A Which? survey of nearly 3,500 customers shows which car insurance providers handle claims most effectively — with some familiar names scoring poorly
Car insurance is something we need, but hope to never have to use(Image: Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty Images)
Car insurance is something everyone needs, but we all hope we don’t have to use it. Not many motorists make a claim each year – only around 10% do – but it’s vital to have a provider that can back you up when disaster strikes.
The manner in which a provider treats claimants should be a significant consideration when shopping around. To determine who performs best, Which? surveyed nearly 3,500 car insurance customers to see which insurers handle claims most effectively, and which types of claims are most likely to be settled.
It’s not surprising to see some familiar names topping the rankings – but you might be taken aback at which insurers scored poorly. Are you with any of these providers? How was your experience, and do you think the scores are fair? Let us know in the comments.
Among the policy holders surveyed by Which?, the three most common claims involved accidental damage (44%), windscreen damage (22%), and accidents that lead to injuries (12%). Crime also affected a number of claimants too with a tenth reporting vandalism (11%) and theft (10%) as the reason they claimed.
Other reasons include lost or damaged possessions (8%), fire damage (5%), legal expenses cover (5%), and medical expenses (3%) among others.
Which? asked claimants to rate their providers, producing an overall Claims Score based on speed of handling, fairness of settlements, clarity of communication, and how well services were coordinated during claims.
RAC and Aviva emerged as the top performers, achieving scores of 83% and 80% respectively. Both insurers excelled particularly in crucial aspects of claims handling, including the speed at which claims were processed and the standard of customer communication during the claims journey.
On the other hand, 1st Central languished at the bottom of the league table, placing 14th with a score of merely 54%, collecting numerous two-star ratings across various service categories. The complete rankings are as follows:
- RAC – 83%
- Aviva – 80%
- AXA – 78%
- Esure – 77%
- Tesco Insurance – 76%
- AA – 75%
- LV – 75%
- Admiral – 74%
- Direct Line – 74%
- Lloyds Bank – 74%
- Allianz – 73%
- Churchill – 71%
- Hastings Direct – 71%
- 1st Central – 54%
For further information, including a detailed breakdown of each provider’s performance across individual metrics, visit the complete survey on the Which? website.
