Aviva vs AXA: Compare Car Insurance

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Is Aviva or AXA the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best car insurance for you and your wallet.

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

Aviva and AXA Line are two of the largest car insurance companies in the UK, as well as some of the cheapest car insurance. Together they write around 20% of the UK motor insurance market share. The team at NimbleFins has compared each company's car insurance offering to help readers trying to decide which might be the superior product for their needs.

Quick Overview: Aviva vs. AXA Car insurance

To help compare Aviva and AXA car insurance, the NimbleFins team has researched the two offerings and highlights where each car insurance product fails to deliver and where they exceed expectations. For this purpose, we've compared their standard, basic comprehensive car insurance to see how their cheapest cover compares. (Not, for instance, AXA's higher-tier 'Plus' plan that has more features.) For us, where the two policies differ the most is in their approach to courtesy cars, alternative transport/hotel after an accident and EU cover. But there are other differences as well. See below for more details.

What we like about Aviva

Aviva, rated 4.3 out of 5 stars by our editors, is superior to AXA for the following notable reasons:

  • Child car seat feature (higher level of cover)
  • Key cover included (up to market value of car vs £0 for AXA's standard policy)
  • Higher stereo/satnav cover (up to market value of car for Aviva vs up to £1,000 for AXA's standard policy)
  • Cover for alternative transport/hotel after accident is included (up to £500)

What we like about AXA

AXA, rated 4.0 stars by our editors, provides superior coverage for the following features:

  • Same cover in EU included for 90 days
  • Can upgrade to 'Plus' tier to get lots of extra features (like higher key cover)

Here's a quick, high level comparison of how Aviva and AXA compare on cost, features, customer service access and customer ratings for comprehensive car insurance.

Car Insurance ComparisonAvivaAXA standard policy

Cost
Cheaper for our sample driverMore expensive for our sample driver

Superior Features
  • Higher key cover
  • Higher stereo/satnav and child seat cover
  • Alternative transport/hotel cover
  • Includes same cover in EU for 90 days
  • Can upgrade to 'Plus' for more coverage

Customer Service Access
Webchat and phones lines open 7 days a week, including bank holidaysPhones lines open 7 days a week, with webchat only open Monday - Friday

Customer Ratings
  • Trustpilot 4 out of 5
  • FOS Complaint Rate 3.56
  • Trustpilot 4.3 out of 5
  • FOS Complaint Rate 6.95

Read NimbleFins' Aviva ReviewRead NimbleFins' AXA Review

Aviva vs AXA Overall Review

The NimbleFins car insurance experts compared standard comprehensive car insurance policies according to the Money Advice Service's 'must have', 'should have' and 'could have' features for car insurance.

Within the must have category Aviva and AXA measure up fairly similar. Both are a bit light on personal belongings cover (only £150) and both require the purchase of an add on to get a courtesy car in case of accident repairs which are carried out by an approved repairer (but with Aviva you get the courtesy car for the duration of repairs vs max 14 days with AXA). Note: AXA's higher tier Plus policy would get you £1,500 of cover for belongings and the courtesy car for repairs is included.

Aviva offers better cover for keys (up to £300)—AXA doesn't include key cover in their basic comprehensive cover (it is on their 'Plus' plan, however).

In terms of should have features, Aviva includes alternative transport/hotel after an accident (up to £500) but this is not a part of AXA's cover unless you buy it through a breakdown add on. And Aviva has higher cover for stereos/satnavs than either of AXA's plans.

Finally, the could have features, with Aviva coming out on top. Aviva will cover any damage or loss of a child car seat, AXA will only cover up to £300. Aviva also has lower cancellation fees after the cooling off period.

So in many respects, Aviva comes out ahead of the basic AXA comprehensive cover, but again AXA's 'Plus' cover can fill some of the gaps. Find out about this and more in the table below, where we've bolded the superior coverage:

How Do They Compare?Aviva Comprehensive CoverageAXA Standard Comprehensive Coverage

"Must Have" Features


Windscreen
IncludedIncluded
BelongingsUp to £150Up to £150
KeysCover for replacement locks if keys stolen or lost up to market value of carNot included
Protected NCDIf you buy the add onIf you buy the add on
Car recovery after accidentIncludedIncluded
Courtesy car (repairs)If you buy the add on (for duration of repairs)If you buy the add on (up to 14 days)
Repairs guaranteed (if use approved repairer)Guaranteed throughout the time you own your carGuaranteed throughout the time you own your car
"Should Have" Features

New car replacement
If the cost of repairing will be more than 60% of UK list price (inc. taxes); vehicle must be less than 1 year old; you must be the first and only registered keeper and legal ownerIf the cost of repairing will be more than 60% of the manufacturer's last UK list price (inc. taxes); vehicle must be less than 1 year old; you must be the first and only registered keeper and legal owner
Stereo and satellite navIf permanently fitted to your vehicle, up to market value of vehicleUp to £1,000 for loss or damage to permanently-fitted audio equipment
Alternative transport & Hotel after accidentUp to £500 totalIf you buy a breakdown add on
24-hour emergency helplineIncludedIncluded
Courtesy car (total loss or theft)If you buy the add onIf you buy the add on
Motor legal expensesIf you buy the add onIf you buy the add on
Breakdown coverIf you buy the add onIf you buy the add on
"Could Have" Features

