Admiral vs AXA: Compare Car Insurance
Compare Admiral vs AXA car insurance quotes
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Is Admiral or AXA the better car insurance company 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.
Admiral and AXA are two of the largest car insurance companies in the UK (ranked #1 and #6, respectively, for gross written premiums last year). And according to our bi-weekly market tests to compare car insurance quotes in 2024, both rank well on price with their cheapest car insurance deals differing by only 1% in cost (Admiral Essentials vs AXA's Swiftcover).
Which might be better for you? The car insurance experts at NimbleFins have compared each company's car insurance offering to help readers trying to decide which might be the superior product for their needs. Here's what we found.
Quick Overview: Admiral vs. AXA insurance
Each company offers a different set of features, which can make it difficult to decide which is best for you. We will recap some of the best features of each, as well as what's missing. For us, where they differ the most is on their key, stereo and courtesy car cover. Read below for more details comparing the basic level of comprehensive car insurance from Admiral and AXA. (Note, both companies offer higher tiers of cover with more features—in this article we are comparing their cheapest, most basic level of comprehensive cover available.)
What we like about Admiral
Admiral, rated 4 out of 5 stars by our editors, is superior to AXA for the following notable reasons:
- Includes courtesy car for repairs as standard (on all tiers)
- Key cover (up to £500 on all tiers)
- Higher stereo and satnav cover (unlimited for original manufacturer equipment or £1,250 for aftermarket—not for Essential tier though)
What we like about AXA
AXA, rated 4.0 stars by our editors, provides superior coverage for the following features:
- We didn't identify any significant features that are better with AXA.
Here's a quick, high level comparison of how Admiral and AXA compare on cost, features, customer service access and customer ratings.
| Car Insurance Comparison | Admiral | AXA |
|---|---|---|
Cost | Cheaper for our sample driver | More expensive for our sample driver |
Superior Features |
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Customer Service Access | Webchat and phones lines open 7 days a week, including bank holidays | Phones lines open 7 days a week, with webchat only open Monday - Friday |
Customer Ratings |
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| Read NimbleFins' Admiral Review | Read NimbleFins' AXA Review |
Admiral vs AXA Overall Review
When comparing Admiral and AXA car insurance, there are a few key areas where they differ. Find out more below, where we've compared AXA's and Admiral's standard tiers of comprehensive cover (AXA also has a higher tier, called Plus; Admiral also sells Gold and Platinum plans, which offer more features/some higher limits, and a lower tier Essential plan).
Most notably for us, is that Admiral basic comprehensive plans offer as standard: higher key cover (£300 from Admiral vs no cover from AXA), higher stereo cover (unlimited for original or £1,250 for aftermarket permanently fitted from Admiral vs £1,000 from AXA for any permanently-fitted), a courtesy car if you're using an approved repairer to fix accident-related damage (this costs extra with AXA, although only £9.99/year) and higher child car seat cover (unlimited with Admiral vs max £300 with AXA).
It should be noted that neither company's basic tier of comprehensive cover includes transport/hotel after an accident that leaves your car unable to be driven safely (but it is included, up to £150 max, with Admiral's higher tiers, Gold and Platinum).
In the table below, you'll find more details on what each insurance policy provides under the 'must have', 'should have' and 'could have' feature categories outlined by Money Advice Service. To make things easier for you, we have bolded which coverage we see as the best of the two.
