Since its launch in 1905, the Automobile Association, or <strong>AA Insurance</strong> as it is better known, has gone on a long journey. From a small group focused on road safety to a multi-million pound insurance provider, let’s take a look at the growth of the AA.

AXA is a French multinational insurance firm that works in the life insurance, health insurance, property insurance, casualty insurance and investment management sectors. The AXA group is made up of many different independently run subsidiaries in a total of 61 countries. Let’s take a look at AXA in more detail, paying particular attention to its insurance arm in the UK.

Admiral Insurance is a Welsh company that offers a multitude of insurance policies: from home and car insurance to pet and travel insurance, it’s got you and what you love covered. Find out more about the company - including its history - in our handy Admiral Insurance review. We have even included customer reviews and outlined how to log in to an Admiral Insurance account online.

ge UK insurance policies are aimed to help the over 60s remain independent and secure as they enter the later stages of life. While the policies offered by Age Co (the insurance arm of Age UK) are designed with this age group in mind, they are still available to all, so don’t rule them out just because you haven’t celebrated your 60th! Whether you are younger or older, read on to discover more about the policies offered, see customer reviews and find the Age UK insurance contact number.

Ageas Insurance offers tons of different insurance policies through brokers, financial advisers and intermediary companies. It also sells its own home insurance and car insurance directly online. Find out more about this top insurer who is fast becoming a household name in the UK insurance market, including Ageas Insurance reviews, contact details and whether going through a broker is right for you.

Allianz insurance. You’ve probably heard the name, but do you really know anything about the company? Did you know it was basically bankrupt following WWII? Do you know what insurance policies it offers? Here at Selectra we have everything you need to know about Allianz insurance UK, just read on to discover more.

As well as being a well-known British supermarket, which also has its own clothing and home range, Asda also sells various financial services, including insurance. Through Asda Money, Asda offers travel insurance and pet insurance, as well as giving customers access to its own price comparator for home and car insurance. Intrigued by the idea of Asda Insurance? We have everything you need to know, including policy details, reviews and contact information, right here.

Aviva is a British multinational insurance company and pensions provider. It is the UK’s largest general insurer (car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, etc.) and is the sixth largest insurance firm in the world. These are some pretty big credentials! From its history, shares and insurance policies, to its online account management and customer reviews, let’s find out more about this huge international insurer.

If you live in the UK, you are bound to have heard the name Barclays. You probably know the famous brand as a bank, but did you know it offers a multitude of insurance products too? From home insurance to gadget insurance, read on to find out more about Barclays insurance policies and whether they could be a good fit for you. You can also find information on how to make a Barclays insurance claim and see a step by step guide on how to login and manage your policy all online.

Whether you’re planning a special trip or your annual escape you want the best travel insurance possible. That’s why we’ve pulled together this ultimate guide on Boots travel insurance to give you all the highlights (and lowlights) on one page. Keep reading and you’ll discover reviews, promo codes, and other essentials...

Perhaps one of the most well-known names in the UK insurance market, Churchill Insurance offers a wide range of insurance policies that can protect you, your home, your car, your holiday and your pet!

You’ve probably heard of the Coop food store, and maybe even the Coop bank, but did you know that the company sells insurance too? Coop Insurance offers car, home, travel and pet insurance all directly to customers, and as a cooperative business, becoming a member can give you great rewards and discounts on its insurance products.

Covea Insurance offers a wide range of insurance policies to customers all over the UK. What sets Covea Insurance apart from all the other providers? You cannot simply go to the Covea website and buy an insurance policy; it only sells its policies through brokers and intermediaries. From reviews and account management to the policies it offers, let’s break down everything you need to know about this unique insurer.

Debenhams personal finance</strong> services include insurance, credit card and travel money. As well as creating great shopping experiences for customers, the company started Debenhams Insurance to offer customers peace of mind from a brand they already know and trust. Its insurance policies are provided by external companies, but Debenhams manages the customer relationship at the beginning, and you can buy direct from its website or over the phone.

