Savings rates in the UK move up and down depending on the base rate set by the Bank of England, which is impacted by the current rate of inflation. In times of high inflation, it’s worth taking advantage of better rates on savings accounts.
Average savings rates: Highlights
The average instant access savings rate in the UK is 2.23% as of October 2025.
The average variable cash ISA savings rate in the UK is 2.05% as of October 2025.
The average interest rate on a 1-year fixed rate ISA is 3.98% as of October 2025.
The UK inflation rate (CPI) was 3.8% in September 2025. The base rate is 4% as of 6 November 2025.
52% of people were earning interest below the rate of inflation on their easy access savings as of September 2025.
Average savings interest rates in the UK over the last 10 years
The UK’s average instant access savings rate was 2.23% as of October 2025. This is down from a 13-year high of 2.82% in January 2024.
Meanwhile, the average variable cash ISA interest rate was 2.05% as of October 2025. This is down from a peak of 3.37% in October 2023 but up from 1.69% in June 2025.
Savers can generally find higher rates in fixed-rate ISAs, where you lock your money away for a set period. The average savings interest rate for a 1-year fixed rate ISA was 3.98% in October 2025, down from 5.48% in October 2023.
The average UK savings account has lost £2,989 in real terms between June 2020 and June 2025, according to research from personal finance site Finder.
A Finder survey found that the average UK adult has just over £16,000 in savings. If savings rates had risen in line with inflation over the last 5 years, then this amount would now be worth £20,286.
However, due to the high inflation we’ve seen in recent years – and the fact savings rates have not kept pace with it – this figure is actually almost £3,000 lower with the average savings rate. If someone had placed £16,067 in a typical variable cash ISA in June 2020, it would now be worth just £17,296.
Over the past 5 years, inflation has been above the average variable cash ISA rate for 51 out of 60 months, or 85% of the time.
The average inflation rate in the UK reached a 41-year high of 11.1% in October 2022. This triggered a rise in the base rate and a rise in overall savings rates, although banks were not quick to pass on rates to consumers.
This meant that savings rose to higher average interest rates than before, although as the inflation rate decreases, we’ve seen savings rates begin to drop again.
The inflation rate in September 2025 was 3.8%, which is higher than the average easy access savings rate.
Savings rates 30 years ago were generally much higher than they are now due to the base rate being much higher. In 1990, the base rate was 13.88%, which meant that savings rates were high to keep in line with it.
By the year 2000, the base rate was 5.75%, and the average savings rates hovered around this mark. Then, by the end of 2008, it had been reduced to 2.00%, and by 2009, it was lowered even further to 0.50%, meaning low savings rates came with it.
Average savings rates remained low through the 2010s but began rising again in 2022 as the Bank of England began to raise the base rate once more in an effort to control inflation.
UK inflation rate history
The average inflation rate in the UK reached a 41-year high in October 2022. Meanwhile, between 1995 and 2020, the UK experienced relatively low inflation of around 2%. The average inflation since 1989 is 2.69%.
Out of the last 35 years, 2022 recorded the highest inflation rate at 9.1%, followed by 1991 with 7.5%. The CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation rate peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, while the CPIH (Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs) inflation rate peaked at 9.6%.
The monthly savings rates in the graphs comparing inflation and savings are taken from Bank of England data on the quoted household interest rates on variable cash ISAs.
The historical inflation rates are CPI data from ONS. In calculations, interest is assumed to be compounded monthly.
To find the average UK savings, Finder commissioned Censuswide in January 2025 to conduct a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.
Sophie Barber is a senior content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions.
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Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run.
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