As part of our industry-recognised star ratings system, Moneyfacts looks at all the car insurance products available in the UK marketplace. Our in-house experts carefully analyse and compare the various elements that are offered by each product to understand what benefits these bring to the customer. Car insurance policies are then assigned a star rating that reflects their performance.
Those that offer the most comprehensive range of standout features and benefits are awarded our top rating of five stars.
Our independent and impartial star ratings provide consumers with an expert view of the whole market. Customers use our star ratings as an honest and reliable way to identify the products and providers that offer the best benefits.
The many factors we look at to determine star ratings include:
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
It's our heart that sets us apart
*99.63% of direct motor claims paid May '21 - Apr '22
**10% of new customers paid £195 or less Jan - Apr ’22
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Freedom Brokers prides itself on straightforward, uncomplicated insurance with a first class claims service. The car insurance policies they offer are tailor-made for you, with access to a range of insurers. You can also choose from a range of easy-to-add car insurance policy upgrades, including breakdown cover, excess protection, legal expenses and replacement vehicle hire. The company provides a UK-based call centre with a 24 hours claim helpline. You can access your personal online account to make changes to your policy and view your policy documents around the clock and 365 days a year.
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Introducing Hastings Direct YouDrive
Hastings Direct YouDrive looks at your actual driving style, so you’ll get a great price on day one and if you drive well, you’ll keep getting great prices every year. It's easy to set up and you'll be able to track how you're driving via our easy-to-use app.
What are the benefits of YouDrive (telematics insurance):
More than one vehicle at home?
With a Hastings Direct Multi Car policy you can have one account for all the cars registered at your home address - you’ll get a discount for every car you add! And don’t worry if the additional cars aren’t due for renewal yet, we’ve got that covered too.
Multi Car benefits:
* Hastings Essential policies don't include windscreen cover and come with £1,000 personal accident cover as standard.
** Not included on Hastings Essential policies.
You could save up to £319 on your car insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Get £20 off Pay-Per-Mile Car Insurance*, no code required!
*At the moment, policies are available for drivers aged between 17-80. Free miles credit is not transferable, refundable or convertible into cash. Offer not available if you get a quote or purchase a policy after using a comparison site. This offer is not valid when used with any other offer. Read our terms at bymiles.co.uk/terms-of-business. By Miles Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) number 773046. This offer is valid for all purchases before 23:59, 30th April 2023.
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Get 5 star rated Comprehensive Car Insurance from Admiral. Our comprehensive policies include great features and benefits as standard to keep you safe and covered when you’re on the go!
Multi car insurance offers the same cover as our standard car insurance policy but allows you to insure multiple cars on one policy – so you’ll have just one renewal date after 12 months. You’ll get a discount for every car added and each earns its own No Claims Bonus.
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars
Links to third parties on this page are paid for by the third party. You can find out more about the individual products by visiting their site. Moneyfacts.co.uk will receive a small payment either if you click the links or if you use their services after you click through to their site. All information is subject to change without notice. Please check all terms before making any decisions.
DisclaimerThe list of car insurance providers on this page is a selection of services available and gives you an idea of the kind of options available. You can find out more about the individual products by visiting any of the providers listed. All information is subject to change without notice. Please check all terms before making any decisions. This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts.co.uk will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts.co.uk recommends you obtain independent financial advice.
Click the headings below to see the full list of star ratings awarded.