| How Do They Compare? | Admiral Comprehensive Coverage | AXA Comprehensive Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| "Must Have" Features | ||
Windscreen | Included | Included |
| Belongings | Up to £200 | Up to £150 |
| Keys | Up to £500, as long as not lost/stolen from your vehicle | Not included |
| Protected NCD | If you buy the add on | If you buy the add on |
| Car recovery after accident | Included | Included |
| Courtesy car (repairs) | Included, if you use an approved repairer | If you buy the add on (£9.99) |
| Repairs guaranteed (if use approved repairer) | Repairs guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle (parts guaranteed under manufacturer's warranty) | Guaranteed throughout the time you own your car |
| "Should Have" Features | ||
New car replacement | Theft or if cost to repair more than 59% of list price; cars up to 12 months old | If 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 nav | Equipment fitted by the manufacturer is covered in full. For 'aftermarket' equipment up to £1,250 or market value of your car, whichever is the lower | Permanently fitted equipment cover up to £1,000 (unless equipment is fitted by the manufacturer of your car or their approved dealer then cover is unlimited) |
| Alternative transport & Hotel after accident | Not included | Not included |
| 24-hour emergency helpline | Included | Included |
| Courtesy car (total loss or theft) | If you buy the add on | If you buy the add on |
| Motor legal expenses | If you buy the add on | If you buy the add on |
| Breakdown cover | If you buy the add on | If you buy the add on |
| "Could Have" Features | ||
Same cover in EU | Up to 90 days | Up to 90 days |
| Child car seat replacement after accident, theft, fire | Included | Up to £300 per child seat |
| Uninsured driver NCD protection | Included | Included |
| Cancellation fee | £25 cancellation fee during cooling off period if cover has not started; otherwise £60 | £0 during cooling off period; otherwise £52.50 |
What we don't like about Admiral
Admiral provides worse coverage for the following features:
- Slightly higher admin fees
What we don't like about AXA
AXA provides worse coverage for the following features:
- Need to pay extra for courtesy car for repairs
- Less cover for child car seats, stereo/satnav, keys and personal belongings
Admiral vs AXA Cost Comparison
As much as the features an insurance policy offers is important, we all know money is another important factor when deciding—because we all want to get good value for money.
While the standard Admiral car insurance product seemed superior to the standard AXA product in terms of coverage and features, how do they compare on price? For our sample driver, AXA was marginally cheaper than Admiral, but only by £5 (less than a 1% difference in price).
However, as we always say, quotes are very case sensitive and you must get your own quotes before making any decisions. Here are the sample quotes for our driver, 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. Please ensure you get your own quotes before making a decision.
| What Policy? | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral | £569 | |
| AXA | £564 |
Above are the sample quotes for our driver, 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.
Admiral vs AXA Reviews and Ratings Compared
Looking at customer ratings can always help judge what real customers think of an insurance provider's service.
The ratings below show that Admiral has a slightly better customer rating (source: Trustpilot) than AXA.
Also, AXA have one of the higher FOS complaint ratios (Insurance Complaints per 1,000 Policies in Force as of H1 2023). Whereas, Admiral have a noticeably low ratio.
| Review Site | Admiral Ratings | AXA Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.5 out of 5 | 4.3 out of 5 |
| FOS Complaint Ratio | 4.07 | 6.95 |
Admiral vs AXA Cancellation Fees Compared
At a glance, it looks like Admiral provider the best cancellation fees with both their cooling off and after cooling off cancellation fees being lower.
However, their mid-term admin can run you £65 — the highest we've seen here at NimbleFins. If you think there is a chance of you making a mid-term change, you may want to avoid Admiral.
| When Are You Cancelling | Admiral | AXA |
|---|---|---|
| During cooling off if cover hasn't started | £25 | £0 |
| After cooling off period or during if cover has started | £60 | £52.50 |
| Mid-term admin changes | £25 | £0 for any change or correction online, otherwise £25 |
Important Phone Numbers
We all hope we'll never need to call our insurance provider because it usually means something bad has happened. But when the time does come, you want them to be open.
Both insurance providers' customer service lines are open for similar times Monday through till Sunday and on bank holidays. However, Admiral have better Webchat opening times, due to AXA being closed on Saturday and Sundays.
| Opening Hours | Admiral | AXA |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service (Mon-Fri) | 8am-7pm | 8am - 8pm |
| Customer Service (Sat) | 9am-5pm | 9am-5pm |
| Customer Service (Sun) | 9:30am-4pm | 9am - 3pm |
| Customer Service (Bank Holiday) | 9:30am-4pm | 9am - 3pm |
| Webchat (Mon-Fri) | 7am-10:45pm | 8am-11pm |
| Webchat (Sat) | 8am-7:45pm | Closed |
| Webchat (Sun) | 8am-7:45pm | Closed |
| Emergency Hotline | 24-hour | 24-hour |
Admiral Contact Numbers
| Admiral Contact Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Customer Service (UK) | 0333 220 2000 |
| Renewals | 0333 222 6715 |
| Claims (in UK) | 0333 220 2033 |
| 24 Hour Helplines | |
| Windscreen Claims | 0333 220 2025 |
| Accident recovery | 0800 600 840 |
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 Claims | 0330 024 1306 |
| Get a Quote | 0333 241 3545 |
| 24 Hour Helplines | |
| Accident recovery | 0330 024 1305 |
Policy Documents
More information about Admiral car insurance policies can be found by reading their policy documents.
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.