Best Car Insurance UK 2026: Insurers Ranked on FCA Claims Data

How UK car insurance providers compare on FCA claims data, 2025

The Financial Conduct Authority requires every insurer with more than 3,000 policies and 400,000 pounds of premium in a product to report four value measures each year: the share of claims accepted, how often policyholders claim, the average amount paid on an accepted claim, and complaints about claims as a share of claims made. The 2025 figures were published in July 2026. This is the only like-for-like, regulator-collected comparison of car insurance providers that exists, and it is what the table below is built from. The FCA publishes firm-level figures as bands rather than exact percentages, so the table shows the bands exactly as reported, ranked by acceptance band and then by complaints band.

Products reported: Motor (All). Where an insurer reports more than one variant, the main product variant is shown. Figures are calendar year 2025 and describe what happened to existing customers; they are not a prediction of how any policy sold today will perform.

Reading the four measures together

Claims acceptance is the share of registered claims that were paid in full or in part. A high figure means few claims were declined, but it says nothing about how much was paid. Claims frequency is claims per 100 policies; a low figure can mean a healthy book or a policy that customers find hard to claim on. Average payout shows the typical settlement; for car insurance it is shaped by the cover limits and excesses in the book as much as by the insurer. Complaints per claim is the sharpest signal of how claims handling felt to customers. The FCA itself cautions that no single measure should be read in isolation, and that business mix, product age and target market all move these numbers.

What drives the price of car insurance

Price is not in the FCA data, and the two do not move together: some of the cheapest policies sit mid-table on acceptance, some of the most expensive at the bottom. The main pricing factors for car insurance are the driver’s age and record, postcode, vehicle group, annual mileage, no-claims history, occupation, where the car is kept overnight and voluntary excess. Quotes for the same person can vary by a factor of two or more between insurers because each weights these factors differently, which is why the regulator’s claims data is worth reading alongside price rather than instead of it.

What to check in a car insurance policy before the price

The measures above describe outcomes, and outcomes come from policy terms. Before comparing premiums, read compulsory plus voluntary excess, courtesy car terms, protected no-claims cost, windscreen and personal belongings limits, driving other cars extension, and whether repairs use approved repairers only. These terms explain most of the gap between the insurers at the top and bottom of the table: a policy that is easy to claim on will show higher acceptance and lower complaints, whatever it costs.

Making a claim and what to do if it is declined

Report the incident within the policy’s notification window, keep receipts and evidence, and answer the insurer’s questions in writing where possible. If a claim is declined or the settlement is lower than expected, ask for the decision in writing with the policy clause relied on, then complain to the insurer, which has eight weeks to give a final response. After that, or if the response is unsatisfactory, the Financial Ombudsman Service investigates free of charge and its decisions bind the insurer. In 2025 the Ombudsman upheld a substantial share of general insurance complaints, and the FCA’s Consumer Duty requires insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly, which is the standard to hold them to.

How to use this data with Kael Tripton’s guides

This page is an independent editorial ranking of regulator data. Kael Tripton takes no commission on FCA-regulated products, runs no quote line and does not recommend a provider. Use the table to shortlist insurers whose claims record you are comfortable with, then obtain quotes directly or through a broker, and compare the policy terms above line by line. The car insurance hub holds the related guides on cover types, exclusions and claims.

Frequently asked questions

Which motor insurers accept the most claims?

In the FCA’s 2025 data, 49 of 53 insurers (AA Underwriting, Accredited Insurance (Europe), Ageas Insurance, Alwyn, Aviva Insurance, Business Insurance Solutions and 43 others) reported acceptance in the top band, 95 to 100%. The FCA publishes bands rather than exact figures.

Is this data a recommendation?

No. It is the FCA’s published record of what happened to 2025 claims. Kael Tripton does not recommend providers or take commission on FCA-regulated products.

Why is claims frequency useful?

It shows how often customers actually claim. Very low frequency can indicate a policy that is hard to claim on or that customers do not understand, which is why the FCA reads it alongside acceptance and complaints.

Where does the data come from?

Insurers report it to the FCA under its value measures rules (PS20/9). The FCA validates and publishes it annually; the 2025 figures were published on 21 July 2026.

What if my claim is declined?

Ask for the decision and policy clause in writing, complain to the insurer (eight-week deadline), then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free and binding on the insurer.