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 and an explanation on how we came up with them.
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.
As Aviva is the largest general insurer in the UK, it is clearly a popular choice in the lucrative car insurance market, and it banked top spot in our survey. With three strong comprehensive cover levels and helpful staff (according to customers), this win is well deserved.
Read our review of Aviva car insurance
Saga is an over-50s specialist and not available to drivers under 45, but it did so well in our survey we feel a shout out is in order. Customers praised the good cover and friendly staff, so the policies on offer make for a great option for those with a bit more experience – in life and on the road.
Read our review of Saga car insurance
We asked policyholders to rate their satisfaction with their insurance company, and whether they’d recommend it to a friend. We’ve shown both for each brand in the table below. Our independent survey of 750 insurance customers was carried out in December 2019.
| Overall satisfaction | Customers who’d recommend | Issuer | Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
★★★★★ | 91% |  | The largest general insurer in the UK and our top prize winner, Aviva has three levels of comprehensive cover to choose from, as well as third party, and third party, fire and theft cover. This might sound confusing, but customers in our survey praised the easy application process and good service. | |
★★★★★ | 81% |  | Saga offers specialist tailored cover for drivers over the age of 50, with a minimum age of 45 (you must have at least one named driver over the age of 50 on the policy to qualify). Customers reported friendly service and a good level of cover. | |
★★★★★ | 75% |  | While less of Direct Line’s customers said they would recommend the service, the strength of its policies pushed its overall score up. Customers surveyed called the products on offer competitive and the service helpful. | |
★★★★★ | 87% |  | As Marmalade only offers cover to drivers up to the age of 30, it didn’t quite make our top 10. However, the service did very well in our survey, with customers calling it easy to use and praising the competitive prices. | |
★★★★★ | 84% |  | 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 said the service was helpful and efficient. | |
★★★★★ | 83% |  | 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 the claim handling process. | |
★★★★★ | 82% |  | As well as standard car insurance, LV= also offers cover for electric and classic cars. Its comprehensive cover includes windshield damage and replacement locks and was considered good value by customers in our survey. | |
★★★★★ | 77% |  | Hastings Direct’s two main cover options are Direct and Premier. The company also offers Essential comprehensive cover, as well as third party, and third party, fire and theft, but there’s not a lot of information available on those. | |
★★★★★ | 76% |  | 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 good value cover and helpful staff. | |
★★★★★ | 76% |  | The company formerly known as Age UK, Age Co is another over-50s specialist. Like Saga, it also offers cover to younger drivers, but its policies are tailored to those with more experience – in life and on the road. | |
★★★★★ | 77% |  | Swinton offers three levels of comprehensive cover, as well as third party, fire and theft. All comprehensive options offer decent benefits and the company also caters for young drivers, convicted drivers and those looking for short term cover. | |
★★★★★ | 73% |  | ||
★★★★★ | 72% |  | Axa’s comprehensive cover comes with a lifetime guarantee on repairs, a courtesy car and protection from uninsured drivers. The company’s claim handling service was said to be quick and efficient by customers in our survey. | |
★★★★★ | 71% |  | Known mostly as a posh department store, John Lewis also provides a range of financial products. Its comprehensive policy comes with a load of benefits, including misfuelling and vehicle ID theft cover as standard. | |
★★★★★ | 69% |  | 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 called the company’s car insurance cover reasonably priced with good service. | |
★★★★★ | 65% |  | 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). | |
★★★★★ | 64% |  | More Than’s comprehensive cover 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. |
In December 2019, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on insurance providers. 750 people replied and told us their thoughts on their insurance provider in each of five categories (car, travel, pet, home and life).
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. When 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.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
The customer satisfaction score is based on a survey of 750 customers carried out in December 2019.