premiums: Price certainly isn’t everything, but all other things being equal, a cheaper policy may be appealing. It may be worthwhile also looking at factors related to the premiums, such as any discount that applies for buying the policy online and being able to pay your premiums monthly at no extra cost.
  • Don’t be afraid to negotiate: Insurance providers may have wiggle room to offer you a better price than what you’re initially quoted in some circumstances. This can be particularly true if you already have a policy and ask your current insurer if it will be willing to reduce your premiums to keep you as a customer. Remember, if you don’t ask for a discount, you probably won’t get one.
  • Consider ‘pay as you drive’ cover: If you don’t drive your car a lot, it might be worth taking a look at policies that charge premiums based on an estimate of how much you expect to drive (as opposed to a flat rate regardless of kilometres travelled), as this could work out cheaper. Or in some cases, providers use technology to charge customers based on how far you have actually travelled.

When weighing up policies, it’s a good idea to read the product disclosure statement (PDS) and target market determination (TMD) for each product, to ensure that it is suitable for your situation, including to understand what is and isn’t covered and any limits that apply.

The best car insurance features really depend on what you value as a driver, the risks most relevant to you and what kind of car you drive. But as a general guide, some of the features considered in Canstar’s Car Insurance Star Ratings and Awards include:

  • what after-accident care is included
  • options for the level of excess you pay
  • cover included for personal items in the vehicle
  • windscreen cover
  • roadside assistance
  • cover for rental car costs if your vehicle is off the road

Again, the best car insurance excess will depend on your budget. Choosing a higher excess generally means you will pay a lower premium, but if you need to make a claim you will need to pay a higher contribution towards the cost. Alternatively if you opt for a lower excess, which would save you money at claim time, your premium will generally be higher.

Essentially, you need to make your own assessment of the trade-off between saving now and potentially needing to pay more if you make a claim, or paying a bit more to protect yourself from the risk of higher out-of-pocket claim costs.

Canstar’s Star Ratings and Awards assess policies and insurers based on various states and territories and can be useful to consider if you’re keen to tailor your cover to your general location.

However, at a more local level, you may want to factor in specifics to where you live when deciding on the best car insurance. This could include the risk of natural disasters like floods or bushfires in your area, and ensuring that the car insurance you choose provides cover for them.

Latest in car insurance

Canstar Star Ratings and Awards

Looking for an award-winning product or to switch providers or brands? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value overall. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Canstar's Car Insurance Awards

About our car insurance experts

Amanda Horswill, Former Deputy Editor, Canstar

Amanda Horswill
A journalist for more than two decades, Amanda Horswill has reported on a galaxy of subjects, including property, lifestyle, hyper-local news, data journalism, the Arts and careers. She’s served as the Editor of Brisbane News, Deputy Features Editor for The Sunday Mail, Deputy Editor – Digital at Quest Community News, and a host of other senior positions at News Corp, prior to joining Australia’s biggest financial comparison website, Canstar. Amanda is fascinated with the ever-changing world of finance. A passionate believer in the motto “knowledge is power”, she strives to translate the news into practical information that will help readers make informed decisions about their future. While at Canstar, her work has been regularly referenced by publishers such as the Sydney Morning Herald , The Age, The New Daily and Yahoo Finance. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism, Media Studies and Production, and Public Relations) and a Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing, from the University of Southern Queensland. Follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Joshua Sale, Group Manager, Research & Ratings

Joshua Sale

As Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Car Insurance Star Ratings and Awards. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right product for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine.

You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on Twitter and Facebook.


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Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more.

The Car Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in June 2023 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Car Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need financial advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. If you decide to apply for an insurance policy, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar.   It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the PDS and TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

Companies listed in the table, or in ads, may use or be used by another company to arrange, issue, distribute or sell its insurance policies to customers. For more information on the issuer of the policy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.