Canstar vs Quashed Contents Insurance Image

Canstar vs Quashed: Which Platform Helps Kiwis Save More on Contents Insurance in 2025?

Updated 13 November 2025

In 2025, New Zealanders are rethinking how they protect what’s inside their homes. With the rising cost of living and insurance premiums continuing to climb year after year, finding affordable, comprehensive contents insurance has never been more essential. According to Quashed Index data, from the article, the average cost of car, house and contents insurance in New Zealand, average contents insurance premiums in New Zealand have risen to $863 per year ($72 a month) as of Q2 2025, up from $838 in Q2 2024 and $755 in Q2 2023. This illustrates the trend of increasing contents insurance costs across the country.

Whether you’re protecting your furniture, electronics, or valuable jewellery, taking time to compare policies can make a big difference in how much you pay and what’s actually covered. Two popular platforms often come up in this search: Canstar and Quashed. Both help Kiwis make smarter financial decisions, but they serve very different purposes. Canstar is a research based website that helps consumers understand how insurance works and which brands perform well overall. Quashed, on the other hand, is built specifically for Kiwis who want real-time, personalised contents insurance quotes and a faster way to save.

Why is it important to Compare Contents Insurance in New Zealand in 2025?

Contents insurance can vary significantly across New Zealand providers, even when the coverage appears similar. Two policies with identical inclusions can differ by hundreds of dollars a year. Comparing options is the one of the easiest ways to save money while ensuring your belongings are adequately protected.

It’s not just about price. Policy features, claim limits and exclusions differ between insurers and these variations can have a huge impact when you need to claim. The amount you’re reimbursed for valuables like jewellery or electronics, or how much temporary accommodation or accidental damage cover you receive, can vary by thousands. For a detailed overview of what contents insurance includes and how to choose the right cover for your needs, explore our Ultimate Guide to Contents Insurance in New Zealand.

Insurance companies also regularly update their pricing and policy benefits to stay competitive. The provider that offered the best deal last year might not be the most affordable or comprehensive today.

Many Kiwi homeowners are familiar with big names such as AA, AMI and State, but challenger brands like AMP and Inito often offer more competitive pricing or more flexible benefits. When comparing contents insurance, it pays to check the policy wording, benefit limits and the insurer's financial strength, not just the brand you recognise.

Insurance Shopper Journey: Canstar vs Quashed

If Chris uses Canstar

Chris visits Canstar’s Compare Home & Contents Insurance page, where he finds a table of insurers rated using Canstar’s Star Ratings system. These ratings are based on expert research that measures each insurer’s overall value by balancing price and policy features.
He scrolls through familiar names like AA, AMI, State, and Tower, along with a few smaller challenger brands. Some insurers, such as AMI and State, direct Chris straight to their official websites. Others have dedicated Canstar pages that summarise what’s covered, including accidental damage, temporary accommodation, and limits for valuables like jewellery or electronics.
To learn more, Chris clicks on an insurer, such as Tower or Initio, and is taken to a detailed Canstar page outlining the policy tiers: Standard, Plus, and Premium. However, when he selects “Get Quote,” he’s redirected to the insurer’s website to enter his personal and property details.
If Chris wants to compare multiple quotes, he must re-enter the same information, such as his address, sum insured, excess, and claims history, on each insurer’s site.
After 45–90 minutes, Chris has several quotes open in different tabs, each with different excess options, policy inclusions, and premiums. While the process is informative, it’s time-consuming, and he still has to compare each quote to find the best value manually.

Outcome: Canstar provides Chris with a good understanding of New Zealand’s contents insurance market and helps him understand how providers differ. However, because it doesn’t generate personalised quotes, he must still visit each insurer’s site and compare prices himself.

If Chris uses Quashed

Chris begins by using Quashed’s built-in contents insurance calculator through the Contents Market Scan. The calculator then helps him estimate the total value of his belongings by adding up categories like electronics, clothing, jewellery, kitchenware, furniture, whiteware, and sports gear. The calculator gives Chris a clear idea of his content’s overall value before getting quotes.
He enters details such as his address, floor area, year built, wall and roof materials, number of storeys, alarm system, and preferred excess. Quashed then runs a real-time Market Scan, pulling personalised contents insurance quotes from multiple New Zealand insurers based on Chris’s personal profile and contents value.
Within minutes, Chris can view his quotes side by side on one dashboard, with both yearly and monthly default clearly displayed. He can also compare key policy benefits, including standard cover limits for jewellery and electronics, as well as protection against theft, fire, natural disasters, and accidental damage. The platform highlights differences in excess options and add-ons, helping him quickly identify which policy offers the best mix of value and protection.
If Chris finds a better policy, he can switch directly through Quashed; no repeated forms or extra steps are required.