1st Central - Private Car
1st Central - Private Car Legal
1st Central - Private Car Plus
1st Central - Private Car Premier
AA - Car Insurance AA Members
AA - Car Insurance Non Members
AA - Smart Insurance AA Members
AA - Smart Insurance Non Members
Admiral - Admiral Gold
Admiral - Admiral Platinum
Admiral - Car Insurance
Admiral - LittleBox
Admiral - MultiCar
Admiral - Plug & Drive
Age Co - Motor Insurance
Ageas - Car Insurance
Ageas - Private Car
Aviva - AvivaPlus Premium
Aviva - AvivaPlus Regular
Aviva - Motor Insurance
Aviva - MultiCar Insurance
Aviva - Online Motor Insurance
Aviva - Online Premium Motor Insurance
AXA Direct - Car Insurance
AXA Insurance - Car Plus
Bell - Plug & Drive
Brightside - Car Insurance
Budget Insurance - Private Car Policy
By Miles - Car Insurance
Churchill - Car Insurance
Churchill - Car Insurance Plus
Churchill - DriveSure Car Insurance
Confidas - Motor Lux
Confidas - Motor Max
Co-op Insurance - Motor Car Insurance
Covéa Insurance - Private Car
Darwin - Car Insurance
Dial Direct - Car Insurance
Dial Direct - Premier Car Insurance
Diamond - Car Insurance
Direct Line - Car Insurance
Direct Line - Car Insurance Plus
Direct Line - DrivePlus Car Insurance
Direct Line - Select Premier
Elephant - Car Insurance
Endsleigh - Endsleigh Loop
esure - Car Insurance
First Alternative - Car Insurance
Forces Mutual - Car Insurance
Ford Insure - Car Insurance
Geoffrey Insurance - Car Insurance
Go Girl - Private Car Insurance
GoSkippy Insurance - Private Car Insurance (Southern Rock Insurance)
GoSkippy Insurance - Private Car Insurance (Watford)
Got2Insure.com - Motor Insurance
Hastings Direct - Hastings Direct Car Insurance (XA)
Hastings Direct - Hastings Direct YouDrive
Hastings Direct - Hastings Premier Car Insurance (XA)
Hastings Direct SmartMiles - Car Insurance
Hedgehog - Premier Private Car
Hedgehog - Private Car
iGO4 Insurance - GO4 Insurance
iGO4 Insurance - iGO4 More
Insure 2 Drive - Private Car Insurance
insurePink - Car Insurance (XA)
John Lewis Finance - Car Insurance
LV= - Car Insurance
LV= - Flow Car Insurance
M&S Bank - Premier Car Insurance
M&S Bank - Standard Car Insurance
Mercedes-Benz Insurance - Motor Insurance
MINI Insurance - Flex Car Insurance
MORE TH>N - Car Insurance
MORE TH>N - Car Insurance Essentials
MORE TH>N - Car Insurance Extra
MORE TH>N - Low Miler
NatWest - Premier Motor Insurance
NFU Mutual - Car Policy
People's Choice - Car Insurance (XA)
Police Mutual - Car Insurance
Police Mutual - Family Car Insurance
Police Mutual - Narpo Gold
Privilege - Car Insurance
Privilege - Car Insurance Plus
Privilege - DriveXpert Car Insurance
Provident Insurance - Car Insurance
RAC - Black Box Insurance
RAC - Car Insurance Plus
RIAS - Car Insurance
Royal Bank of Scotland - Premier Motor Insurance
Saga - Saga Plus Motor Insurance
Saga - Saga Select Motor Insurance
Sainsbury's Bank - Car Insurance
Sainsbury's Bank - Car Plus
Santander - Car Insurance
Sheilas' Wheels - Car Insurance
smart - Motor Insurance
Swiftcover - Car Insurance
Swinton Insurance - Classic Car Insurance
Swinton Insurance - Premier Car Insurance
Tesco Bank - Tesco Bank Car Insurance
Vitality - Car Insurance
WiseDriving - Intelligent Car Insurance
WiseDriving - Intelligent Car Insurance (App and Device)
WiseDriving - Intelligent Car Insurance (Black Box)
WiseDriving - Intelligent Car Insurance (Self-Install)
Ageas - Car Insurance Essentials
Ageas - Motor Guard
Ageas - Optima Plus
Alfa Romeo Insurance - Motor Insurance
AXA - Car Insurance (NI Only)
AXA Insurance - Car Insurance
Bank of Scotland - Car Insurance
BMW Insurance - Car Insurance
Drive like a girl - Private Car
Fish Insurance - Car Insurance
General Accident - Car Insurance
General Accident - Telematics Car Insurance
Halifax - Car Insurance
Hughes Insurance - Car Insurance
Hughes Insurance - HughesDrive
Jeep Insurance - Motor Insurance
Lifesure Group - Motor Insurance
Lloyds Bank - Car Insurance
Marmalade - Black Box Insurance
MORE TH>N - Smart Wheels Car Insurance
Policy Expert - Premier Car Insurance
Post Office Money - Over 50s Car Insurance
Quotemehappy.com - Car Insurance
RAC - Pay By Mile
Seat - Car Insurance
Skoda - Car Insurance
Tesco Bank - Box Insurance
Ticker - Car Insurance
Volkswagen Insurance - Car Insurance
Yoga insurance Services - Car Insurance
Zenith Insurance - Car Insurance
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Insurance customers that do not shop-around can find that their renewal quote creeps up year after year. While auto-renewing is convenient and can help to make sure you are not accidentally uninsured it could cost you more money. This is because of a practice called ‘price walking’ where insurers creep up their renewal prices despite there being no change in the customer’s risk profile.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has identified 6 million policy holders that were paying high or very high amounts for their insurance policy (across home and car insurance) in 2018. The regulator is seeking to stop price walking from 2022 when car insurance providers must offer the same prices to new customers as they do for existing ones. Those wanting the cheapest car insurance still need to be vigilant and continue to shop around for the best insurance deals as prices will still differ between providers.