Direct Line is a fairly new insurance company when compared to other providers operating in the UK market. Founded as recently as 1984, it has made great headways to become one of the UK’s most established and well-known insurance brands.

Elephant Insurance is an insurance company that specialises in creating and providing <strong>good value car insurance</strong> policies. The brand was launched in 2000 as elephant.co.uk, and was the first provider in the UK to sell car insurance policies online.

Endsleigh is an insurance company that operates in the UK market. It offers a wide range of insurance products for consumers and is owned by A-Plan Holdings. As well as insurance, it is known for its sponsorship of some prominent UK football clubs!

Are you considering buying a policy from Esure Insurance? Before you do, read this comprehensive guide on the policies it offers, how to log in to Esure My Account, customer reviews and more. We are going to focus on Esure’s car, home and travel insurance and all the ins and outs. Keep reading to see if Esure Insurance has what it takes to make you happy and protect your most valuable assets...

Halifax as a finance and insurance provider is a household name in the UK. Originally called Halifax Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society, it was founded way back in 1853. The name Halifax comes from a town called Halifax in West Yorkshire. Halifax town has an impressive and long history of producing iconic brands, including Rolo and Quality Street chocolates and toffees, and in earlier days being home to the world’s largest textile factories.

John Lewis Insurance is part of <strong>John Lewis Finance, which itself is an arm of the famous John Lewis department store brand. Known mainly for its retail services, it may come as a surprise to many that the famous high-end fashion and home furnishing provider also offers financial services, such as insurance and personal loans.

The Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited, which is commonly shortened to LV Insurance, LV or LV=, is one of the UK’s largest insurance companies. As well as offering general insurance (car insurance, travel insurance, home insurance etc.), it also provides life insurance, pension and retirement services, professional financial advice, and handles investments.

M&S has a long and colourful history as a British icon. Just as you expect quality food and home products from Marks and Sparks, you can also expect quality M&S Insurance products. If you want to find out whether M&S Insurance is right for you, read this comprehensive guide.

The More Than company is fairly young in the somewhat antiquated world of insurance. Rather than letting this hinder it, this freshness is at the core of the company’s ethos and it relishes and promotes this image throughout all the More Than insurance products.

Nationwide Insurance is part of Nationwide Building Society. With over 15 million members, it is the world’s largest financial mutual institution. The company has come a long way since its origins in 1846 and diversification and modernisation have been two of its main strengths.

National Westminster Bank is commonly known as Natwest. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 1999, it attempted to merge with the insurance company Legal & General. This plan was thwarted when the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) began its move to take over Natwest. In 2000, RBS was successful in this mission and bought Natwest.

Thomas Cook travel insurance is part of the world’s oldest travel firm. It was around before planes even existed and there were certainly no wheelie bags to be seen. In this guide we’ll take a look at the complex Thomas Cook history, how to make complaints to Thomas Cook, contact numbers, reviews and more.

If you’re wondering about World Nomads travel insurance then you’re probably planning some sort of overseas adventure. Well, lucky you! We love travelling and think it’s the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of our modern lives. We have an action-packed guide for you so sit tight and get ready to discover more about World Nomads travel insurance policies, prices, reviews, promotion codes for discounts and more.

Debating whether to buy a policy through Zenith Insurance? Maybe you’ve seen a great quote but want a bit more information about the company? You’ve come to the right place then. This guide will give you the lowdown on Zenith car insurance policies, Zenith Insurance contact numbers, login details, customer reviews and so much more.

List of Insurance Providers in the UK: Who Can You Trust?

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home insurance provider overview

Between household names, insurers that date back to the Great Fire of London, brokers and newcomers, it’s hard to tell who has the best insurance policies. Selectra provides you with the information you need to pick the right insurance whether you are looking for travel insurance, home insurance or car insurance.