Outcome: Quashed gives Chris fast, personalised comparisons and real savings, all in one place.

If Chris uses both Canstar and Quashed

Some homeowners, like Chris, may prefer to start with Canstar before moving to Quashed for a more personalised comparison. Chris visits Canstar’s Compare Home & Contents Insurance page to see how cover levels differ and which insurers perform best based on Canstar’s Star Ratings, which ranks insurers on overall value, based on both price and features. He also reads Canstar’s guides “How Much Contents Insurance Do I Need?” and “How to Save on Home and Contents Insurance” to understand what contents insurance covers, how premiums are calculated and which events are typically included, such as accidental damage, fire and theft.

Once he understands the basics, Chris switches to Quashed, where the Market Scan provides real-time, personalised quotes from multiple insurers after entering his details once. He can instantly compare premiums, excess options, and policy benefits all in one simple dashboard. This approach lets Chris use Canstar for research and Quashed for action, combining knowledge with real savings.

Canstar

Canstar is one of New Zealand’s most well known financial research and comparison websites. With a dedicated team of analysts and researchers, it reviews thousands of financial products, ranging from home loans and credit cards to KiwiSaver and insurance, helping Kiwis make informed, confident decisions. It’s best known for its Star Ratings system, which evaluates products based on overall value by weighing both price and policy features, rather than just cost alone.

When it comes to contents insurance, Canstar offers:

Comparison based on Canstar’s Star Ratings, which assess contents insurance policies from major and challenger New Zealand insurers through in-depth research and data analysis
Guides and advice on how contents insurance works, what affects premiums, and how to find the right level of cover for your belongings
Educational articles, including “How Much Contents Insurance Do I Need? And “How to Save on Home and Contents Insurance,” help Kiwis understand coverage options, claim limits and policy features
Insights into award-winning insurers, showing which providers deliver the best value based on Canstar’s research.
Regular updates on content insurance news, deals and market trends in New Zealand

Canstar is a good starting point for researching and learning about contents insurance, giving Kiwis a solid understanding of policy features and value differences. However, it’s primarily a rating site, not a dedicated insurance platform. While it lists insurer options and ratings, users still need to visit each provider’s website for personalised quotes.

If you want to understand what people across New Zealand are paying for their policies, explore our Average cost of car, house and contents insurance in New Zealand guide. It breaks down average premiums by region and cover type to give you a clearer sense of where your current insurer sits in today’s market.

Strengths of Canstar

Trusted, independent research backed by over 20 years of experience in New Zealand’s financial services market
Transparent Star Ratings system that evaluate contents insurers based on both price and policy features
Educational guides that help Kiwis understand what contents insurance covers, how to calculate the correct sum insured and how excess options affect premiums
Provides practical background knowledge for first-time policyholders or those reviewing or renewing their contents insurance
Covers both major and challenger insurers, giving a broad overview of the New Zealand contents insurance market
Periodically updated research and awards that highlight overall value, customer satisfaction and market trends in contents insurance

Limitations of Canstar for Saving on Contents Insurance

While Canstar is a research tool, it’s not designed to provide personalised, real-time comparisons. Its focus is on education and general financial insights rather than helping users take immediate action to reduce their premiums.

Limitation	Impact
Does not generate real-time personalised quotes	Users must visit each insurer’s website to enter their details and get accurate pricing
Primarily a financial comparison platform, not dedicated solely to insurance	Its broad focus means less depth on contents insurance specific coverage and benefits
Many insurers share similar Star Ratings	Makes it harder for users to identify clear differences in value between providers
Limited range of challenger insurers compared with Quashed	Users may miss out on smaller brands offering more competitive pricing or unique policy features
Focused primarily on research and education, not direct contents insurance comparison or switching	Users can learn about policies, but can’t act on savings or switch instantly

These limitations highlight why many homeowners and renters are turning to Quashed, a platform built specially to provide real-time, personalised contents insurance comparisons and help Kiwis take action to save money faster.

Quashed

Quashed is a New Zealand insurance comparison website built to help Kiwis compare, shop and save on house, car and contents insurance. In terms of contents insurance, Quashed is designed for homeowners, renters and families who want clarity, control and confidence when managing their insurance. Quashed makes it easy to compare live contents insurance quotes from multiple insurers, all tailored to your personal details and total contents value.

When using Quashed, you only need to enter your details once, including factors such as your address, year built, wall and roof materials, number of storeys, whether you have an alarm system and your preferred excess. Quashed’s contents market scan then retrieves real-time, personalised quotes from several insurers, allowing you to see accurate premiums side by side.

