The best car insurance gives you the right cover at the right price and is there in your hour of need. As well as surveying hundreds of customers, we’ve given comprehensive policies a policy score for the level of cover they provide. And we’ve picked out policies that excel in specific categories like multi-car or for young drivers. Once you have your shortlist, you can save hundreds if you compare quotes to make sure you’re getting the best value.
We collected this data from various sources, including financial reports, regulatory filings, and market analysis from industry experts. Last updated: February 2026.
| Rank | Provider | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admiral | 14% |
| 2 | Direct Line | 10.8% |
| 3 | Aviva | 10.5% |
| 4 | Hastings Direct | 7% |
| 5 | AXA | 6.1% |
| 6 | LV= | 5.8% |
| 7 | esure | 4.2% |
| 8 | RSA | 4.1% |
| 9 | Ageas | 4.1% |
| 10 | NFU Mutual | 3.9% |
| Rank | Company | Policy score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFU Mutual | 83.2% |
| 2 | Aviva | 82.51% |
| 3 | Saga | 82.3% |
| 4 | M&S Bank | 81.47% |
| 5 | Direct Line | 80.84% |
| 6 | Sheilas’ Wheels | 79.9% |
| 7 | Age Co | 79.57% |
| 8 | RIAS | 79.24% |
| 9 | AXA | 77.97% |
| 10 | Hastings Direct | 77.02% |
For all results, including customer satisfaction ratings, skip to our full table.
"To come up with the league table, our team looked at 29 different elements of a car insurance policy from 35 providers across the industry. Those at the top have the most comprehensive cover, in our view.
We looked at the range of ages they cover, cover limits, whether essential benefits are included as standard, the payment options, the ease of claim and whether you can manage your policy online. For essential benefits, such as courtesy car, old-for-new car replacement and key cover, if they weren’t included as standard, we judged them on how much extra you had to pay to add these benefits to your policy.
With other benefits, such as driving in the EU and continuing your journey if your car’s out of action, insurers lost points if they impose restrictions on cover, like the number of days and distance from home.
Some elements got extra weighting based on how important they are to drivers. In a couple of cases, 2 insurers received the exact same score, and so they share the same spot on our list. We also feature the results of our satisfaction survey of 1,654 customers so you can hear what companies are like from the people who matter most.
We picked out policies we think are outstanding in certain categories, such as great rates or multi-car. Choose which benefits are important to you. Insurance is highly personal and rates change often, so these picks are just a steer."
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to car insurance. Your priority might be finding a multi-car policy if you have more than one car to insure. If you’re a young driver, a telematics policy – which could cut your costs – could be your goal or if you’re on a tight budget, the cost will be crucial. Whatever your policy needs are, always take the time to read the small print and check you fully understand what is (and isn’t) included with car insurance before you buy.”
Car insurance premiums are highly personalised – a tweak to your job role or the amount of excess you’re happy to pay can make a big difference to your premiums. We explain more in our guide on how premiums are calculated. The key is to get the right cover level, plus good service at the cheapest price. This is why we survey customers. All our best picks are at least 3-star rated for service.
| Rank | Provider | Overall satisfaction | Customers who’d recommend | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admiral | ★★★★★ | 93% | One of the most well known insurers in the UK, Admiral offers a range of cover options, including a combined home and car policy, multi-car cover and temporary car insurance. Its overall satisfaction score was 4.5 out of 5. |
| 2 | NFU Mutual | ★★★★★ | 89% | NFU Mutual has long provided cover for farmers and those living in rural areas, but it’s worth noting that it. may not offer you cover if you live in certain city areas. It got an overall satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5. |
| 3 | Aviva | ★★★★★ | 84% | Aviva is the largest general insurer in the UK. Many customers praised the service, but a few said they felt their loyalty hadn’t been rewarded. Aviva scored 4.3 out of 5 for overall satisfaction. |
| 4 | The AA | ★★★★★ | 80% | A staple of the British roads, The AA offers 2 types of car insurance: third party, fire and theft and a benefit-laden comprehensive policy. AA members can get a discount if they insure online. Customers praised “friendly” service and the brand scored 4.1 out of 5 for overall satisfaction. |
| 5 | LV= | ★★★★★ | 84% | Known for its good value car cover, LV= offers comprehensive cover which includes windscreen repair or replacement and new locks and keys if yours are lost or stolen. The brand got 4 out of 5 stars from its customers in our survey. |
| 6 | Saga | ★★★★★ | 76% | Saga offers cover tailored to older drivers – you have to be over 50 to qualify, but there’s no upper age limit. The brand scored 3.9 out of 5 for overall satisfaction from its customers in our survey. Several praised “excellent” service though a few felt prices were high. |
| 7 | Direct line | ★★★★★ | 78% | Direct Line received praise from many customers in our survey for being easy to deal with. It got an overall satisfaction score of 3.7 out of 5. |
| 8 | Hastings Direct | ★★★★★ | 78% | Hastings Direct has 2 main cover options: Direct and Premier. The company also offers a “no-frills” policy called Essential, as well as third party, fire and theft cover. It scored 3.6 out of 5 for overall satisfaction. |
| 9 | Diamond | ★★★★★ | 83% | Diamond targets women drivers, in a similar way to Sheilas’ Wheels. Benefits include handbag cover up to £300, and child seat cover, which it believes will appeal to women (considered lower-risk drivers). It scored 3.4 out of 5 from customers in our survey. |
| 10 | Churchill | ★★★★★ | 79% | Most people would be aware of Churchill, largely due to its nodding dog. The brand is part of Direct Line Group. Churchill got 3.3 out of 5 for overall satisfaction in our survey. |
The algorithms that insurers use to calculate their premiums are a dark art and are all different, so it will always pay to get a range of quotes from different providers each year. Then consider the extra benefits a policy might offer you, and check our ratings to see what customers think of any brand you haven’t tried but are considering.
In December 2023, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on insurance providers. We had 750 responses about car insurance providers.
The survey asked respondents how satisfied they were with their current insurance company (on a scale from 1 to 5 and also whether they would recommend the brand to a friend or not). We turned the results into star ratings and shortlisted the top-performing brands for our awards. If there was a draw, we used the recommendation score (that is, the percentage of customers who said they would recommend the brand to a friend) as a tie-breaker.
Full details of our star ratings for this sector are on the insurance ratings methodology page.
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