Best Car Insurance (2025)

There are over a hundred brands selling car insurance in the UK. Which are our favourites? Find out which companies made the NimbleFins list of best car insurance companies (aka the cheapest) and read about which are the largest (aka the most popular).

Two major takeaways from our May 2025 update: 1) AXA is showing up as a consistent price leader in comparison sites through its MOJA and Swiftcover brands for our sample driver and 2) LV= has jumped in the market share rankings from #5 to #4.

Best Car Insurance

The NimbleFins car insurance team runs quotes to find the best car insurance in terms of price. How do the companies compare? While recently Admiral returned the cheapest rates, our latest data study showed that AXA was the best in terms of price for our sample driver.

Admiral is the most popular, largest car insurance company in the UK (see our research on that below, Biggest Car Insurance Companies UK)—which coincided with their low prices, since a majority of motorists prioritise price these days. Perhaps AXA will gain market share with their current market-winning pricing and marketing strategy.

Here is a ranking of the largest companies found at four major comparison sites, to find the best car insurance provider in terms of cost:

^Q2 price index 2025. Note: your prices and the best for you will vary.

1. AXA

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Consider this if you want a large, international company that offers a solid set of features.

We calculate that AXA is the 7th largest car insurance company in the UK, maintaining the status quo from the previous year. A large international company, AXA sells policies under their own brand and they also underwrite policies for a number of other brands such as mypolicy.co.uk and the new MOJA label. They used to underwrite pay-by-mile By Miles, but that was sold to the Direct Line Group in 2023, so AXA lost that business last year. But if you have bought car insurance from a brand that doesn't underwrite their own policies, you may find that your cover ultimately lies with AXA.

AXA had strong motor insurance performance in the UK, up 6% in 2023, but suffered financially from higher claims frequency for UK motor lines. Since then, in 2024 AXA undertook certain underwriting measures resulting in a significant turnaround in the UK motor business—perhaps leading to the current interest in offering very competitive rates in our tests.

Quick Takeaway: The company offers customers the standard coverage and discounts that you’d expect from a large international insurance company.

2. Allianz

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Consider this if you want a policy with nearly every coverage feature available in the market.

Allianz used to sell under the "Flow" brand in the UK, but they rebranded and are now using the name the most people will recognise as one of the world's larger insurance and asset management companies: Allianz.

They're an online-only customer service company, so we tested them out. Our experience with their service email was very positive, with a really quick response time. And we weren't even emailing as an existing customer. Add to that, super Trustpilot scores (the highest in the group!). Note, Allianz now owns LV=!

Quick Takeaway: If we had to guess, we think Allianz will be moving up the rankings in coming years. Their product is solid and now that they're selling under the 'Allianz' name instead of 'Flow', we think they'll attract more customers. Plus their prices seem pretty attractive, especially given their offering. Time will tell.

3. Hastings Direct

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Consider this if you want great quality, affordable car insurance from a company people recognise and trust.

Hastings Direct are a very popular insurance company, with 3.9 million live insurance policies in force, reflecting growth of 12% last year. They sell direct and via price comparison websites (PCWs). In 2024, 90% of Hastings premiums written were sold through PCWs. And PCWs are the only way to buy the cheapest of their products, Hastings Essential car insurance. They also offer two higher tiers of cover (Direct and Premium), which can be purchased via comparison sites or direct from their website. Plus they have YouDrive (a black box plan) and Multi Car cover (providing discounts for households with between 2 and 4 cars), and a few additional brands (insurePink and People's Choice).

Hastings Direct continue to invest in digital capabilities, which means it's easier for customers to buy online and manage their accounts via a customer portal and app (which is highly rated with 4.7 stars in Apple's App Store).

We also like that Hastings Direct prides themselves on simple and straightforward insurance. This shows in their policy documents, which our experts think are easier to understand than some of the competition.

Note that Hastings Essential car insurance, while cheapest of their plans, has far fewer features—for instance, windscreen cover is not included and cannot be added, however legal and breakdown can be added for an extra charge (roughly £20 and £35, respectively). Those with a slightly larger budget who want more features should consider their Direct and Premier policies, which are not quite as cheap but have lower excesses and better coverage.

