Australia’s best car insurance March 2024

A family (including a Golden Retriever dog) packing car for a trip

No matter your age or where you live in Australia, if you own a vehicle, you’ll want to hunt down the best car insurance deal you can for your situation and budget in 2024.  

Here at Mozo, we track over 50 car insurance companies. The cost of car insurance is determined by a number of factors such as where you live, who drives the car and their driving history, the car make and model, and even the car colour. Some car insurance providers will even take into account the distance you travel to determine the cost of your car insurance.

This means that the best car insurance policy or price for you, may not be the same as your friend or neighbour, and that’s why it is so important to compare car insurance regularly to make sure you are getting a good deal. 

To help you narrow down your options for consideration, our insurance data analysts and personal finance journalists regularly review and compile a list of the best car insurance policies and providers, some of which won Mozo awards in 2023, and others the Mozo team has chosen as a way to highlight some of the great deals available right now. 

Best car insurance March 2023

Expert recommendations: Mozo Experts Choice Award-winning best car insurance policies

Graphic of 2023 Mozo Experts Choice Awards badge for Car Insurance.

About our Mozo Experts Choice Awards Methodology

As part of the annual Mozo Experts Choice Awards^, our expert analysts perform a detailed assessment of a range of Australian comprehensive car insurance policies, with the express aim of bringing you some of the best car insurance on the market. 

When analysing a policy, the team keeps an eye out for standout products that meet the criteria for exceptional value and/or exceptional quality car insurance.

  • Exceptional value awards: Insurance that’s among the best-priced for the main features it offers, based on a comparison of prices for selected customer scenarios.
  • Exceptional quality awards: Insurance cover that leads the market in the generosity of additional benefits and flexibility of options - irrespective of price.

In 2023, the Mozo experts compared over 10,000 different comprehensive car insurance quotes and looked at a wide range of factors to hand-select this year’s best policies.

Mozo’s Value Insurance Provider of the Year

Taking out pole position as Mozo’s Value Insurance Provider of the Year for 2023, Budget Direct took home four awards across our car insurance categories and this is the fifth year running that Budget Direct has won a major award from Mozo.

Check out Budget Direct's Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance cover below.

Budget Direct Gold Comprehensive Car Insurance*
  • 15% discount for buying online
  • New-for-old vehicle replacement (see conditions below)
  • Hire car after an accident when you weren't at fault
  • Low-km drivers may have their premium reduced
  • 2023 Mozo Experts Choice Award winner

Key policy features: With competitive prices and solid cover limits, a 15% discount if you purchase your car insurance online (T&Cs apply), and a highly-rated 24/7 claims service, Budget Direct offers one of the best car insurance policies at the moment.

This policy includes useful features that can help keep you on the road, like hire car cover after a theft or not-at-fault accident. You’ll also be covered by new-for-old car replacement (when the car is under two years old or has driven less than 40,000km), up to $500 of personal property cover and up to $1,000 for replacement keys. There is an option to pay your premium monthly but this will cost extra. 

2023 Mozo Experts Choice Award^ wins: Value Insurance Provider of the Year, Exceptional Value Car Insurance, Exceptional Value Senior Driver Car Insurance and Exceptional Value Young Driver Car Insurance.

Exceptional Value Car Insurance winners

The 2023 Mozo Experts Choice Awards^ winners for Exceptional Value Car Insurance had to provide an acceptable minimum cover level for the price of its insurance premium. 

The following winners were selected from a pool of 10,000 unique car insurance quotes. 

Rollin' Comprehensive Car Insurance*
  • Monthly premiums available at no extra cost
  • $0 excess for windscreen cover
  • Simplified excess
  • 2023 Mozo Experts Choice Award winner

Key policy features:  Rollin' aims to keep cover as simple as possible by offering monthly payments at no additional cost and cover you can cancel any time without penalties. 

The winner of Mozo’s Exceptional Value Car Insurance award, this comprehensive policy covers damage to your car in the event of an accident, storm or theft, and if there’s less than 15,000km on the odometer Rollin' will replace your car if it’s written-off with a new comparable model.

