Best car insurance companies in United Kingdom 2018

Best car insurance companies in United Kingdom 2018

With low-price policies and great customer care when you need it most, here are the best car insurance companies 2018

Insurance comparison sites make it easy to find a cheap insurance quote, but it’s not so simple to work out how they might perform when you need to make a claim.

That’s why our sister publication, Auto Express, asks real policyholders how their insurer performed when it came to the crunch. Each year, the results are published as part of its Driver Power Survey.

As well as ranking the insurers from best to worst, the survey also scores companies in different areas, including staff product knowledge, speed of setting up a policy, keeping customers informed when they make a claim and value-for-money.

The results, taken from the most recent Auto Express Driver Power Survey should help you find a policy with a low premium, and a decent guarantee of good service when you need it.

You may be able to reduce your premium without compromising on service: see out guide to getting cheap car insurance for more details

Cars with cheap insurance

Best car insurance companies 2017-18

1 NFU Mutual

Best car insurer for customer satisfaction

Score 92.71%

Number one for the second year in a row, NFU Mutual remains the insurer to beat, with peerless service on the phone and 96% of existing customers intending to renew their policy with the company. The firm’s local offices came in for praise too, for their assistance in making a claim. The only gripe was the insurer’s long-winded online quotation system.

2 Royal & Sun Alliance

Best car insurer for claims processing

Score 90.78%

The insurer has climbed one place this year, with customers praising its online service. Phone-callers were impressed, too; staff achieved a third place ranking for product knowledge. But it was customers’ claims experience that sealed the deal. Royal & Sun Alliance is exceptional in this respect, causing an impressive 91% of customers to say they’d renew.

3 Zurich

Best car insurer for call handling

Score 88.79%

The insurer’s telephone teams, who ranked inside the top 10 in all areas, must take the credit for Zurich’s fine performance this year. The company’s claims service is equally impressive, while in terms of value for money it ranked third overall. Now all it has to do is sort out its website and maybe those 76% who said they’d renew will be joined by other equally happy customers.

4 Co-op insurance services

Score 88.30%

The insurer’s efficient telephone operators, speedy claims settlement and good value for money were praised by respondents, but friendlier and more helpful staff, as well as a faster website with links to better information could be the key to a higher ranking next time. 

5 M&S Bank

Score 88.24%

The insurer scores well across most measures. The highlights were a slick website, speed of settlement and value for money. The telephone order process needs to be improved, however, and staff could be a little more helpful, although they do know their stuff. 

6 RIAS

Score 87.88%

Customers have few problems with the insurer’s online service – it’s the company’s telephone ordering service that lets it down. It’s back on track if you need to make a claim, though, with helpfulness and keeping customers informed each scoring highly. 

7 Quote Me Happy

Score 87.26%

Value for money is one thing customers aren't happy about with this insurer; otherwise, for online process, speed to complete orders and useful information links, it ranks first overall. The company’s telephone service attracts equal praise. Claims settlement is a little slow but overall the insurer ranks an impressive seventh for claims satisfaction.

8 Direct Line

Score 87.19%

The insurer scores well for claims handling, friendliness, helpfulness and value for money. Only the experience of buying a policy over the phone lets it down, while call handlers’ product knowledge could be better.

9 LV

Score 86.97%

Liverpool Victoria ranks well online for efficient processing and ease of navigation. On the phone, friendliness, speed and product knowledge also score well. It drops points, though, for claims handling and value for money.

10 Saga

Score 86.96%

This over-50s insurance specialist gets the thumbs up for its good claims handling. Its online service is just as highly rated. Where it falls down is in its telephone ordering performance, with processing speed and product knowledge just ranked outside the top 10.