On 8 December 2021, Hastings completed its sale to Sampo, which also owns motor insurance companies in other countries in Europe (e.g. Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Baltic countries). Note that there's been a shift in the customer mix towards lower-risk customers, so higher-risk motorists may find Hastings has less appetite for their business than in previous years.

Quick Takeaway: If you're after good quality, affordable car insurance, then Hastings Direct is definitely a good company to consider. Not only that, but they have high customer satisfaction ratings at Trustpilot and Fairer Finance.

4. LV=

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Consider this if don't need the cheapest offering but want a company with great customer reviews and a solid set of features.

Liverpool Victoria is another very well-known car insurer, selling as LV=. In previous years, LV= seemed a touch expensive compared to other options in the marketplace but in 2025, tests for our sample driver show that LV= is highly competitive on price. LV= policies are available directly, through comparison sites or brokers. Recent growth in the LV= brand has been due to high renewal rates by existing customers and new sales following the launch of their multi-car offering. Customer satisfaction is a corporate priority, which goes to explain their high customer review rating on Trustpilot. LV is behind Volvo, Dacia, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Masda, MG, Mitsubishi, Renault and Suzuki branded car insurance through Clear Car Insurance (LV= Broker), which is underwritten by Highway Insurance Company (part of the Liverpool Victoria group).

Note: at the end of 2019 Allianz completed their acquisition of LV General Insurance Group (LV GIG). LV= motor insurance policies are still underwritten by Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Ltd, but ultimately this is now owned by Allianz.

Quick Takeaway: LV= has traditionally been middle of the road when it comes to price, but rates seem more competitive this year and we consider LV= to be one of the best car insurance companies due to great customer reviews and features. In fact, they rated #1 in our study of the best, cheap car insurance companies. For those looking for broader coverage, LV= offers some extras with their comprehensive cover such as personal injury, uninsured driver promise (you won't pay an excess or lose your NCD) and misfuelling cover.

5. Direct Line Group

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Consider this if you want a relatively strong set of features included as standard.

The Direct Line Group sells Direct Line car insurance directly to customers but is also strong in the PCW space, with their Churchill, Darwin and Privilege motor insurance brands. In fact, while around two thirds of their sales were direct to customers via the Direct Line brand, around one third of premiums are sold via the PCW channel. Nearly half of their in-force insurance policies are for motor, so this category is certainly significant for them (followed by home at 26% and rescue at 20.9%).

The group increased its presence on price comparison websites with the launch of the Darwin brand in 2019 as well as Churchill Essentials last year—a brand which consistently ranks as the cheapest offering much of the time out of the big motor insurance providers. In December 2024 the company started offering the Direct Line brand (via policies: Essentials Online, Standard Online and Premium Online) on a PCW for the first time—on Compare the Market. This move was made because 90% of motorists purchase their insurance on PCWs, and Direct Line is the company's strongest brand.

In 2023 the Direct Line Group expanded their 'value' offerings with a Direct Line 'Essentials' product as well, which offers customers a basic comprehensive product with better 'value for money' in response to the cost-of-living crisis. Also in 2023, Direct Line launched a new Motor Claims Hub, enabling end-to-end digital claims journeys for customers. And they grew their presence in the pay-by-mile market through the acquisition of By Miles (pay-per-mile cover).

How much does Direct Line earn on policies they sell? Well, in the second half of 2023 their policies were underwritten with a 10% net insurance margin (meaning, their profit on each car insurance policy was around 10%).

In 2022, they invested £2 million in a new car technology centre to strengthen their efficient repair capabilities (they own the largest insurer-owned garage network in the UK). And they launched a new electric vehicle offer for the Direct Line brand in 2021.

In 2024 the company launced apps for their Churchill and Direct Line Motor customers where customers can view motor policy details and documents, make a change to their policy, renew, get a quote, view existing quotes, start a claim or get support via a Virtual Assistant or WhatsApp.

A stated goal for 2025 is to return their overall Motor policy count to growth during 2025—a good bit of information to keep in mind if you're renewing your Direct Line policy (meaning, they may want to keep your business!).

Quick Takeaway: Direct Line has made a name as the insurance company that is not available on comparison sites, but now they are! And if you're looking to save more money on your premium then their Churchill (or Churchill Essentials), Darwin or Privilege brands might offer even lower rates. Those wanting to pay a lower premium for a value policy also now have the option of Direct Line Essentials, which was new in 2023.

