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Admiral car insurance review
Last updated:
Find out how we rate Admiral's car insurance policies against other top providers.
Admiral offers three levels of car insurance cover and six different types of policy, so you’re likely to find cover to suit your needs.
You say: ★★★★★We say: ★★★★★
In a nutshell:
- Customers praised good value cover and helpful staff.
- Claims helplines are not open 24/7.
Multi-car cover
Windscreen cover
Courtesy car cover
What's in this review?
Compare Admiral car insurance policies
Admiral offers three levels of car insurance cover and six different types of policy, so you’re likely to find cover to suit your needs.
There’s also an option for combined home and car insurance, labelled Admiral MultiCover, and Admiral offers temporary car insurance with Veygo.
We’ve analysed what’s covered and what isn’t under each policy to help you find out if Admiral Car Insurance has the right policy to suit you.
Who is Admiral?
Admiral is a UK-based company which began in 1993, selling car insurance. Since then, Admiral has branched out and now sells a range of insurance products including home insurance, travel insurance and pet insurance.
Admiral aims to save customers time and money by providing a one-stop shop for insurance.
Who underwrites Admiral’s car insurance?
Admiral car insurance is arranged and administered by EUI Ltd. There are a few underwriters for different cover options and some of these include:
- AmTrust Europe Limited
- Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited
For more information on all of the underwriters, please refer to your policy document.
What’s covered under my policy?
Whether you have third party only, third party, fire and theft, or comprehensive cover will determine what is covered under your policy. Third party only is the minimum cover required by law and only protects you against any damage you cause to others or their property.
Below you can see what the other two cover options offer.
| Product Name | Admiral Third Party, Fire and Theft | Admiral Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to your car | ✓ | |
| Damaged windscreen and window glass | ✓ | |
| Fire and theft | ✓ | ✓ |
| Liabilities to third parties | ✓ | ✓ |
| Using the car abroad | ✓ | ✓ |
| No claims discount | ✓ | ✓ |
What are Admiral’s different policies?
Admiral offers two main policies (single-car and multi-car) and four additional policies. So whether you want to insure just one car or multiple cars, it will have a policy to suit you. Admiral comprehensive policies come with a range of benefits and features included as standard which are included below.
Single-Car Insurance
Single-car insurance is for those who only need to insure one car. Some of the features included with a comprehensive policy are:
- Windscreen repair
- Courtesy car
- European cover
- Stereo cover
- Personal injury cover
- Named driver no claims bonus
- Use the Admiral App to get a discount on your renewal (91% of customers who tracked at least 500 miles of driving got a discount, between October 2019 and March 2020)
- Sat-nav and personal belongings cover
- 24-hour emergency helpline
- Great value cover from £303 (10% of customers paid less than £303 between January & June 2020).
- Bonus match
Multi-Car Insurance
If you have multiple cars in your household, Admiral Multi-Car insurance lets you insure them all under one policy. Some of the features included with a comprehensive policy are:
- Windscreen repair
- Courtesy car
- European cover
- Stereo cover
- Personal injury cover
- Named driver no claims bonus
- Sat-nav and personal belongings cover
- 24-hour emergency helpline
- Bonus match
- Uninsured driver promise
- Combine cars from different addresses
- Each car you add to the policy earns its own discount
- Each car gets its own No Claims Bonus for each year it remains claim free
- MultiCar customers could save £249 (10% of customers who provided a best alternative price saved £249 between January & June 2020)
Black Box Insurance
Admiral’s Black Box Insurance is designed for young drivers and newly qualified drivers, as having the LittleBox fitted in your car can lower the high premiums you may face.
Features of this policy include:
- Free black box installed out of sight in your car
- Black box is tracker fitted so can be tracked if your car is stolen
- Save 29% with Admiral Littlebox. 29% of customers who provided a best alternative price saved 29% between January & June 2020. (Based on 250 Admiral customers).
- Check your driving score online
- No curfews
Van Insurance
Admiral’s van Insurance is designed for flexibility – covering Small, transit and vans up to 3.5 tonnes with a number of different policy options to choose from.
Features of this policy include:
- Comprehensive, third party, fire and theft and third party only
- Black box van insurance options available
- Courtesy van and windscreen repair included as standard
- EU cover (up to 90 days) included as standard
Classic Car Insurance
If your car is over 35 years old, under 70 years old and has a value of over £1,000 and under £25,000, you could get an Admiral Classic Car discount. You can protect your classic car on a single-car policy or you can add it to your multi-car cover.
Features of this policy with comprehensive cover include:
- Windscreen repair
- European cover
- Stereo cover
- Personal injury cover
- Named driver no claims bonus
- Sat-nav and personal belongings cover
- 24-hour emergency helpline
- Bonus Match
- Agreed valuation fixed for two years
- Extra multicar discounts available
Learner Driver Insurance
If you are a provisional licence holder, you can get some driving experience with Veygo Learner Driver Insurance. Veygo is a new brand by Admiral that provides insurance for “drivers with no cars”. However, this cover would not be suitable if you own the car you are learning in.