If you damage your windscreen or window glass, repairs will be organised without you having to pay any excess (one claim per policy period). And for other claim types, you’ll be looking at a single $800 excess for all listed drivers, making this a good option for drivers under 25 who might otherwise face an additional young driver excess (just remember unlisted drivers can still face up to $3,000 additional excess). 

2023 Mozo Experts Choice Award^ wins: Exceptional Value Car Insurance and Exceptional Value Young Driver Insurance.

Exceptional Quality Car Insurance

We assessed 58 policies for this award category. The criteria for this award was how well the car insurance policy scores on a range of factors including choice of excess, choice of rental car during repairs, and personal property cover. 

QBE Comprehensive *
  • $75 discount on your first year’s premium when you buy online
  • Lifetime repair guarantee

QBE’s comprehensive car insurance offers a whole range of benefits with convenient optional extras at a great premium. Enjoy new-for-old replacement (up to 3 years old, driven 60,000km), cover for accidental damage, fire and theft, weather damage, essential repairs up to $500, and emergency transport and accommodation up to $1,000 and a bonus $75 discount when you purchase your policy online.

2023 Mozo Experts Choice Award^: Exceptional Quality Car Insurance 

The full list of exceptional value car insurance winners includes:

Editor’s pick of the month: Best car insurance deals on Mozo in March 2024

Person with car and dog on a beach at sunset, with the text 'Mozo Editor's Pick' overlaid.

How we choose our editor’s picks for car insurance

Below are some great car insurance offers this month, selected by our editors. We’re highlighting these policies as they include features which might be of interest to different types of drivers. If you want to compare these against other options, head to our car insurance comparison page to search through our complete database or read car insurance news and policyholder guides.

Car insurance with excess-free windscreen repairs

Australia Post Comprehensive Car Insurance*
  • Save $100 on your first year’s premium when you buy online
  • New-for-old car replacement (under 3 years and 60,000km)
  • Up to $1,000 personal property cover
  • Excess-free windscreen repairs

Key policy features: Australia Post’s comprehensive car insurance policy is a Mozo editor’s pick of the month. New customers who purchase a comprehensive car insurance policy from Australia Post may qualify for a $100 online-only saving on the first year of their premium (T&Cs apply). 

An AusPost policy keeps things simple with modifications and car accessories included as standard. Getting your windscreen or window glass repaired is similarly simple, as you don’t have to pay any excess on this kind of claim (although you may have to pay excess on a full replacement). 

Other generous features include up to $1,000 of personal property cover for items inside your car, up to $1,000 cover for emergency travel and accommodation if you’re more than 100km away from home, and new-for-old replacement if your car is written-off (up to 3 years old and driven under 60,000km).

Plus, new sign ups who apply online could get $100 off their first year's premium for a limited time (T&Cs apply). Monthly premium costs extra.

Car Insurance with complimentary roadside assistance

Youi Comprehensive Car Insurance*
  • Complimentary emergency roadside assistance
  • New-for-old-car replacement (within 2 years & a listed driver is the first registered owner)
  • $1,000 limit on emergency repairs and accommodation

Key policy features: Youi’s comprehensive policy features many flexible options you may be after at an affordable price. In an emergency you can access up to $1,000 to cover repairs without an insurance assessment, or choose to use those funds for accommodation and travel if you’re more than 100km away from home. 

Emergency roadside assistance is also included as standard in this policy (T&Cs apply). You’ll be able to get back onto the road after a theft or an accident where you’re not at fault with Youi’s hire car cover (for up to 14 days). 

Youi also offer new car replacement if your vehicle is written-off and under two years old and you bought the car new or as a dealer demonstrator model. Youi has an extensive repairer network but if you want a choice of repairer, this is an optional extra at an additional cost.

Car insurance customer favourites: Mozo People’s Choice Award winners

Graphic of 2023 Mozo People's Choice Awards Badge for Car Insurance.

About our People’s Choice Awards Methodology for Car Insurance

The Mozo People’s Choice Awards are based on customer reviews and recommendations. These insights can help give Aussie consumers a more informed understanding of what taking out financial products with different providers is like. 