6. Aviva

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Consider this if you have a good driving record and want a company with a good customer service reputation.

Aviva's general, direct car insurance business is growing; in particular, they were trying to target multi-cover policies and grow through the price comparison website (PCW) market—and to great success initially because they moved from the #3 spot in 2022 to the #2 spot in 2023—but the're back to #3 in the UK motor insurance market in terms of market share for 2024.

Depending on where you live, you may see their Quotemehappy.com brand with some of the cheapest rates on offer on PCWs. They also sell through their General Accident brand, making Aviva one of the largest underwriters in the UK car insurance market.

In 2020 the Aviva brand launched on UK price comparison websites as well. And from 2022 to 2024, Aviva's motor customers on price comparison websites increased by 50%.

Aviva won the Customer Care Award at the 2023 British Insurance Awards and were Highly Commended by the Money Pages in their Best Motor Insurance category this year. Plus, they are growing in popularity with retail customers—and their UK personal lines insurance business grew 22% in 2024 (in terms of gross written premiums).

Aviva has one of the highest Trustpilot customer ratings out of the larger motor insurers.

Aviva expanded their personal lines motor insurance to offer new cover for electric vehicles, including roadside breakdown, electrical surges and cover for EV accessories. Motor insurance accounts for ~30% of Aviva's general insurance and health business, but Aviva is a full service financial services provider. In addition to general insurance, Aviva is a leading provider for savings and retirement products as well.

Quick Takeaway: Depending on where you live, Quotemehappy may be one of the cheaper prices you find for cover. However if you’ve had an accident in the past 5 years, research by NimbleFins experts indicates that may receive a less favorable price from Aviva than you'd find elsewhere.

7. Admiral Group

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Consider this if you want car insurance from the UK's largest car insurance company and find lower customer rating scores acceptable.

The Admiral Group is the largest auto insurance company in the UK with ~ 15% of the motor insurance market according to NimbleFins calculations, underwriting policies through their Admiral, Bell, Diamond, elephant.co.uk and Gladiator brands. Technically speaking, Admiral is the trading name of EUI Limited. Their UK motor insurance profit was £593 million in 2023, insuring over 4.94 million vehicles in the UK.

In 2023 Admiral grew their motor business 32% in terms of gross premiums written. Admiral insured 5.7 million UK vehicles in 2024 (up from 4.9 in 2023).

We were very happy to report that in 2022, Admiral added a carriage of goods for hire and reward product, which provides the correct class of cover for customers who work as delivery drivers or couriers, and Admiral Essential, a lower-cost, lower-tier (i.e. fewer features) policy sold via the comparison channel. Additionally, Admiral launched the Admiral virtual assistant (AVA) for car insurance, to help customers self serve to address queries or make a change.

Quick Takeaway: Admiral can be a great auto insurance company for anyone who wants to arrange a car insurance policy quickly online and, traditionally, for a good price. Their brands can be found on most price comparison sites, such as our partner QuoteZone and one of their brands may be amongst the cheapest available offers.

Note, for the above best companies for cost analysis, we focused on companies that are both among the largest motor insurers in the UK and readily available on multiple comparison sites, since that's how 90% of people buy their car insurance. You may find other companies/brands that are a better fit and/or price for you.

Top 10 Biggest Car Insurance Companies UK

Of the top cheap car insurance companies in the UK market, many are household names and have mascots or jingles you'll recognise from their TV ads. But which are actually the most popular? The NimbleFins team has dug through company financial filings to figure out who writes the most motor insurance business each year. Here is a list of the largest car insurance companies in the UK.

As you can see in the data below, Admiral continues as the UK motor insurance market leader, with over £3.3 billion in gross written premiums and 15% market share, according to NimbleFins estimates. Ranking #2 is U K Insurance (which includes popular brands Direct Line and Churchill, among others) at over £2.92 billion of gross written motor insurance premiums and a 13.3% market share. Ranking a close #3 is Aviva, which has really gained steam with its Quotemehappy brand and others, achieving a 13.1% market share with £2.884 billion of gross written premiums.

Which companies have gained the most market share in the past year? LV= has made the most impressive gain, with a move from the #5 spot to #4. NOTE: LV= is now owned by Allianz, but they operate separately, reporting individual SFRC reporting figures.

