Quoteline Direct

What Quoteline Direct does

Quoteline Direct is a UK personal and commercial lines insurance broker established in 1969, operating as a trading name of Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited — a UK subsidiary of NYSE-listed Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. The broker distributes motor, home, taxi, landlord, life (via Zurich), and small-commercial insurance products to UK individuals and small businesses, with deep specialisation in non-standard risks such as criminal convictions, flood/subsidence/thatched/listed properties, unoccupied homes, high-performance vehicles, and convicted drivers. Its technology stack is built around the proprietary QuickBuy online quote-and-buy system and the My Policies self-service customer portal, layered over a panel-based insurer network for quote aggregation.

The business is commission-based: Quoteline Direct places customer risk with panel insurers and earns brokerage commission on each policy bound. Pricing varies materially by product, risk profile, and coverage tier — examples include life insurance from £5/month (Zurich), tools in transit cover from £49.95/year for £1,000 of cover, rent guarantee and legal expenses at £94.95/year, monitored home alarm at £25/month, and shop insurance starting from £200/year. Distribution is multi-channel: comparison-site partnerships with Go Compare, Confused, and Compare the Market drive top-of-funnel acquisition; QuickBuy handles mid-funnel online self-service; specialist telephone consultants close complex and non-standard cases; and the My Policies portal supports renewals and post-sale servicing.

Quoteline Direct is headquartered at Clipper House, Sale, Manchester, with almost 400 staff at the head office and operates solely in the UK market. Its competitive position rests on specialist underwriting expertise in niches that mass-market insurers decline, paired with direct aggregator access — a combination that supports a distributed, long-tail customer base rather than enterprise anchor accounts.

Name

Quoteline Direct

Legal name

Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited

Website

https://quotelinedirect.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quoteline Direct is a UK insurance broker (est. 1969), trading under Arthur J. Gallagher, distributing motor, home, taxi, life, and commercial cover via comparison sites, an online quote system, and telephone specialists, with deep specialisation in non-standard risks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial Lines Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAB)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage
• Personal lines insurance
• Commercial vehicle insurance
• Specialist home insurance
• Non-standard insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Macclesfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Quoteline Direct acts as an insurance broker earning commissions from panel insurers for placing business. The company compares quotes from multiple insurers to find competitive rates for customers.
2. Life Insurance Partnership (Zurich): Partnership with Zurich for life insurance products, providing competitive life insurance from £5/month through the Life Insurance Quote Builder.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quoteline Direct is a UK insurance broker that intermediates personal and commercial insurance policies between customers and a panel of insurers, earning commissions on placements. Core offerings span van, car, home, taxi, life, and small business insurance, with specialist cover for non-standard risks such as criminal convictions, flood, subsidence, thatched roofs, listed buildings, and high-value homes. Sales are executed through a proprietary online quote-and-buy platform (QuickBuy), telephone-based specialist consultants, and major UK price comparison websites.