To assess car insurance companies for the 2023 Mozo People’s Choice Awards, reviews were collected via a nationally representative survey of over 3,949 Australians. The results reflect overall customer satisfaction with an insurance provider, the customer service experience, trust, sign-up processes, claims experiences, and whether people would recommend them to their friends. 

While companies are awarded at the provider level, we’ve selected standout comprehensive car insurance policies from a few of the winners below.

RAA Comprehensive Car Insurance Policy*
  • Available to South Australian residents
  • New-for-old car replacement (under 2 years old)
  • Unlimited, excess-free windscreen and window repair or replacement
  • 10% discount for Seniors Card holders
  • Repairs guaranteed for life by approved RAA repairers
Find out more

RAA took out awards in five of the six categories of the Mozo People’s Choice Awards this year, including awards in the Outstanding Customer Satisfaction and Excellent Claims Experience categories. For those with Seniors Cards, RAA offers a 10% discount (T&Cs apply).

The RAA comprehensive car insurance policy comes with unlimited, excess-free windscreen and window repair or replacement, cover for theft and malicious damage (including up to $1,000 for personal effects if stolen), fire, flood, and hail damage, and much more. Plus, this policy also provides new-for-old car replacement if your vehicle is written-off (so long as the car is less than two years old and you're the first owner). 

With your choice of repairer, plus authorised repairs which are guaranteed for the life of your vehicle, and access to RAA membership benefits, an RAA comprehensive car insurance policy is one to consider. 

2023 Mozo People’s Choice Award wins: Outstanding Customer Satisfaction, Excellent Customer Service, Highly Trusted, Excellent Claims Experience, Most Recommended.

Apia Comprehensive Car Insurance*
  • Offer: Save 10% when you buy your first year’s premium online
  • Drive less, pay less discounts available
  • New-for-old car replacement (under 10 years old)
  • Agreed or market value
  • Repairs guaranteed for life (authorised work only)
Find out more

Apia won six Mozo People’s Choice Awards in 2023 across each of the car insurance categories, including one for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction, Excellent Customer Service, and Excellent Claims Experience. 

Apia offers a 10% discount on your first year’s premium when you purchase a comprehensive car insurance policy online, while also offering a discount for customers who drive less than 20,000km per year (T&Cs apply). 

With Apia comprehensive car insurance you have the choice of insuring your ride for an agreed value or for the car’s market value, could be eligible for new-for-old car replacement if your vehicle (less than 10 years old) is written-off, and can rest assured that authorised repairs are guaranteed for life. There is a high $1500 excess for drivers under the age of 25. 

2023 Mozo People’s Choice Award wins: Excellent Claims Experience, Excellent Customer Service, Highly Trusted, Most Recommended, Outstanding Customer Satisfaction, Sign-Up Experience.

Mozo People's Choice Awards 2023 winners

For details of which awards providers won, check out the Mozo People's Choice Awards for Car Insurance page. 

For now, here's the full list of winners for 2022:

  • APIA car insurance 
  • GIO car insurance
  • NRMA car insurance 
  • RAA car insurance
  • RAC car insurance
  • RACQ car insurance
  • RACV car insurance
  • Shannons car insurance

* Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.

Mozo provides general product information. We don't consider your personal objectives, financial situation or needs and we aren't recommending any specific product to you. You should make your own decision after reading the PDS or offer documentation, or seeking independent advice.

While we pride ourselves on covering a wide range of products, we don't cover every product in the market. If you decide to apply for a product through our website, you will be dealing directly with the provider of that product and not with Mozo.

Most common FAQs about car insurance

What are the best car insurance features to look out for?

This really depends on your car and the policy points you want to prioritise. However, there are some features you’ll often see included in comprehensive car insurance that could be useful beyond the standard cover for damages caused by accidents, weather events, fire, theft and malicious acts. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, some of the best car insurance features may include: 

New-for-old car replacement: This involves an insurance company replacing your car with a new comparable model if it’s written-off. Keep in mind, this often comes with limits based on the age of the vehicle and how far it has driven.