In addition to the companies above, other notable UK insurers for size are Allianz, Tesco Underwriting, Covea, Sabre and Marshmallow, who each underwrote between £167-£550 million of gross motor insurance premiums in 2024, which is the latest data available in 2025.

Small vs. Big Insurance Companies

There are pros and cons of choosing either a small or large insurance company. For example, a smaller company might offer more personalised customer service (e.g., you might speak with the same agent each time you call). While dealing with a big insurance company like most of those in this top 10 list may feel impersonal, larger auto insurance companies generally have good financial stability.

Not only do the top insurance companies in the UK underwrite and pay claims worth billions of pounds every year, but they're often able to offer lower premiums by leveraging their resources. A small insurance company may be more likely to become insolvent, potentially leaving you without cover when you need it. While we can get an idea of a large insurance company's financial strength from S&P, Moody's and Fitch, these ratings agencies typically don't analyse smaller companies.

As a result it can be harder to understand the financial strength of a small company. That said, those who prioritise having a personal customer experience may still prefer a small company, which may be fine so long as you are comfortable with its financial situation. In the table below, we list financial ratings for some of the largest UK car insurance companies (or their parent companies), reflecting available data from Moody's, S&P and Fitch.

When deciding between a small or large car insurance company, keep in mind factors such as opening hours, coverage options and the range of policies on offer. For example, a small insurance company may have a more personal touch but you may have more difficulty reaching an agent, especially out of hours. The top UK insurance companies often have lines open at least some part of the weekend, which can be a big help for those unable to call during regular working hours.

Additionally, small insurance companies may not have as many coverage options or as wide a range of price points. For example they may be less likely to provide cover to an accident damaged car. If weekend availability or having discounts and a wide range of features is a priority for you, consider a large insurance company.

Mutual vs. Stock Insurance Companies

Another factor to consider is whether your insurance company is owned by shareholders or policyholders. Companies owned by stock holders are trying to maximize profits for their owners—a strategy that doesn't always align with what's best for policyholders. Mutual companies, on the other hand, are owned by the policyholders so the interests of the owners and customers is aligned.

NFU Mutual is the only policyholder-owned company in the top 10 largest UK motor insurance companies. A large portion of NFU Mutual's profits go towards reducing premiums for existing members, called a Mutual Bonus—in fact for 2020 they'd receive a discount between 11.5% and 16.5%, depending on how long they've been a member.

Customer Complaints

While looking at online customer reviews is one way to get a feel for the customer experience, it's also useful to look at official complaints made by customers with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), as well as complaints data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). However you can't just look at the raw number of complaints because, all else being equal, a larger insurance company will naturally have more complaints than a smaller one.

In order to compare companies on an equal footing, we first standardised FOS data by calculating the number of general insurance complaints per £ million of written general insurance premiums (which involves standardising the H2 '24 complaints across the whole of 2024). As you can see in the table below, according to this metric, Hastings, Allianz and NFU Mutual have the lowest rate of complaints according to this metric—0.16, 0.32 and 0.34 complaints per £ million of written premium, respectively.

Using a different metric (complaints per policy from the FCA), Allianz stood out for having the lowest complaints rates (0.59 complaints per 1,000 policies in force), followed by Ageas and LV=.

The worst performing according to FCA metrics were AXA and Hastings, with 7.15 and 6.99 complaints per 1,000 policies in force, respectively.

FAQs

Methodology

To rank a list of the best car insurance companies in the UK by price, the NimbleFins team conducts periodic market tests for a sample driver, gathering hundreds of quotes for a 40-year-old driver of a five-year-old Ford Puma ST-Line 999cc worth £15,000. The car is driven 7,000 miles each year and is parked on a private driveway. The driver has 10+ years of no claims.

In order to establish a list of the top ten motor insurance companies in the United Kingdom, we gathered data on premium prices and also gross written premiums by reading through SFRC regulatory reports, press releases, annual reports and risk management reports for each company. In all but one case, we used the SFRC data on gross premiums written for motor vehicle liability insurance and other motor vehicle insurance in order to determine the amount of motor insurance business a company wrote. Note, that there may be reporting discrepancies between the SFRC reports and the gross written premiums listed in annual reports.

We also gathered ratings Fitch, S&P, Moody's and AM Best financial ratings from the insurer's websites, and looked at complaints data from the FCA and FOS.

Notes

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