We asked customers of some of the UK’s biggest car insurance companies about their experience and whether they would recommend their insurer to a friend or family member.
You can see our winners below, plus a full table of the results. The winners are based on both overall satisfaction scores (that is, star ratings) and recommendation scores (the percentage of customers who said they’d recommend the brand to a friend). More on this below.
Our car insurance winners
Winner, Best Car Insurance:
Saga
Saga started in the 1950s and it offers holidays and insurance policies for the over 50s. This car insurance provider has cruised into top spot this year. Saga offers cover tailored to older drivers with a fixed price for 3 years. Customers reported a reasonable price over the three year period, very helpful customer service and efficient dealing with claims. 86% of respondents in our survey would recommend the company to a friend.
Read our review of Saga car insurance
Highly Commended, Car Insurance:
Hastings Direct
Hastings is tied in second place, earning it a highly commended award. It offers the Essential package as its cheapest policy, up to the Premier, its most comprehensive deal. A telematics policy is also available with an app to download. Customers stated their satisfaction with the good levels of cover, reasonable rates and friendly staff.
Read our review of Hastings Direct car insurance
Highly Commended, Car Insurance:
Aviva
Aviva also comes in with a silver medal. It’s the largest general insurer in the UK and has three levels of comprehensive cover to choose from, as well as third party only, and third party, fire and theft cover. Customers praise the good service and call the company reliable, adding that the sign-up process was straightforward.
Read our review of Aviva car insurance
Our 2022 car insurance customer satisfaction league table
We asked policyholders to rate their satisfaction with their insurance company, and whether they’d recommend it to a friend. We’ve shown both results for each brand in the table below. Our independent survey of 1,841 insurance customers was carried out in December 2021.
Overall satisfaction | Customers who’d recommend | Issuer | Review | |
---|---|---|---|---|
★★★★★ | 86% | Saga offers cover tailored to older drivers, with a minimum age of 45 (and you must have at least one named driver over the age of 50 on the policy to qualify). Customers in our survey reported patient and helpful customer service and a reasonable price for the 3-year fixed price policy. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 85% | Hastings Direct’s main cover options are Direct and Premier. The company also offers a ‘no-frills’ policy called Essential cover, as well as third party only cover, and third party, fire and theft. Customers like the low prices and good service on offer. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 85% | Aviva is the largest general insurer in the UK. It states clearly what is covered, what isn’t covered and what’s optional. Customers praised the good service and call the company reliable, and the sign up process was straightforward. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 84% | Direct Line has dropped from the top spot last year, but is a strong contender. The company received high praise from customers, with many of them calling Direct Line’s service great. The easy set up, fast response and competitive prices stood the company in good stead in our poll. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 83% | Age Co, formerly known as Age UK, is another over-50s specialist. While it does offer cover to younger drivers as well, its policies are tailored to those with more experience – in life and on the road. The company’s customers say it is efficient and has a great service. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 82% | AXA’s comprehensive cover comes with a lifetime guarantee on repairs, £5,000 personal accident cover and protection from uninsured drivers. Customers in our survey were pleased with its competitive prices and great customer service. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 81% | As well as standard car insurance, in 2020 LV=also launched LV= Flow – a rolling monthly cover. The company’s comprehensive cover includes windshield damage and replacement locks. LV= was praised by its customers as being simple, having helpful customer service and a great competitive price. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 79% | As 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. Customers praised the fair prices and good value service. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 78% | A staple of the British roads, The AA offers third party, fire and theft cover and a benefit-laden comprehensive cover. AA members get extra perks and customers said the service is helpful and efficient. Extra cover can be added, such as motor legal assistance, excess protection and breakdown cover. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 84% | NFU Mutual started life as provider for farmers and those living in rural areas, but has since expanded to cover all kinds of customer. All policies include breakdown cover from RAC, and loyal customers get a Mutual Bonus. Customers loved how the company went the extra mile for them and the high quality insurance. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 78% | The largest supermarket chain in the UK, Tesco also provides solid car insurance policies. You can choose the Black Box policy for young drivers (17-35), or the standard cover for drivers over 21, which customers reported as being good value and quite reliable. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 78% | Most people would be aware of Churchill, largely due to its nodding dog. Love or hate those ads, customers called the service provided by Churchill reliable and helpful, and some were impressed by its fair prices. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 77% | Known mostly as a posh department store, John Lewis also provides a range of financial products. Its comprehensive car insurance policy comes with a lot of benefits, including guaranteed repairs and a courtesy car as standard. It also covers windscreen repairs and if you accidentally put the wrong fuel in your vehicle. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 76% | Sheilas’ Wheels started life as a female-only car insurance provider but now offers cover to both men and women, with a focus on benefits to appeal to women and parents. Customers in our survey love the helpful staff. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 70% | More Than’s comprehensive policy includes windscreen cover and replacement locks. The company also offers a third party, fire and theft policy, as well as cover for young drivers and a decent multi-car discount. Customers like what they get for their money. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 68% | Ageas only offers comprehensive cover with personal accident, windscreen cover and replacement keys all included as standard. Customers praise the efficient nature when it deals with a claim. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 51% | Endsleigh was founded in 1965 by the NUS to provide affordable insurance designed for students. It now offers cover for everyone, but still specialises in policies for students. A host of policies are available from standard car insurance to temporary cover, learner driver insurance to black box cover. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 73% | Diamond is another insurer targeting women drivers. Like Sheilas’ Wheels, it covers men as well but has benefits such as handbag and child seat cover, which it believes will appeal to women (who are considered lower risk drivers). It has received a few mixed reviews, however. | View deals | |
★★★★★ | 64% | Swinton offers comprehensive cover, as well as third party, fire and theft. All comprehensive options offer decent benefits and the company also caters for young drivers, over 50s and those looking for short term cover. Some say the company is efficient and quick, others say there are many hoops to jump through when claiming. | View deals |
Customer satisfaction ratings methodology
In December 2021, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on insurance providers. We had 1,841 responses about car insurance providers.
The survey asked respondents how satisfied they were with their current insurance company (on a scale from one to five, 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.
Insurance ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
The customer satisfaction score is based on a survey of 1,841 customers carried out in December 2021.
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