Direct Line vs Hastings Direct:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Direct Line had more branded searches than Hastings Direct among van insurance providers in the United Kingdom. Direct Line had about 3,600 branded searches, while Hastings Direct had 1,600. Direct Line made up 19.3% of all van insurance provider searches we track, and Hastings Direct accounted for 8.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about van insurance providers, Direct Line appeared in one of the five answers and Hastings Direct in none.
Who do people search for more?
Direct Line, about 2 searches for every 1 for Hastings Direct
Who does AI mention more?
Direct Line, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, Hastings Direct in 0
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Top van insurance providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Direct Line was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hastings Direct did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
The Van Insurer3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
RAC2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Direct Line1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Aviva1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
AXA1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Admiral0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Tradex Insurance0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Hastings Direct0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Ageas0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
1st Central0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about van insurance providers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Who has the best van insurance in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which company should I insure my van with?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the cheapest van insurance for a tradesperson in the UK?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“van insurance”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“van insurance quote”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.
Is Direct Line or Hastings Direct more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Direct Line and Hastings Direct by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten van insurance providers we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Direct Line, Hastings Direct. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Admiral | Direct Line | Aviva | Tradex Insurance | Hastings Direct | AXA | RAC | Ageas | The Van Insurer | 1st Central |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 34% | 22.7% | 9.8% | 12.4% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 3.7% | 1.3% | 0.88% |
| Nov 2025 | 37.7% | 20.6% | 10.9% | 10.9% | 7.4% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 1.5% | 0.8% |
| Dec 2025 | 35.7% | 23.8% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 6.6% | 4.8% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 0.73% |
| Jan 2026 | 33.1% | 22.1% | 12% | 9.5% | 8% | 5% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 2% | 1.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 33.3% | 22.2% | 12.1% | 9.6% | 8.1% | 4.4% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 2% | 1.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 36.2% | 19.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 8.5% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 1.7% | 0.76% |
| Apr 2026 | 33.8% | 22.5% | 12.3% | 9.7% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 3% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.72% |
| May 2026 | 36.9% | 20.1% | 10.6% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 5.6% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 2.2% | 0.78% |
| Jun 2026 | 35.4% | 19.3% | 12.9% | 10.2% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 0.75% |
| Jul 2026 | 35.6% | 19.4% | 12.9% | 10.2% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 0.75% |
| Aug 2026 | 36.4% | 19.8% | 13.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 0.77% |
| Sep 2026 | 35.4% | 19.3% | 12.9% | 10.2% | 8.6% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 0.75% |
Direct Line sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “direct line van insurance”.
How has the Direct Line and Hastings Direct comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Direct Line was ahead of Hastings Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Direct Line’s share of searches among van insurance providers in the United Kingdom moved from 22.7% to 19.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 3.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hastings Direct’s share of searches among van insurance providers in the United Kingdom moved from 8.2% to 8.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.6K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom van insurance providers in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Tradex Insurance overtook Hastings Direct to rank 4th among van insurance providers in the United Kingdom, with 10.2% of the searches.
In September 2026, Direct Line lost share of searches among van insurance providers in the United Kingdom, from 19.8% to 19.3%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Direct Line’s and Hastings Direct’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Direct Line
1 branded search term
- direct line van insurance
Hastings Direct
1 branded search term
- hastings van insurance
Other head-to-heads among van insurance providers
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