Top UK insurance companies

At Selectra, we aim to give you the necessary information that will help you choose the right home insurer whether you live in a flat or semi-detached house. Let’s take a quick look at some of the top home insurance companies and see how they compare.


Home Insurance

What’s the difference between home, building and content policies?

You know you need some kind of home insurance, right? But how do you know if you need contents insurance, buildings insurance or any of the other endless types of home insurance policies out there?

Home insurance is an umbrella term for different types of policy that protect your home and your belongings from a range of perils (risks such as fires, floods, theft). It’s really important that all owner-occupiers, landlords, tenants and owners of leasehold property have the right coverage!

There are three main types of standard home insurance: buildings insurance; contents insurance; and combined buildings and contents insurance. Let’s break down when you need these and what they cover.

detached home with garden

Buildings insurance covers the physical structure of your house - the bricks, roof, doors etc. - as well as any permanent fittings, such as your bath, shower, kitchen sink (basically anything you would leave in the house if you moved out), from damage and destruction caused by things like a natural disaster - fires, floods, earthquakes etc. - or water damage caused by a burst pipe. It covers you to repair or rebuild your house if it is completely destroyed.

Buildings insurance is for freeholders, meaning the person who owns the property and the land it is on (in the case of a flat, you will own a part of the land it is on). If you own your house or flat, you need buildings insurance. In fact, most mortgage lenders will not approve your mortgage if you do not have it.

If you are renting, whether it be an entire house, flat or a single room, you do not need buildings insurance. For owners of leasehold flats (you lease the flat from the freeholder long term) the situation can vary. Find out more in our buildings insurance guide.

Make sure you aren’t over-insured !When it comes to buildings insurance, a lot of people pay too much. Your building insurance should not be based on the market value of your home: it should be based on the cost of rebuilding your house which is usually cheaper than the market value. Check your rebuild cost with BCIS rebuild calculator.

room with personal possessions

While buildings insurance covers the outside (and permanent fixtures) of your house, contents insurance provides coverage for the inside of your house, in other words the contents - it’s pretty self-explanatory really! It protects all of your personal belongings from any catastrophes (fires), natural disasters (earthquakes), unfortunate mishaps (spilt red wine on your white rug), water damage (floods) or theft that might occur.

Chances are you need contents insurance. In fact, pretty much everyone needs contents insurance as, even if you don’t own the property you live in, you still have personal possessions that you want to protect. Want to know more? Read our complete guide to contents insurance.

Make sure you aren’t under-insured!If the value of all your possessions is £30,000, you may think that covering yourself for £15,000 is enough as you will never claim more than that at once. This isn’t how insurance companies think: if your £1,500 laptop is destroyed, they will only pay you half (£750) as you only took out insurance for half the value of your contents. Make sure you accurately calculate the replacement value of all of your personal possessions.

Homeowners (freeholders) can take out a combined buildings and contents insurance policy. This simply means that rather than taking out two separate policies for your property (buildings insurance and contents insurance), you take out one policy that covers both, which is a great way to save you both time and money.

  1. Buildings insurance
  2. Contents insurance
  3. A combined policy

Other types of home insurance

Besides buildings and contents cover, there are also home insurance policies designed for tenants, landlords, houses that are not used as main homes, and more unusual houses (houses not built with standard materials such as brick).

landlord happy sat on chair

Landlord insurance, also known as buy to let insurance, covers rented property. It includes buildings insurance and optional contents insurance. As a general rule, if you rent out a furnished flat, contents insurance is recommended; if the flat is not furnished, contents insurance may not be needed.

Landlord insurance is also designed to protect property from the extra risks that come with renting, including: accidental/malicious damage caused by the tenant; legal expenses if you need to take the tenant to court; loss of rental income if the property cannot be rented out; and alternative accommodation for your tenants while the property is being repaired. Click here for more details on buy to let insurance.