Product overview

Quoteline Direct is a UK insurance broker established in 1969, offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products through its online platform and call centre. The company provides personal lines insurance including Van Insurance, Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Taxi Insurance, and Life Insurance (via Zurich partnership), as well as commercial insurance covering Combined Commercial & Small Business Insurance, Retail Insurance, Tradesman Insurance, and various specialist products. The core offering consists of insurance brokerage services connecting customers with panel insurers, supported by proprietary quote platforms (QuickBuy) and customer portals (My Policies). Specialist insurance products address non-standard risks including criminal convictions, flood, subsidence, thatched roofs, listed buildings, high value homes, and unoccupied properties. The product portfolio is organized into personal motor, personal property, commercial/business, and specialist niches, with add-on coverages for tools in transit, goods in transit, cyber risk, and legal expenses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Van Insurance Comprehensive van insurance covering pickups, small vans, and transit vans for commercial use, with options for standard and specialist coverage including criminal convictions, courier, and goods in transit. Available via QuickBuy online or telephone.
• Car Insurance Car insurance policies covering all vehicle types from sporty saloons to SUVs, with specialist offerings for young drivers, over-50s, students, learners, high performance cars, and drivers with criminal convictions.
• Home Insurance Home insurance covering buildings, contents, or combined policies, including specialist variants for landlords, flood risk, subsidence, thatched roofs, listed buildings, unoccupied properties, renovations, high value homes, and criminal convictions.
• Taxi Insurance Taxi insurance for both public hire and private hire taxi drivers, covering single vehicles and fleets of five or more, including Uber drivers who require private hire cover. Has a dedicated telephone sales and claims line.
• Life Insurance Life insurance partnership with Zurich offering level term, decreasing term, whole life, single and joint life policies, with optional terminal illness and critical illness cover, available from £5 per month.
• Combined Commercial & Small Business Insurance Combined commercial insurance for small businesses covering material damage, employers' liability, public and products liability, business interruption, stock and goods in transit, and money.
• Retail Insurance Shop and retail insurance covering buildings, stock, public liability, with variants for bakeries, beauty salons, cafes, hotels, and bed & breakfasts. Premiums start from £200 per year.
• Landlord Insurance Specialist landlord insurance covering buildings, contents, and public liability for buy-to-let properties, with optional rent guarantee and legal expenses cover.
• Rent Guarantee & Legal Expenses Insurance Landlord insurance covering rent protection up to £2,500 per month for 12 months, eviction costs up to £50,000, and legal expenses up to £100,000. Premium £94.95/year.
• Flood Risk Home Insurance Specialist flood insurance for properties at risk of flooding, including access to the government-backed Flood Re scheme with claims excess capped at £250, and coverage for properties with flood history.
• Cyber Risk & Cyber Liability Insurance Cyber insurance covering financial fraud, hardware problems, third party liability, intellectual property issues, reputation damage, and lost income from system compromises.
• Monitored Home Alarm System Monitored home security system partnership with MonitoredHaus offering 24/7 professional monitoring, EN50131 certified hardware, free installation and equipment, and care alarm functionality at £0.83/day.
• Tradesman Insurance Tradesman liability insurance for builders, electricians, plumbers, and other trades covering public liability, employers liability, tools, and equipment.
• Boat Insurance Boat and yacht insurance covering dinghies, diving boats, cruisers, yachts, canal boats, and racing catamarans, with flexible cover from third party to fully comprehensive.
• High Value Home Insurance High net worth insurance covering all-risk buildings and contents including fine art, antiques, jewellery, with liability cover up to £10 million and legal expenses up to £250,000.
• Unoccupied Property Insurance Insurance for empty properties covering main residences unoccupied over 30 days and non-main residences in probate or renovation, from FLEEA to extended buildings and contents.
• Goods In Transit Insurance Goods in transit insurance covering haulage, courier, and tradesmen for theft, accidental damage, and loss, available on specified or all-risk basis.
• High Performance Car Insurance Specialist car insurance for high-performance and prestige vehicles from marques including Bentley, Maybach, Tesla, and Rolls-Royce.
• Car Insurance with Criminal Convictions Car insurance for drivers with unspent criminal convictions, available even if refused by other insurers.
• Truck Insurance HGV and lorry insurance covering vehicles up to 44 tonnes, with additional options for public liability, employers liability, goods in transit, fleet insurance, and haulage.
• Commercial Vehicle & Haulage Insurance Commercial vehicle insurance for lightweight vans to heavy construction trucks, with additional policies for public liability, employers liability, goods in transit, and fleet coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of death claims paid out (Zurich life insurance, 2016)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gallagher (Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited)coreOthers · 1 January 1969Quoteline Direct is a trading name of Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, one of the world's largest insurance brokers, risk management and consultancy companies. Gallagher is the parent company providing regulatory authorization and operational infrastructure.
• ZurichcoreTechnology or IntegrationQuoteline Direct partnered with Zurich to provide life insurance products. Zurich is described as a leading insurer with 98% death claims payout rate. Quoteline Direct offers Zurich life insurance through their Life Insurance Quote Builder.
• Life LedgerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Life Ledger for bereavement notification services. Life Ledger allows users to notify over 1,000 UK companies connected with a deceased person from one place, removing need for difficult repeated conversations.
• Go ComparecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK comparison site partnership for customer acquisition. Quoteline Direct works with leading comparison sites including Go Compare.
• ConfusedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK comparison site partnership for customer acquisition. Quoteline Direct works with leading comparison sites including Confused.
• Compare the MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK comparison site partnership for customer acquisition. Quoteline Direct works with leading comparison sites including Compare the Market.
• RHA (Road Haulage Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze Associate member of the Road Haulage Association, providing credibility for goods in transit and haulage insurance offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alan Boswell Group: UK regional insurance broker offering personal and commercial lines including specialist landlord and property cover. Comparable in providing specialist property and landlord products through panel insurers.
• A-Plan Insurance: UK insurance broker with high-street branches and specialist expertise in niche segments (young drivers, vans, business). Comparable hybrid distribution and niche segmentation approach.
• Adrian Flux: UK insurance broker specializing in non-standard and high-risk personal lines (performance cars, modified vehicles, criminal convictions, imported cars). Closest direct comparable to Quoteline Direct's specialist niche focus.
• Swinton Insurance: UK high-street insurance broker offering personal lines (car, home, van, business) via telephone, online, and branch channels. Comparable multi-channel brokerage model and broad personal lines portfolio.
• Hastings Direct: UK personal lines insurer/broker focused on car, van, home and bike insurance sold online and via phone. Comparable direct-to-consumer UK personal lines proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Line Group: UK personal lines insurance group (Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege, Darwin) operating across car, home, van and commercial. Overlaps with Quoteline Direct's personal lines portfolio at much greater scale.
• Admiral Group: Welsh-headquartered UK personal lines insurer (Admiral, Bell, Diamond, elephant.co.uk) and price-comparison owner. Competes directly for UK car and home insurance customers in the same comparison-site channels.
• LV= (Liverpool Victoria): UK mutual insurer offering car, home, life and retirement products. Overlaps with Quoteline Direct's personal lines offering with a larger, more diversified portfolio.
• esure Group: UK personal lines insurer (esure, Sheilas' Wheels, First Direct) selling car and home insurance direct and via aggregators. Competes for the same comparison-site customer base.

Others

• BGL Group: Parent of Compare the Market and owner of Junction (insurance) and Gorilla (home insurance) products. Comparable as both a distribution partner to Quoteline Direct and a competing direct insurance provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quoteline-direct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quoteline Direct