GIO Australia was founded as the Government Insurance Office in 1927. It was set up by the Government Insurance Act of New South Wales to provide workers’ compensation insurance under the Workers’ Compensation Act of 1926.
GIO is part of Suncorp, which was owned by the Queensland government until 1997, and in 2000 the government sold its last shares in the company through a public offer. Next to GIO and Suncorp-branded policies, brands in Australia underwritten by Suncorp include:
AAMI
Bingle
Apia
Shannons.
Is Suncorp Australian-owned? Yes
Is Suncorp nonprofit? No
Is Suncorp listed on the stock exchange (ASX)? Yes
GIO rates below average for home insurance, compared with other insurers in our 2025 customer satisfaction survey, but above average for car insurance.
Customer satisfaction with home insurance
Only 55% of GIO customers in our survey rated their experience with home insurance as above average or excellent.
Text-only accessible version
Home insurer customer satisfaction
Insurers rated as above average or excellent
RACQ (Queensland): 91%
RAA(South Australia): 86%
RAC (Western Australia): 78%
RACV (Victoria): 72%
Coles Insurance: 69%
Youi: 67%
ANZ: 67%
Suncorp: 65%
NRMA :61%
AAMI: 60%
Apia: 59%
Budget Direct: 58%
Everyday (Woolworths): 57%
Allianz: 55%
GIO: 55%
CBA: 51%
CGU: 48%
Qantas: 42%
Notes: CHOICE conducted a survey of 1682 policyholders of home insurance across Australia in March 2025. Quotas were applied for representation in each age group, gender and location to ensure coverage in each state and territory across metropolitan and regional areas. Ratings for specific insurers were only given by current customers of that insurer.
Customer satisfaction with car insurance
Of the people we surveyed, 75% of GIO customers rated their experience with car insurance as above average or excellent.
Text-only accessible version
Car insurer customer satisfaction
Rated as above average or excellent
RAA (South Australia): 91%
RACQ (Queensland): 85%
Youi: 77%
RAC (Western Australia): 77%
GIO: 75%
Shannons: 74%
NRMA Insurance: 72%
Woolworths Everyday: 71%
Qantas: 70%
Apia: 68%
Suncorp: 68%
RACV (Victoria): 64%
AAMI: 62%
Budget Direct: 62%
Allianz: 61%
Notes: CHOICE conducted a survey of 1800 policyholders of car insurance across Australia, including comprehensive car insurance, third party fire & theft insurance and third party property car insurance. Quotas were applied for representation in each age group, gender and location to ensure coverage in each state and territory across metropolitan and regional areas. Fieldwork was conducted in March 2025. Ratings for specific insurers were only given by current customers of that insurer.
How does GIO rate on claims?
Home insurance claims
Of the insurers in our survey, GIO received one of the lowest results, with half of its customers who’ve made a claim rating the claims experience as average, below average or poor.
Car insurance claims
Of the insurers in our survey, GIO received the above average results, with 76% of customers who made a claim rating the company as above average or excellent.
Does GIO offer discounts?
GIO discounts include:
10% off your first year if you buy car insurance online
15% off combined home and contents insurance.
Does GIO let you claim online or in-app?
You can start and track home, car and other insurance claims online, and for some insurance types you can make a claim via email or phone.
GIO also has an app you can use to make and track claims, update personal details or renew policies.
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Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
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