Tenants’ contents insurance (sometimes just called tenants’ insurance or renters’ insurance) is designed for - you guessed it - tenants! It lets anyone who rents a flat, house or room exclusively protect the contents that they own, without having to take out buildings insurance or blanket contents insurance.

For example, if you rent a furnished flat, you don’t need to protect the sofa (as it’s not yours), but you should still protect your mobile phone. This is what tenants’ contents insurance is designed for. It also includes tenant liability protection, so it covers you if you cause damage to the physical property or any contents belonging to the landlord, such as the sofa. Read more about how tenants insurance works here.

holiday home with solar panels

Holiday home insurance can be taken out for holiday homes in the UK or abroad. Alongside buildings and contents insurance, it includes extended unoccupancy cover (cover for when the house is left empty for long periods of time, such as from Christmas to summer), and the cost of travel to the property in an emergency.

It can also include aspects of buy to let insurance (damage caused by guests, loss of rent if can’t be rented, etc.) in case you decide to rent it out when you aren’t using it. Find out more in our holiday home insurance guide.

This type of home insurance protects property that is not your main home but is a house or flat you still visit regularly, e.g. a seaside cottage that you go to every weekend or once a month.

The easiest way to explain second home insurance is as a mash-up between a standard home insurance policy and holiday home insurance. It does not include cover for extra long periods of unoccupancy like holiday home insurance, but is more flexible than regular buildings and contents insurance.

Confused about whether you need holiday home insurance or second home insurance? Our holiday home and second home insurance guide makes it crystal clear.

For many reasons, your main or rented out property can be left empty for a period of time: renovations; you’re waiting for a tenant to move in; you’ve moved house but haven’t sold your old house yet; you’re travelling etc. Most standard home insurance policies will not cover your property if it is left empty for more than 30 days (sometimes 60 depending on the provider).

If your property is going to be left empty for more than the period of time stated in your home insurance policy, you will likely need to take out unoccupied property insurance. This can include building and contents insurance, but the exact coverage (especially for contents) will vary depending on how long the property is left empty.

It can cover structural property damage, theft of belongings, legal expenses for removing squatters, and public liability coverage, which protects you if your property causes damage, for instance if a roof tile falls and breaks a neighbour’s window.

valuable ring

High value home insurance cover is for homes with a rebuilding cost of over £500,000 and/or with expensive items inside, such as fine art, antiques and jewellery. It has higher claim limits than standard home insurance and there is also no single-item value claim limit, so if someone steals your £1,000,000 painting, you are covered for the full amount.

With standard home insurance policies, providers tend to offer different levels of cover, e.g. basic, medium and premium. In some cases, the premium level of cover will protect a high value home or a home with high value items inside. Contact individual providers to discuss this further.

Sometimes it’s fun to be different with the design of your home; say good-bye to the typical brick/stone walls with a tiled roof and hello to a thatched barn conversion with a gorgeous timber frame. This sounds great, but these non-standard building materials make the property more risky. Like it or not, a thatched roof is more likely to burn than a tiled one.

Non-standard home insurance covers houses that are built with non-standard materials, such as timber, concrete or glass.

Listed building insurance is designed for listed homes; a building that has particular architectural, historical and/or national importance. This type of house is considered higher risk than ‘regular’ homes because if it’s damaged, repairs will be more expensive, tricky and time-consuming. Listed buildings insurance takes these extra costs into account to make sure you are still fully covered to rebuild your house if the worst happens.

Useful linksCheck online to see if your property - or one you are thinking of buying - is a listed building: Historic England; Historic Wales; Historic Environment Scotland. You could also find out by contacting your local council.

  1. Landlord insurance
  2. Tenants insurance
  3. Holiday home insurance
  4. Second home insurance
  5. Unoccupied property insurance
  6. High value home insurance
  7. Non-standard home insurance
  8. Listed building insurance

Not all UK insurance companies offer home insurance for more unusual property as they are seen as 'high risk', but here are specialist insurers, such as HomeProtect (underwritten by AXA) and GSI insurance, that focus on these types of buildings.

