In this paper, we make a detailed study of the D → V helicity form factors (HFFs) within the framework of the QCD light-cone sum rule (LCSR) up to twist-4 accuracy. After extrapolating the LCSR predictions of HFFs to the whole physical q 2 region, we get the longitudinal, transverse, and total |V cq |-independent decay widths of semileptonic decay D → V + ν. Meanwhile, the branching fractions of these decays are also obtained by using the D 0 (D +)-meson lifetime, which agrees well with the BESIII results within the error bars. As a further step, we also investigate the differential and mean predictions for charged lepton (vector meson) polarization in the final state P L,T (F L,T), the forward-backward asymmetry A FB , and the lepton-side convexity parameters C F. Our predictions are consistent with covariant confining quark model results within errors. Thus, we think the LCSR approach for HFFs is applicable for dealing with the D-meson semileptonic decays.