With Quashed, you can:

View live contents insurance quotes based on your personal profile
Compare policy benefits side by side, including limits for jewellery, electronics, and other valuables
See key differences in benefits, limits, exclusions, and excess options
Review protection for theft, fire, natural disasters, and accidental damage
Switch easily if you find a better-value policy
Store and manage all your insurance policies in one convenient dashboard

Quashed’s goal is to make comparing contents insurance fast, transparent, and action-focused. Instead of spending hours visiting multiple insurer websites, users can find the best-value policy and switch instantly all from one easy-to-use dashboard.

How Quashed’s Market Scan works

1. Enter your details - Start by adding key information about your home and belongings — including your address, total contents value, preferred excess, and security features. These details help insurers generate accurate, personalised quotes rather than general estimates.

2. Scan the market for live prices - Quashed instantly runs a Market Scan to display real, personalised contents insurance quotes from multiple New Zealand insurers. You can view premiums, policy benefits, and excess options side by side, all in one dashboard.

3. Compare, customise, and switch - Easily adjust your excess, coverage level, and contents value to match your budget. Once you've found a better policy, switch directly through Quashed in just a few clicks; no need to re-enter your details on multiple insurer websites.

Quashed shows your price, not a generic estimate. Quashed's market scan is for Kiwis who want action, transparency, and savings fast. Try our market scan to compare personalised contents insurance quotes and start saving today.

When to Use Canstar vs When to Use Quashed

Canstar and Quashed are two of New Zealand’s most recognised insurance comparison platforms, but they serve different purposes. Canstar is best for early-stage research and understanding insurer reputation, while Quashed is built specifically for Kiwis who want real-time personalised contents insurance quotes and meaningful savings.

Below is a clear breakdown showing which platform best suit different goals:

If your Goal is …	Best Platform
To quickly view Star Ratings and compare insurers’ value based on Canstar’s system at a glance without entering personal details	Canstar
To find the more competitive contents insurance policy tailored to your household and belongings	Quashed
To access real-time personalised quotes and switch to a better contents insurance deal within minutes	Quashed
To gain pricing transparency by viewing premiums, benefits and excess options side by side	Quashed
To compare a wide range of financial products like KiwiSaver funds, home loans, credit cards and term deposits	Canstar
To manage, track and switch all your insurance policies from a single digital dashboard	Quashed
To use a platform dedicated exclusively to car, house, and contents insurance in NZ	Quashed

Which Platform Actually Saves Kiwis More in 2025?

In 2025, Quashed helps Kiwis achieve an average savings of $301 on contents insurance by providing live, personalised quotes that reflect each person’s unique circumstances. Factors such as address, total contents value, property type and security features are all considered to deliver accurate pricing.

Canstar remains a valuable research tool for understanding the contents insurance market, comparing insurer offerings and reviewing Star Ratings. However, it does not provide live, personalised premiums for instant comparison. Users still need to visit each insurer’s website individually to obtain quotes, making the comparison process more time-consuming.

With Quashed, you can instantly view tailored quotes from multiple insurers, compare benefit limits, exclusions, and excess options side by side, and switch directly to a better deal in just a few clicks.

By combining speed, personalisation, and transparency, Quashed empowers Kiwis to make informed, data-driven decisions and secure the best-value contents insurance in 2025.

When Canstar Is Still Useful

While Quashed is the best option between the two for getting real-time personalised contents insurance quotes, Canstar can still play a valuable role in the early research stage. It’s a helpful website for Kiwis homeowners and renters who want to understand how different insurers compare on overall value, coverage and features before obtaining live quotes.

You might use Canstar if you’re:

Researching how contents insurance works in New Zealand
Comparing insurers using Star Ratings for price and policy features
Exploring other financial products, such as home loans, KiwiSaver funds, or credit cards
Reading educational guides about switching or saving on insurance

Canstar provides a solid overview for the insurance market in New Zealand, helping users build confidence and background knowledge before requesting quotes. When you’re ready to see live, tailored pricing and take action, Quashed complements that research by delivering real-time comparisons that make finding and securing the right contents insurance faster and easier.

The Smarter Way to Save on Contents Insurance in 2025

When it comes to saving on contents insurance in New Zealand, Quashed gives Kiwis a clear advantage. Its market scan for contents insurance provides real-time, personalised quotes from multiple insurers based on your property details and contents value.

You can compare premiums, cover limits, and exclusions in one dashboard, eliminating the need to re-enter your details across different websites. While Canstar is a great research tool, Quashed is built for action, helping you compare, shop and save on contents insurance faster than ever.

Ready to see how much you could save? Use Quashed’s market scan today to get personalised quotes and find the best-value contents insurance for your home in minutes.