If you have an unusual property, the best idea is to contact an insurance agent. They will be able to advise you on what type of policy is the right coverage for you. Insuring a high risk home can also mean an expensive premium, so an insurance broker should be able to save you money too.


Compare home insurance

man comparing home insurance

As you can see, there are lots of different types of home insurance! The best insurance type for you depends on the style of your house and the purpose of your property. When you have decided what type of insurance you need, it’s time to compare home insurance providers.

Most insurance companies provide different policy levels, ranging from basic coverage with low claim limits to more comprehensive insurance with high claim limits. The level of coverage you get is up to you, but it should be based on your property’s rebuilding cost and the replacement cost of your contents.

We have taken a look at the standard combined buildings and contents policies offered by some of the UK’s main insurance providers to give you an idea of what they cover.

Aviva

  Basic Regular Premium
Buildings £500,000 £1,000,000 unlimited
Contents £50,000 £100,000 unlimited
Accidental damage no optional yes
Accidents and theft away from home no optional yes
Legal services/protection optional optional yes
Home emergency cover optional optional optional

LV

  Home Home plus
Buildings £1,000,000 unlimited
Contents £100,000 £150,000
Accidental damage optional yes
Accidents and theft away from home optional yes
Legal services/protection optional optional
Home emergency cover optional optional

AXA

  HomeSmart HomeSafe HomeSure
Buildings £500,000 £1,000,000 unlimited
Contents £75,000 £85,000 £100,000
Accidental damage optional buildings: yes contents: optional yes
Accidents and theft away from home optional optional £2,500
Legal services/protection optional optional yes
Home emergency cover no no no
  Silver Gold
Buildings £150,000,000 £150,000,000
Contents £150,000 £150,000
Accidental damage optional yes
Accidents and theft away from home optional optional
Legal services/protection optional yes
Home emergency cover £1,000 £1,000

Admiral

  Admiral Gold Platinum
Buildings unlimited unlimited unlimited
Contents £50,000 £75,000 £150,000
Accidental damage optional audiovisual items: yes full contents and buildings: optional yes
Accidents and theft away from home optional optional £2,000
Legal services/protection optional optional yes
Home emergency cover optional optional yes

There is always the option to add additional coverage onto policies, allowing you to adapt policies to suit your needs. The more extra coverage you have, the more your insurance rate will be. Always read the fine print to see what is and is not covered - a certain peril or various circumstances can be excluded from policies.

More about how home insurance works


Insurance provider vs insurance broker

Yet another one-word difference that has an impact on the kind of insurance you end up with for your humble abode.

Insurance provider: a company that underwrites the cost of loss or damage to belongings or property. An insurance company will define the types of risk it’s willing to take on in the policy wording that comes with the products they sell. They will process claims stemming from incidents such as burglary or high winds and if the circumstances fit the criteria described in the policy wording, they will assess compensation to be paid out to the customer who took out the policy.

insurance reselling

What about brand name insurance?Everyone from supermarkets to online retailers is getting into the insurance craze, so what’s their deal? How does a supermarket go from stacking brussel sprouts to selling contents insurance? Simple: they are actually reselling someone else’s insurance product. This practice is known as white-labelling and it it isn’t unique to insurance. Essentially, it involves slapping a brand on a bog standard insurance policy. While the established insurer does all the heavy-lifting, managing policies and providing customer support, the high-street brand gets the attention.

Insurance broker: a high street, online or phone-based company that deals with more than one insurance provider. Good insurance brokers should be able to negotiate home coverage that is suited to their customers or at the very least cheaper than a retail policy. They provide extra value by giving bespoke advice to their customers. Shadier insurance brokers will push one or two policies over all the other ones even if they are not suitable, based on the commission they’ve secured for themselves.

peace of mind

If you are considering going with a broker, we recommend that you choose either a well-regarded local insurance broker with a longstanding reputation within your community or, if you are interested in an insurer who is only available through brokerage networks, you should reach out to them and ask them to recommend a policy broker near you.


