Top 10 Car Insurance Companies in the U.K.

Are you curious about the leading car insurance companies in the U.K.? Although over a hundred businesses in the U.K. sell auto insurance, the ten biggest auto insurers account for over 85% of the market.

Many of the most affordable vehicle insurance providers in the U.K. are well-known brands with mascots or catchy commercial jingles. But each business provides customers with various premiums, features, and experiences.

The best part is that there are a lot of insurance providers who provide discounts for having numerous vehicles insured with them. Some even permit you to include a motorcycle or vehicle in the mix. This article helps you know about these companies before you make a decision.

Motor Insurance Companies in the U.K.

Most car insurance companies in the U.K. offer a lot, but it’s worth shopping around.

Admiral Car Insurance

Why we picked it: For anyone looking to quickly and typically affordably arrange a car insurance coverage online, Admiral can be an excellent option.

The Admiral Group, which writes policies under the Admiral, Bell, Diamond, elephant.co.uk, and Gladiator brands, is the biggest auto insurance provider in the U.K., accounting for 14% of the automobile insurance market. Admiral is technically the commercial name of EUI Limited.

Admiral’s motor business expanded at a respectable rate in 2021 after a 5% growth in gross written premiums over 2020,  contributing to their rise to the top among U.K. auto insurers.

After NFU, whose gross written premiums increased by 6% last year, Admiral had the second-best growth. By the end of 2021, Admiral had insured 4.97 million automobiles.

Admiral offers six distinct types of policies and three levels of auto insurance coverage. According to our insurance specialists, Admiral is the top supplier in this area. They chose the firm based on their analysis since it is particularly well-known for its multi-car coverage.

With Admiral’s multi-car policy, you can have only one renewal date that coincides with adding a new vehicle to the policy. A whole year’s worth of no-claims bonus is also applied for any car that has been on the policy for more than three months. Additionally, if you need to make a claim, it won’t influence the policy’s no-claims bonus for other vehicles.

Downside: No 24/7- hour support.

Hastings Direct Insurance

Why we picked it: Hastings Direct is undoubtedly an excellent firm to consider if you’re looking for high-quality, inexpensive auto insurance.

Hastings Direct is a well-known auto insurance provider with more than 3.1 million active motor insurance policies. They provide both direct and online price comparison sales (PCWs). While figures for the current year aren’t available, in 2018, the PCW market accounted for 73% of Hastings premiums written to new auto insurance clients.

And PCWs are the only method to purchase Hastings Essential auto insurance, which is the most affordable of their offerings. They also provide two additional categories of coverage (Direct and Premium), which may be bought directly from their website or through comparison shopping sites.

In addition to multi-car insurance, Hasting Direct also provides a telematics policy. Hastings Direct offers YouDrive as a telematics-based auto insurance option. Once configured, you can use their app to monitor your driving. YouDrive assesses your actual driving style and assigns you a price based on how safely and effectively you drive.

Downside: It’s challenging to navigate the Hastings Direct website.

Direct Line Group

Why we picked it: With an overall satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5, Direct Line’s mid-term revisions are free of charge.

In addition to selling Direct Line auto insurance directly to customers, the Direct Line Group competes successfully in the PCW market via the Churchill, Darwin, and Privilege vehicle insurance brands.

Despite the Direct Line brand accounting for almost two-thirds of their direct customer sales, about one-third of their premiums are sold through the PCW channel. With the debut of the Darwin brand in 2019, the group enhanced its visibility on price comparison platforms.

Additionally, Direct Line and Volkswagen collaborate, whereby clients who purchase new and used cars from Volkswagen, SEAT, Audi, and KODA dealers through U.K. Insurance Group receive free annual insurance plans. The clients are lucky to get a “5-day driveaway” coverage (which is part of Direct Line Group).

Downside: The claims line is not open around the clock.

AXA Car Insurance

Why we picked it: AXA provides various financial services, including insurance for cars, vacations, vans, and homes.

