Aviva vs AXA: Compare Car Insurance

Aviva and AXA Line are two of the largest car insurance companies in the UK. Together they hold just over 23% of the UK 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

Each company offers a different set of features, which can make it difficult to decide which is best for you. However, the NimbleFins team has compared the two and highlighted where each car insurance 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 4.0 out of 5 stars by our editors, is superior to AXA for the following notable reasons:

What we like about AXA

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

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

Aviva vs AXA Overall Review

We sized both standard comprehensive car insurance policies up against 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).

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 £150) but this is not a part of AXA's basic cover unless you buy it through a breakdown add on. And Aviva has higher cover for stereos/satnavs.

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.

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

What we don't like about Aviva

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

What we don't like about AXA

AXA provides worse coverage for the following features:

Aviva vs AXA Cost Comparison

Our test case compared Aviva and AXA's policy premiums. In this case, Aviva offered the lower comprehensive cover (Aviva quoted £655, AXA quoted £782) and motor legal cover (but only by 99p).

However, AXA offered cheaper protected NCD, breakdown cover and courtesy car cover. In fact, Aviva's breakdown cover is more than twice as expensive, but this may be due to their partnership with RAC, who are rated 4.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot (only 0.1 off AA). If you want these add-ons, AXA could be the cheaper option.

AXA's courtesy car coverage is slightly cheaper than Aviva's. However, AXA's upgrade only adds total loss or theft coverage, as repairs are included as part of the comprehensive policy. With the Aviva upgrade, you get all three—for only £2.01 more.

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

These quotes are based on 22-year-old Essex-based male driving a 2008 Ford Fiesta, 8,000 miles a year. He parks at home, has been driving for 4 years and has 3 years no claims. This quote is for a young driver, hence why they are so high. Drivers with more experience can pay up to 45-50% less than the premiums listed here. And anyway, prices always vary from person to person and even day to day.

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.

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.

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.

AXA Contact Numbers

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.