Research from moneysavingexpert shows that the best time to get insurance quotes is between 20 to 26 days before your policy expires. Their research suggests that insurers include the amount of time allowed for getting car insurance quotes as a risk indicator. Those that leave it to the last-minute pay more for their car insurance on average.
Some insurers offer discounts for insuring multiple cars with them. You should still shop around to compare the premiums.
If you pay your insurance monthly, you will usually be charged interest on the total quoted for your car insurance policy. This is because the insurer is lending you the money to pay for the policy upfront and you are then paying back this debt to the insurer. If you can pay upfront this will save you interest costs. If you need to pay monthly then check the interest rate you will be charged and include this when you compare the cost of car insurance quotes.
Getting a car insurance quote too soon or too late could cost you extra pounds according to research conducted in 2019 by moneysavingexpert. This showed that the lowest car insurances rates available through insurance comparison sites was between 20 to 26 days before your policy is due to start.
Insurers base their pricing on risk, and this includes your driving history, location and vehicle type along with other factors. The research from moneysavingexpert suggests that insurers also use how much time you allow to get a quote before your policy start date as a risk indicator. Those who plan ahead allowing about three weeks before their policy start date are seen as less of a risk than the equivalent applicant requesting a quote closer to their start date.
The best insurance policy should combine a competitive price, product features and cover that you need with a good experience if you should need to make a claim. Before you start to search price comparison sites, you should have a look at review and ratings to see which insurers have a good reputation.
We’ve listed above those car insurers and their specific policies that have been recognised by Moneyfacts with a four- or five-star rating – this is based on their product features. This will help you to apply directly to those insurers that offer good quality car insurance policies.
Review sites can also be a good source to find out people’s experiences of claiming through a car insurance company.
Once you have an idea of those insurers that should meet your needs in terms of a good quality product and a positive claims experience you can then look for the lowest price either directly, using our table above or through a comparison site.
Yes, you can use a comparison site and the car’s registration details to find out how much this might cost to insure if you go ahead and buy the car. Sometimes when you a buy a car from a dealer it will come with seven days’ free insurance.
The cost of your insurance will depend on your own personal circumstances, your vehicle, where you live and then a range of elements that affects the insurers total costs such as the level of claims, insurance tax and the number of personal injury claims.
Penalty points and previous accidents or moving to an area with higher levels of crime can all increase your insurance premium.
You can choose to either get car insurance quotes online directly from the insurer or from a comparison site. You should be prepared with the details of any additional drivers you want to have on the policy, your no claims bonus details, your car registration details and details of any claims or accidents you have had in the past.
Each insurer will state how long their car insurance quote is valid for. Some insurance firms choose to update their pricing as and when required, while others allow for quotes to be valid for a set number of days. Quotes can be valid for 30 days or up to 90 days. If you obtain a quote and then need to make a change, this can also change the price you are quoted.
Younger drivers can often lower their insurance premiums by using a tracking device in their vehicle, this monitors their driving speed and style, as well as the times of day or night that they drive. A score is then applied and if this is good there is the potential for a lower rate at renewal. Sometimes this ‘black box’ insurance policies also restrict when you can drive, for example after 10:00 at night.
When you get a car insurance quote, the insurance provider will run a soft credit check to check your details. They will only perform a full credit check if you decide to pay for your insurance monthly. This is because when you pay for your insurance monthly you are in fact borrowing the full cost of the premium from the insurer and then paying this back each month. This means you are also usually charged interest on the monthly payment too.
A soft search to check your identity does not have an impact on your credit score, you will only see an affect on your credit score once a hard check is made if you decide to pay for your policy monthly.
Find out more about insurance quotes and your credit score in our guide.
Disclaimer: This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts recommends you obtain independent financial advice.