Admiral vs Aviva: Compare Car Insurance

According to the NimbleFins 2024 study to compare car insurance quotes, Admiral and Aviva both prove to be popular (Admiral ranked #1 with nearly £2.5 billion of gross written premiums). In terms of a comparison of their product, both come with many 'must-have' features, but they do not offer equal products. 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.

Quick Overview: Admiral vs. Aviva Car insurance

Each company offers a different set of features, which can make it difficult to decide which is best for you. Below we recap some of the best features of each, as well as what's missing. From our comparison, the two policies are set apart primarily by their courtesy car and EU coverage. But there are other differences to keep in mind as well. Find out more below, where we've compared Aviva's comprehensive cover to Admiral's standard level of comprehensive cover (they also sell Gold and Platinum plans, which offer more features/some higher limits, and a lower tier Essential plan).

What we like about Admiral

Admiral comprehensive car insurance, rated 4 out of 5 stars by our editors, is superior to Aviva for the following notable reasons:

Note, Admiral has four tiers of cover. This is both good and bad—it's good in that you have more choice and can now access comprehensive cover for an even lower price with their Essential product, but it's bad because if you're not careful you could end up buying cover that doesn't include some features you want.

What we like about Aviva

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

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

Admiral vs Aviva Overall Review

We compared the policy features of Admiral and Aviva comprehensive car insurance policies. There are four main differences between them: courtesy car, EU cover, transport/hotel after accident, aftermarket equipment and key cover limits.

Courtesy car: Admiral includes a courtesy car if your car is in the repair shop after an accident (so long as you use an approved repairer) with all policies. With Aviva, you need to pay extra for the courtesy car cover.

EU cover: Admiral offers the same comprehensive cover in the EU for up to 90 days as standard on all plans other than their cheapest tier, 'Essential', but with Aviva you have to pay an extra premium for this.

Onward travel after accident: Aviva offers up to £500 cover for public transport or a hotel if your car can't be driven safely after an accident, while Admiral only covers up to £150 and only on their two highest tiers, Gold and Platinum.

Key cover: Aviva offers higher cover if your keys are lost or stolen, up to the market value of the car. Admiral caps this cover at £500.

If these features are important to you, be sure to take note of this.

What we don't like about Admiral

Admiral lacks coverage for the following features:

What we don't like about Aviva

Aviva provides worse coverage for the following features:

Admiral vs Aviva Cost Comparison

The table below compares what many see as a deal breaker... the cost.

For our sample driver, it appears that Admiral's comprehensive policy is cheaper when paying one annual payment.

The monthly payment is also lower and it is important to acknowledge they require 11 monthly payments rather than 10. This allows for the deposit to be over £50 cheaper than Aviva.

However, as we always say, quotes are very case sensitive and you must get your own quotes before making any decisions.

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 and vehicle quite significantly. Please ensure you get your own quotes before making a decision.

Admiral vs Aviva Reviews and Ratings Compared

It is always good to observe customer reviews as it shows how their clients are enjoying (or not enjoying) their service.

Below, you'll see that Admiral has a higher Trustpilot rating—a few years ago, Aviva was higher but they've since swapped positions. The Admiral Trustpilot rating is better by half a star, with 71% of reviews being a full five stars. 73% of people gave Aviva five stars—but more people gave Aviva a bad 1-star rating, which brought them down overall.

Aviva's FOS complaint ratio is a bit better than Admirals, but they're pretty close.

Aviva vs Aviva Cancellation Fees Compared

Sometimes we need to cancel our car insurance. In which case, it is important to know what it will cost you.

Aviva charges lower fees both after the cooling off period has ended and also during the cooling off period (unless cover has started). Also, Aviva's mid-term change fees are cheaper. If you anticipate a change of address or you might need to cancel your cover in the coming year, keep these fees in mind.

Fees also incur IPT.

Important Phone Numbers

In the unfortunate event you need to contact customer service, both Admiral and Aviva have similar opening times. When it comes to their webchat services, Admiral have significantly better opening times — especially on Sundays.

See full details below:

Admiral Contact Numbers

Sources