How good is Direct Line Cyber Insurance?

Direct Line is a household name who insure thousands of customers across the UK. We take a closer look at their cyber insurance and whether it’s up to scratch.

Who is Direct Line?

They’re one of the largest insurers in the UK for both personal and business customers.

Direct Line have been insuring personal customers since 1985, and now insure over 400,000 businesses under the name Direct Line for Business.

Founded in 2007, Direct Line for Business now offer a wide range of business insurance policies, including:

• Public liability insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Employers liability insurance

What cyber insurance do they offer?

Direct Line offer cyber liability cover as part of their business insurance package, but you can also choose it as a standalone policy by just adding Cyber risk cover to your insurance quote.

Direct cyber risk insures your business for:

• Loss of income from a cyber attack
• Cost of restoring your systems and any lost data
• Compensation and legal defence costs
• Expert advice and support

Direct Line offer three different levels of cyber cover, up to: £25,000, £50,000 or £100,000.

You’ll have to pay a fixed excess of £500 if you need to make a claim and Direct Line also apply a 12 hour loss of income excess as well, meaning any business losses your company suffer during this time won’t be covered.

Following an attack Direct Line also offer:

• Advice on how to avoid future attacks
• Legal and forensic IT services to investigate any attack
• Identity theft cover

Do they cover all types of businesses?

To check if Direct Line for Business can offer cyber cover for your business sector you need to use their online quote form and select your industry area from the list.

If cyber risk cover is an option you should be able to get cover, otherwise it may not be available.

Direct Line for Business is underwritten by U K insurance ltd and their cyber cover is supplied by HSB Engineering insurance.

While HSB don’t specialise in any particular business sector or industry, there are some business areas they won’t insure, and that Direct Line for Business won’t be able to give a quote for.

How much does Direct Line cyber insurance cost?

This depends on:

• The size and type of business you own
• The level of cover you choose
• What extras you add to your policy

If you’re already a Direct Line customer, you can get an extra 10% off your quote, this includes if you have a personal policy with them.

Either way, it’s always best to compare cyber insurance quotes from several insurers before deciding to make sure you’re not paying any more than you need to.

Direct Line also guarantee to beat your business insurance quote or renewal quote from other insurers where it offers cover on an equivalent basis, which even if they’re more expensive initially could help bring the price down.

How easy is it to get a quote?

You can either get a quote online on the Direct Line for Business website, or by calling 0345 878 5603.

If you choose to get a quote online, you’ll be taken to their business insurance quote page and asked for details about your business, including:

• What your business does
• Where your business operates from
• How many employees you have
• What cover you’d like

If you are only looking for cyber insurance, you’ll need to select the Cyber risks option from those listed on its own, otherwise you can choose to add other cover that may be of interest.

If you’re unsure whether you need any additional cover, you can discuss your needs with an advisor using the Direct Line live chat service. You can also see a breakdown and the cost of each type of cover you add to your quote and add and remove options as you see fit.

It’s worth noting Direct Line for Business don’t work with comparison websites, so to get a quote for their cyber insurance you’ll need to visit their website or call them directly.

What do their customers think?

Overall Direct Line for Business gets largely positive feedback from their business insurance customers.

Feedback on Reevoo currently shows that 97% of Direct Line for Business customers would recommend them, based on well over 1,300 responses.

However, they also have a low 2.1 stars on Trustpilot, although this is currently based on just 12 customers reviews.

What’s the verdict?

Direct Line is a household name, and the feedback from their customers is largely positive which makes them a good option to consider if you’re looking for cyber cover.

You can also choose to take out standalone cover or add extra cover options to suit your business.

However, Direct Line offer a much smaller limit on their cyber insurance cover than some other insurers, at a maximum of £100,000.

While this may not be a problem for many businesses, if you want more extensive protection then you may need to look elsewhere.

You also don’t get the option to adjust your excess amount with Direct Line, which is set at £500, which some other insurers do offer.

Finally, if you work in a high risk or niche business sector then there may be a chance that Direct Line for Business may not be able to offer you cover at all.