Features of this policy include:
- Comprehensive cover for you, the person borrowing the car
- Must be accompanied by a full UK driving licence holder (which ends once you pass your test)
- Short-term, flexible solution
- Allows you to get insured on a friend or family member’s car from 2 hours to 90 days
- This cover works in addition to any cover already in place on the car
- Owner’s No Claims Bonus won’t be affected if you need to make a claim
Car Sharing Insurance
Admiral’s Car Sharing Insurance offers cover if you want to borrow a friend or family member’s car on a temporary basis. This cover is exclusively for people who don’t own the vehicle and is provided by Veygo, Admiral’s new brand of insurance for “drivers with no cars”.
Features of this policy include:
- Cover from 1 hour up to 30 days
- Comprehensive cover
- Earn a one year’s no-claims bonus
- Can be purchased up to 60 days in advance or start instantly
Compare other car insurance providers
How do I make a claim?
If you need to make a claim on your car insurance policy, you can call the Admiral Claims Department.
If you are claiming on a single-car insurance policy, you can call on 0333 220 2033. If you are claiming on a multi-car insurance policy, you can call 0333 220 2034.
Both claims helplines are open 8am – 9pm on weekdays, 9am – 5pm on Saturdays and 10am – 4pm on Sundays.
If you call outside of the opening hours, you will be redirected to a contracted third party recovery service who will start the claims procedure with you.
What is my excess?
When you make a claim, you have to pay an amount of money towards it – that is called an excess.
The exact amount varies according to a few personal factors, like the type of car that’s covered and the age of both the car and the driver.
Taking out protected or guaranteed no claims bonus protection will also affect your excess.
All the details about your excess terms can be found in your policy schedule.
Admiral car insurance customer reviews
In our 2020 customer satisfaction awards, Admiral car insurance got 4 out of 5 stars, and 76% of customers said they would recommend the service.
Here is some of the feedback we got from Admiral car insurance customers:
“Easy to deal with and provide good cover at a good price.”
“Very competitive prices and friendly and competent customer service.”
“Had car insurance with this provider for 2 years. Dealings satisfactory.”
“They were very competitive at first, but on the second year their prices have now started to increase a lot and I have had to really haggle to get the price down and match the lowest quote I got.”
“I have had no issues with them. They are straight forward and easy to deal with.”
Online reviews for Admiral car insurance:
Feedback for Admiral car insurance is mixed across a number of review platforms (updated on 5 June 2020):
| Trustpilot | Google Play | Apple App Store |
|---|---|---|
|
★★★★★ 3.6 out of 5 |
★★★★★ 2.4 out of 5 |
★★★★★ 4.1 out of 5 |
Customers seem to have a range of experiences to share relating to Admiral’s claim handling, with some reporting smooth sailing and others complaining of unfair treatment.
Admiral pros and cons
Pros
- Admiral’s comprehensive policies offer the use of a courtesy car if yours is being repaired at an Admiral approved garage.
- Voted by consumers as the “Best Car Insurance Provider 2017/18” for the fifth year running (Personal Finance Awards).
- European cover for up to 90 days.
Cons
- There isn’t that much information about Admiral’s third party only or third party, fire and theft policies on its website.
- Claims helplines are not open 24/7. Calling outside of the opening hours will mean you’ll be redirected to a contracted third party recovery service.
Verdict
Admiral has a range of products on offer to cater for a variety of needs, including black box, classic car and learner driver policies.
The company’s comprehensive policy offers a good level of cover, with benefits including courtesy car and windscreen repair. Customers love the company’s policy, which is evident in the awards Admiral has received.
The downside is that the claims line is not open 24/7, though there is an emergency third party recovery service available outside office hours.
Car insurance ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our customer satisfaction scores (“Customers say”) are based on a survey of 750 customers carried out in December 2019.
Our full car insurance methodology can be found here.
Frequently asked questions
*Based on independent online research by Consumer Intelligence (March ’20). 51% of car insurance customers could save £285.88.
Expert review
Review by
Danny Butler
danny.butler@finder.comDanny is a publisher at Finder specialising in car, life, home, business and pet insurance. He previously worked at the global insurer Aon and has appeared in national media giving advice on insurance. Danny holds a BA in International Business from the University of Plymouth and has undying loyalty to his average-poor football team, Portsmouth FC.
Expert review
Admiral is one of the most reputable insurance companies in the UK. It offers a very diverse range of policies, and so is a good option for a variety of circumstances and budgets.
The main downside is that the company does not run a 24/7 claims line. You’ll still be able to get help outside of the operating hours, but it might not run as smoothly.
Of course, a car insurance quote is a very personal thing, so comparing your options is always a good idea.