How can I tell if a policy is decent?

These are our top tips when comparing home insurance policies like for like.

  1. Check the company and the insurance policy on Defaqto, an independent insurance rating service that is recognised industry-wide. Having a decent Defaqto rating (even if it isn’t the full five stars) means that companies and policies will meet certain requirements for the scope of coverage and customer service.
  2. Identify those belongings that have the most value and then decide what category they fall under. Then locate the policy wording and compare how each one
  3. Think about your home and the area you live in. How vital is home security in your area? What are the adverse weather events that are common in your county? Is subsidence (ground movement affecting building structures) a known issue with your home? Insurance policies cover a wide-range of misfortunes and situations. You need to make sure that the ones that are most likely to affect you are accounted for in the policy documents of your chosen insurance plan.
  4. Make sure you are comfortable with the excess amounts because you will be fully liable for them. This means that you’ve chosen to shoulder part of the cost relating to a claim.

Travel Insurance

Your holidays are one of the most important times of the year and travel insurance is one of those pesky but necessary expenses when you go away. Selectra provides you with the information you need to choose the right travel insurance in a matter of minutes and prevent accidents or emergencies from ruining your hard earned break.

Which type of travel insurance policy should I get?

There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to sorting out your travel insurance.The range of different policies on offer and their coverage varies widely and it can leave you wondering...do I really need £10 million worth of medical cover?

However, bills can quickly mount up and you’ll soon be regretting not spending a bit more to protect yourself should the worst happen.

Travel insurance can cost as little as a few pints in the bar and can take just a few minutes to set up with the right know how. Whether you are a backpacker on the way to a world trip or an all inclusive holiday star, take a few seconds to read our comprehensive guide and take the headache out of choosing.

Insurance providers, administrators and underwriters

Legal Jargon doesn't help when it comes to choosing the right insurance provider but a little knowledge goes a long way and we would always recommend getting clued up before you choose your travel insurance policy.

It's important to know exactly what you will be getting and in our guides to the best insurance providers we have tried to make as clear as possible who will be dealing with at each stage - when you buy your policy, when you make a claim and who actually pays out your money.

The underwriter: is the company whose money pays the cost of your hospital stay or loss or damage to belongings. An insurance company will define the types of things that the underwriter is willing to cover in the policy wording that comes with the products they sell.

The administrator: is the company that handles claims on behalf of insurers and provides general customer service.

The insurance provider: is the agent who sells the policy, probably with their logo - for example Asda or Boots.

insurance reselling

How can I tell if a travel insurance policy is worth my money?

These are our top tips when comparing travel insurance policies like for like.

  1. Check the company and the insurance policy on Selectra or on Defaqto, an independent insurance rating service that is recognised industry-wide. Having a good Defaqto rating (even if it isn’t the full five stars) means that companies and policies will meet certain requirements for overall coverage and customer service.
  2. Ensure you will be covered for the items you take with you and then decide what category they fall under. Some policies don't cover electronic items so this is something to watch out for!
  3. Think about what kind of holiday you are going on. Travel insurance is far from being a one size fits all affair. Different travellers will have different needs and it is up to you to double and triple check your insurance policy wording to make sure you are covered.
  4. Make sure you are comfortable with the excess amounts because you will be fully liable for them. This means that you’ve chosen to take on part of the cost relating to a claim.

All material on this page and the selectra.co.uk website is for information purposes only and does not constitute any form of financial advice. Selectra.co.uk is not responsible for any consequences that might arise from your use of the information provided.

The services and products mentioned on this website may only represent a small selection of the options available to you. Selectra encourages you to carry out your own research and seek advice if necessary before making any decisions. We may receive commission from selected partner providers on sales of some products and/or services mentioned within this website. Our website is free to use, and the commission we receive does not affect our opinion or the information we provide.