AXA is one of the largest car insurance companies in the U.K. It wrote over 96.8 billion euros of premiums last year. AXA sells policies through its brand and underwrites policies for several other brands, including mypolicy.co.uK and By Miles (pay per mile cover). If you’ve bought car insurance from a company that doesn’t underwrite its policies, you might find that your cover ultimately rests with AXA.

The company’s third party, theft, and fire cover offers many advantages as standard, and its comprehensive coverage is solid.

Downside: No option for third-party covers.

AVIVA Car Insurance

Why we picked it: As the largest general insurer in the UK, Aviva offers a wide range of financial products, including van, car, motorcycle, travel, pet, house, and life insurance.

Aviva’s broad, straightforward car insurance business lacks scale, but they’re trying to target multi-policy coverages and grow through the price-comparison website (PCW) marketplace.

Every comprehensive car insurance policy from Aviva includes cover for uninsured drivers and covers your driving someone else’s vehicle if you’re 25 or older. Aviva also offers optional third-party, fire, and Theft insurance. These are annual policies, and there’s a monthly administration fee if you cancel them after they start.

Downside: It’s important to know that you don’t get a courtesy car as part of comprehensive insurance.

Saga Car Insurance

Why we picked it: Saga offers two levels (or tiers) of comprehensive car insurance coverage: Basic and Plus. If you cause an accident, you’ll get covered for any damage to third-party vehicles, property, and your vehicle.

The Saga Select comprehensive insurance policy includes uninsured driver cover for any driver who uses the car abroad. With Saga Plus insurance, you pay the same annual premium for three years if no changes occur. And although the price may be fixed for three years, you’re not tied in – it’s still your choice to stay at Saga at every renewal. If you want to, you’re free to cancel mid-policy at any time without paying a cancellation fee. It includes critical protections, legal expenses, insurance, and other benefits.

Downside: Unexpected price hikes

LV= Car Insurance

Why we picked it: With LV=, you can get various car insurance policies for different types of vehicles; standard, classic and electric cars. They offer discounts for multiple vehicles (up to 20% off per additional vehicle).

This insurance company offers comprehensive policies with uninsured driver promise and European cover for up to 180 days per annum.

Third-party, fire, theft & comprehensive coverage is one of two tiers offered by LV=. Third-party only coverage for driving other cars is also available to current clients, although it is not sold as a standalone policy.

Downside: Changing the vehicle or a named driver on your policy is subject to an administrative cost.

NFU Mutual Car Insurance

Why we picked it: There is one significant benefit with NFU Mutual, though. You automatically receive Mutual Assist breakdown coverage from the RAC with any of its car insurance products.

Initially serving farmers, NFU Mutual now provides excellent auto insurance coverage for everyone. All NFU policies come with breakdown cover, trailer cover, European cover, and access to a 24-hour helpline for automotive legal assistance.

You can choose from three different insurance levels offered by NFU Mutual: third-party coverage, third-party fire and theft protection, or a comprehensive policy.

Your premium expenses can be reduced if you agree to a higher excess. Conversely, you could increase your premiums by minimizing your excess costs. When you purchase your policy, the company will determine what extra charges you are responsible for paying.

Downside: It’s a little challenging to navigate NFU Mutual

Ageas Car Insurance

Why we picked it: You can only purchase comprehensive auto insurance from AGEAS, which covers a rental car, European coverage, and onward travel support.

Another well-known auto insurer listed on comparison websites is Ageas.

Since they are concentrating on integrating AI into the claims process, they report that requests for motor policy approval have decreased from 2-3 hours to 2-3 minutes. They are now available 24/7, which positively affects client satisfaction levels.

AGEAS offers comprehensive car insurance only. Comprehensive coverage will pay for any harm you do to other drivers or their property. However, it will compensate you if your vehicle is damaged in a collision, a fire, or a heist.

The uninsured driver pledge from AGEAS allows you to maintain your no claims bonus even if a driver strikes you without insurance.

In addition, AGEAS will provide transportation to your next destination if you suffer an accident and your car cannot continue.

Downside: Offers one insurance cover

Conclusion

Car insurance premiums are pretty individualized; a slight change in your work title or the amount of excess you’re willing to pay might significantly impact your costs. The essential thing is to find the best coverage at the best possible price.