I have only recently chosen a car insurance policy with Hastings Direct. Everything went fine, bar one thing.. Hastings have not notified my previous car insurers Sterling (whom have arranged for my... See more
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Hastings Direct is one of the UK's fastest growing insurance brokers. We offer car, bike, van and home insurance.
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Replied to 99% of negative reviews
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Quick and easy to fined insurance at a good price
Reply from Hastings Direct
Very easy to deal with great customer service .explained every detail made life bit easier
Reply from Hastings Direct
Easy to understand their offer and straightforward purchase at fair price.Proof will be if I ever have to call upon it
Reply from Hastings Direct
Great value for money and easy to use purchase process
Reply from Hastings Direct
I just cancel my insurance before 10day .insurance was start they cut 80£.
Reply from Hastings Direct
I found a better price on a comparative site which was also with Hastings Direct so when I called them they went through the details to ensure that the cover was the same as there original price.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Cancelled by a Robot, Ignored by a Human
I rarely write public reviews, but this experience deserves one for the sake of transparency.
Hastings Direct offered what looked like a fair price at the start, tied to something called a driving score. The promise was simple: keep it above 30 and your cover continues. The problem is that no one truly explains how this “score” is judged. Speed, cornering, braking, and even mobile phone signals are tracked by an algorithm that you cannot question or verify. It records its version of truth, and when it decides you have failed, your insurance quietly ends.
My score dropped without any clear evidence of wrongdoing. There was no appeal process, no fair investigation, just a polite cancellation email dressed in formal words. The same email claimed that if I cancelled myself, I “wouldn’t need to declare it” to new insurers. That statement is misleading because cancellations are still traceable in the UK insurance market.
In most cases, insurance companies speak about prices, but the truth is more serious. It has become a form of pressure, even a quiet form of extortion, because every driver in Britain must be insured by law. Insurance is meant to be a safeguard, a collective promise that if something happens, people are protected. Yet the system is built on suspicion, not trust. It is not about protecting customers; it is about protecting companies from their own customers.
What Hastings Direct calls “risk management” is not about safety, it is about control. Their algorithm does not see people, it sees data points, and once that data turns against you, no one listens. You are left uninsured, without a voice, and blamed for something you cannot even see.
To make things worse, the system punishes practical behaviour. I need to charge my phone to keep my tracking enabled, and when the battery is low, it disables tracking automatically. That alone can lower a score. It shows how flawed and unrealistic this monitoring is, treating normal human actions as faults.
They have given me 20 days to find another insurer, which I will. And even if Hastings were to offer another chance and apologise, I would still move to another insurer. If their robot told me to go away, then I will go away. That is what they want, and I am not coming back. Trust, once broken, cannot be repaired with a message.
In a country that prides itself on fairness and consumer protection, it is alarming how easily a faceless algorithm can label a driver as “risky” and void their policy. Hastings Direct presents this as policy enforcement, but in truth, it leaves people uninsured based on data they cannot defend or even review.
If this is what the future of “smart insurance” looks like, it raises deeper questions about transparency, accountability, and trust. Perhaps the real risk is not in how we drive, but in how easily we trust the systems that claim to protect us.
Reply from Hastings Direct
I’ve repeatedly renewed my policy with Hastings Direct because they consistently provide the cover I need. If the renewal price ever increases, I know I can simply call them and they’re always willing to accommodate. Their customer service is approachable and flexible, which makes the renewal process smooth and reassuring.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Don’t go with Hastings direct as they rip you off left right and centre I made a payment plan and they wanted the full price to pay back for counselling the Insurance. I’m on benefits and don’t get that much. I told them and they told me that’s not my problem. wouldn’t even ensure anything with them they are a really bad company.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Clear precise answers to questions asked. Great product at a very good price.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Cory was fantastic in helping me cancel my insurance after a poor call with someone else. He went above and beyond and delivered fantastic service - thank you!
Reply from Hastings Direct
Easy to access details and update if needed. Straight forward insurance company.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Great service and great price for our home insurance
Reply from Hastings Direct
My advice if approaching renewal is to walk away. There is something inherently wrong with their risk data which they will not share with you. There are much more professional brokers to take your business to. There is no empathy here ... so please do not expect any, whatever your need to contact them is.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Easy access by telephone
Polite and easy to understand staff
Much cheaper than other companies
Reply from Hastings Direct
I recently purchased a company car insurance policy with Hastings Direct and, initially, the process seemed straightforward. I received emails instructing me to download their app, which I did immediately at the start of the policy. I set up my account, created a PIN, and completed all the necessary information.
Shortly after, I received another message with a link to download the app again (which I had already done). Following that message, I was suddenly unable to access my account, receiving an error message stating: “Sorry, your policy information isn’t available at the moment.” I assumed this was a temporary technical issue on their side.
As a full-time student dealing with a family emergency abroad (my mother had a stroke), I was unable to investigate further right away. Upon returning, I was shocked to find an email stating that my policy had been cancelled — allegedly because I had not downloaded the app, which I had clearly done from the very beginning.
I called Hastings Direct immediately after seeing the cancellation email. The customer service representative told me there was nothing that could be done, even though the policy had only just been cancelled a few hours earlier. I explained my situation in full, but the agent offered no assistance and simply repeated that it was cancelled and could not be reinstated. When I asked for a clear explanation or a second chance to renew the policy, I was told it was not possible — without any proper reason. I asked to speak with a manager, waited on hold, and was eventually told the manager was busy with another client and would call me back. That call never came.
This whole situation has left me extremely frustrated and disappointed. The app instructions were confusing and the system seems unreliable. The cancellation feels unfair, especially considering that I did everything asked of me at the start. Worse still, Hastings Direct had already taken the full first payment before cancelling the policy without providing proper support or communication.
Overall, this experience feels like a scam — take the initial payment, provide vague instructions, and then blame the customer for non-compliance. The customer service I received was unhelpful and lacked any empathy or proper guidance. I would strongly advise others to be cautious when considering Hastings Direct for car insurance.
Reply from Hastings Direct
Worst ever company if you have an accident. It’s been a week since my crash and my car has only just been towed to the shop. No one at the company seems to know anything and I am having to act as the middle man between the insurance and the car shop. It’s taken 6 days to get a hire car also as the managers are not wanting to spend the additional cost on a car for me! The claims department are awful and so unhelpful. Have now put in 2 complaints. I am so unimpressed and really wished I had more help as I have never been in an accident before and had so many questions and they just don’t seem to care. RAC even was joking to me about how bad Hastings is if you actually need to use them. Will not be renewing next year. Cannot wait to get out of this contract.
Reply from Hastings Direct
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