Emergency support: This might include a certain amount of money to cover towing and emergency repairs to get your car back on the road, or travel and accommodations costs to get you home after an incident (this is often reliant on you being a certain distance from your residence).

Hire car cover: Generally, policies will specify if this is included as standard after a theft or accident where you either are or are not at fault. Most policies also specify day or dollar limits for the amount they’ll pay out for hire car cover.

Modifications: If you’ve elevated your ride beyond factory settings with mods or accessories, you may want to look for a policy that will cover these.

Personal property cover: This is coverage for items you keep inside your car that may get stolen or damaged. You’ll sometimes see baby seats or child restraints listed separately to other property, but both categories will normally have set dollar limits.

Can I get discounts on my car insurance?

Yes, there are a huge range of potential discounts on car insurance policies. However, not every policy or insurance provider will offer the full range of discounts, so it might be worth comparing car insurance policies to see where you could save on car insurance costs.

Be on the lookout for online application discounts, which usually reduce your first yearly premium for taking out a policy online. Other common discounts include loyalty discounts, multi-policy discounts (this often include other kinds of insurance like home or life insurance) and no claims bonuses which reduce your premiums the longer you make no claims on your policy.

If you want to learn about other discount options, check out our car insurance discount guide.

What’s the best car insurance excess to choose?

The ‘excess’ on a car insurance policy is the amount of money you’ll need to pay your insurance provider upfront if you make a claim before the cover kicks in. Most providers give you some leeway in choosing what that excess level is. 

Choosing a high excess can reduce your premium to some extent, but you’ll need to pay a higher amount to access your coverage when you make a claim. On the flipside, a low excess means smaller claim time payments but a potentially higher premium. Basically, choosing the best excess for you involves weighing up those two scenarios and seeing how each option fits into your budget. 

It’s also important to remember you might be required to pay an additional excess if the person driving your car at the time of the incident was a young or inexperienced driver, or wasn’t listed on your policy.

Can young drivers get the best car insurance?

Young or inexperienced drivers are often slapped with higher premiums and excess levels to account for their statistically higher likelihood of getting involved in an accident and making an insurance claim. However, they can generally still take out full-coverage policies with solid cover at an accessible price, especially if they can take advantage of various discounts.

If you want to know more about your insurance options as a younger driver, check out our dedicated guides for: 

Young drivers car insurance

P-plater car insurance

Learner driver car insurance

What’s the best car insurance for my car?

Again, this depends entirely on your personal and financial situation, as well as the kind of car you own and how you use it. 

While a more basic level of cover like a third party policy or third party fire and theft insurance may suit some drivers, those looking to cover their wheels for the most extensive range of events should look to comprehensive car insurance. These broader cover policies are the options we compare in the Mozo Experts Choice Awards^.

So, if you want to learn more about the best insurance for your car when it comes to comprehensive cover, head over to the Mozo Experts Choice Car Insurance Awards page for more details on the 2023 award-winning policies.

Can I get the best car insurance anywhere in Australia?

Most car insurance companies operate Australia-wide, but there are a few area-specific providers that only operate in certain states and territories. If you're looking to compare car insurance policies and requirements where you live, Mozo has the details on the kind of cover you need and localised providers in:

Victoria

New South Wales

Australian Capital Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

While your car insurance provider considers the state or territory in which the car is registered when formulating premiums, your cover will still be valid If you drive interstate for a holiday or short-term period and need to make a claim.  

If you're planning on spending a lot of time away from your registered address, it's a good idea to check in with your insurance company. They may have limits on the number of days you can be out of the state and still be covered.

How do I get the best car insurance quote?

When you apply for a car insurance quote, you’ll be asked a series of questions to help the provider understand who you are, what level of insurance you want, and what kind of car you drive.

These questions will allow the car insurance provider to calculate your premium (the price you pay for insurance) based on your risk profile. Different circumstances can have a huge effect on how much you pay for car insurance. 

This risk profile takes into account factors like your age, where you live, your driving history (e.g. if you’ve had any recent accidents), where you park your car, what type of car your drive, the age of your car, and more. 

It’s important to answer these questions honestly, as misleading your insurance company can lead to issues when making a car insurance claim down the road.