Same cover in EU
Add on available if you call at least two weeks priorUp to 90 days
Child car seat replacement after accident, theft, fireUnlimitedUp to £300 per child seat
Larger/premium courtesy carIf you buy the add onIf you buy the add on
Uninsured driver NCD protectionIncludedIncluded
Cancellation fee£0 cancellation fee during cooling off period if cover has not started; otherwise £38£0 cancellation fee during cooling off period if cover has not started; otherwise £52.50

What we don't like about Aviva

Aviva's coverage for the following features is less satisfactory compared to AXA's basic comprehensive plan:

  • Same cover in EU not included as standard

What we don't like about AXA

AXA provides worse coverage for the following features:

  • Lower limits for keys, child car seats, stereos
  • No cover for alternative transport/hotel after accident without breakdown add on
  • Courtesy car for repairs add on allows provides for less time (14 days vs duration of repairs)

Aviva vs AXA Cost Comparison

So our analysis of the policy features concluded that Aviva offers more coverage than the standard AXA car insurance policy. Are prices consistent with that? Our NimbleFins car insurance experts tested the market to find out and found that—yes—Aviva quoted £608 while AXA quoted £564 for their standard cover. The AXA Plus policy was a bit higher than AXA at £617.

When we added the optional breakdown cover and courtesy car cover to both, the AXA policy went up by £40 to £604 and Aviva increased by £20 to £628. So Aviva actually charges less for these add ons.

As always, individual quotes will vary, please ensure you get your own quotes before making a decision.

What Policy?No add onsWith breakdown and courtesy car add onsCost of breakdown and courtesy car add ons
Aviva Comprehensive£608£628£20
AXA Standard Comprehensive£564£604£40
AXA Plus Comprehensive£617£647£30

These quotes are based on a 45-year-old male driving a 2017 Ford Fiesta, 5,000 miles a year. He parks at home. He has been driving for 20 years and has 5 years of no claims. Car insurance quotes are extremely sensitive and very case specific. For example, car insurance costs vary by age quite significantly. However, as we always say, quotes are very case sensitive and you must get your own quotes before making any decisions.

Aviva vs AXA Reviews and Ratings Compared

Aviva and AXA have extremely similar customer ratings, with the main difference found with their FOS complaint ratio. Both of their ratios are very high, and are some of the worst complaint scores according to FCA metrics. This suggests that customer service may be a weakness for both insurance providers.

Review SiteAviva RatingsAXA Ratings
Trustpilot4 out of 54.3 out of 5
FOS Complaint Ratio3.566.95

Aviva vs AXA Cancellation Fees Compared

Cancellation fees are important to consider, especially if you think there may be a reason in the future you want to cancel your insurance policy e.g. you are going travelling for months.

In the table below, you can see Aviva provide cheaper cancellation fees after the cooling period and allows for free mid-term changes online (unlike AXA).

During the cooling off period, however, which policy is cheaper will vary on your quote and how far into the coverage you are.

When Are You CancellingAvivaAXA
During cooling off£0 (or if cover has started £38)£0 (or if cover has started £52.50)
After cooling off period£38£52.50
Mid-term admin changes£0 (online), £18 (over phone)£10 for any change or correction

Plus IPT tax...

Important Phone Numbers

You can see, in the table below, that Aviva provides slightly better customer service opening hours on Saturdays. On Sundays and bank holidays, which is better depends on if you're an early riser or prefer to lay in.

AXA provides much better webchat times Monday to Friday but fail to deliver any service over the weekend. Aviva on the other hand, are open both Saturday and Sunday.

Opening HoursAvivaAXA
Customer Service (Mon-Fri)8am-8pm8am - 8pm
Customer Service (Sat)8:30-5pm9am-5pm
Customer Service (Sun)10am-4pm9am - 3pm
Customer Service (Bank Holiday)10am-4pm9am - 3pm
Webchat (Mon-Fri)8am-8pm8am-11pm
Webchat (Sat)8:30-5pmClosed
Webchat (Sun)10am-4pmClosed
Emergency Hotline24-hour24-hour

AXA Contact Numbers

AXA Contact Numbers
Customer Service (UK)0330 024 1158
Customer Service (NI)0289 002 0104
Claims (in UK)0330 024 1305
Claims (claims outside UK)+44 (0) 1217 520 685
Windscreen Claims0330 024 1306
Get a Quote0333 241 3545
24 Hour Helplines
Accident recovery0330 024 1305

Policy Documents

To read about the full details of an Aviva policy, including what's covered and exclusions, read through the Aviva car insurance policy documents here.

To read about the full details of an AXA policy, including what's covered and exclusions, read through the AXA's car insurance policy documents here.

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

Comments

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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