Although not as old as some other insurers – it was founded in 1993 – Admiral is now one of the biggest car insurance providers in the UK.
In fact, Admiral Group as a whole, which also includes brands like Veygo and Elephant Auto, is the UK’s biggest car insurance company full stop. It has also been voted the Best Motor Insurance at The Personal Finance Awards for every year since 2015.
Read on below for our Admiral car insurance review, including which policies it offers, how people feel about its customer service, and how it compares to its competitors.
Compare Car Insurance Quotes Compare quotes from over 160 providers to find the best deal In partnership with MoneySuperMarketWhile Admiral has a wide range of car insurance policies, it has six main products, including Third party, Third party, fire and theft, and four levels of comprehensive cover, Admiral Essential, Admiral, Admiral Gold, and Admiral Platinum.
None of these policies include no claims bonus protection or hire car cover as standard, but they can be included as optional extras for an additional cost.
Third party car insurance is not only the most basic policy Admiral provides, it’s also the legal minimum cover you need to have to drive on UK roads. It includes:
For an extra cost, you can also include optional motor legal protection, roadside breakdown cover, and repair and replace windscreen cover.
Admiral’s third party, fire and theft insurance includes everything covered by third party only insurance, as well as:
As with third party cover, you can also add-on motor legal protection, roadside breakdown cover and windscreen cover.
Admiral Essential is the most basic level of the insurer’s comprehensive cover policies. This means it covers:
You can also choose to add-on motor legal protection and roadside breakdown cover.
The insurer’s Admiral policy includes everything found in the Admiral Essentials policy, as well as:
You can also choose to add-on motor legal protection and roadside breakdown cover.
Admiral Gold includes everything found in the Admiral plan, as well as:
You can also add roadside breakdown cover as an optional extra.
With Admiral Platinum, you get everything offered by Admiral Gold, as well as the inclusion of roadside breakdown cover as standard.
Admiral also offers the following products:
| | Third party | Third party, fire and theft | Admiral Essential | Admiral | Admiral Gold | Admiral Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age range | All | All | All | All | All | All |
| Level of cover | Third party | Third party, fire and theft | Fully comprehensive | Fully comprehensive | Fully comprehensive | Fully comprehensive |
| Injuries to other people | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Damage to other people’s property | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Theft | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fire damage | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Repairs to your own car | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Legal costs | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Your medical expenses | No | No | Yes | Up to £5,000 | Up to £5,000 | Up to £5,000 |
| Driving other cars | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) | Yes (must be 25 or over, third party cover only) |
| Breakdown cover | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Yes |
| Courtesy car cover | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hire car cover | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Windscreen replacement | Optional | Optional | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal belongings | No | No | No | Up to £200 | Up to £300 | Up to £300 |
| Replacement locks and keys | No | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 |
| Protected no claims bonus | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Cancellation fee | £25 (within 14 days) | £25 (within 14 days) | £25 (within 14 days) | £25 (within 14 days) | £25 (within 14 days) | £25 (within 14 days) |
| £60 (after 14 days) | £60 (after 14 days) | £60 (after 14 days) | £60 (after 14 days) | £60 (after 14 days) | £60 (after 14 days) |
With your Admiral car insurance policy, you should normally be able to choose some optional extras for an additional cost. These can include:
If you want to make a car insurance claim with Admiral, you should follow these steps:
If you want to cancel your Admiral car insurance, you will need to get in contact over the phone, via email, or using its live chat service.
When cancelling your Admiral car cover, you will need to pay a fee. Admiral’s cancellation fees are as follows:
| Cancellation period | Fee |
|---|---|
| Within 14 days of taking out the policy | £25 |
| After 14 days | £60 |
If you want to make changes to your Admiral car insurance policy, such as altering your name or address, it will cost you £13 if you do it online and £26 if you do it over the phone.
You can manage your Admiral car insurance policy by logging into MyAccount.
If you need a bit more help, and want to contact Admiral, you can use the following options:
Admiral has an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.4 out of five stars, based on over 42,900 reviews (as of 14 November 2023).
It is important to note, however, that these reviews are for the Admiral brand as a whole, and not just its car insurance products.
Of those related to car insurance, many of the brand’s five star reviews mention the quality of the company’s customer service, and the value for money of new quotes. These five star reviews make-up 67 per cent of Admiral’s rating.
However, of the 19 per cent of reviews that are rated one or two stars, a repeated complaint is the jump in renewal premiums.
“Very helpful and thorough agent helped me set up my daughter’s car insurance, checking throughout the process as what she did need and seeing if any savings could be included. Competitively priced and we are able to manage most things now online via the portal. Very good customer service, which we have found sadly isn’t always the case. We would definitely recommend Admiral.”
“Helpful and friendly customer service. Recently, I didn’t have to wait too long on the phone in the queue either. They offer comprehensive insurance on the best prices. I would definitely recommend them.”
“Renewal for car insurance due next month after one year with no claim. 60 per cent increase. Called and was offered a 5 per cent discount off the new rate. Very disappointed. Lost a customer that would have stayed indefinitely if there was a reasonable uplift but 60 per cent is an insult.”
| Provider name | Trustpilot score | Defaqto score |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral Insurance | 4.4 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Telematics, 3 stars for Essential) |
| Aviva | 4.0 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| Direct Line | 3.7 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft and Essentials) |
| Hastings Direct | 4.1 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft, 3 stars for Telematics, 2 stars for Essential) |
| AXA | 4.3 stars | 4 stars (5 stars for Plus) |
| LV= | 4.5 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| esure | 3.3 stars | 5 stars (4 stars for Third party, fire and theft) |
| Ageas | 4.1 stars | 5 stars (3 stars for Essentials, and Telematics) |
| NFU Mutual | 4.4 stars | 5 stars |
All scores are correct as of 14 November 2023.
Thanks to the range of its policies, Admiral allows you to pick the right level of cover for your needs.
Admiral Essentials might be of interest if you are looking for a basic level of fully comprehensive cover (although it only has three stars on Defaqto). At the other end of the spectrum, the Platinum level is an option if you want a feature-rich policy.
Its ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score, and the repeated positive mentions of its customer service, suggests Admiral will be able to help you if you have any problems. Yet it might not be the best provider when it comes to renewals, based on the mentions of high premiums for existing customers.
With an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot, multiple five star rated policies on Defaqto, and the largest market share of any provider, there is plenty of evidence that Admiral is good for car insurance.
However, given that so much of your car insurance premium is based on you and your driving history, you should always compare car insurance providers before deciding on a policy.
Who owns Admiral insurance?Admiral insurance is part of Admiral Group PLC. Other brands under the Admiral Group banner include Admiral Money, Apparent Insurance, Balumba, Bell and Veygo.
Connor Campbell is an experienced personal and business finance writer who has been producing online content for almost a decade.
Connor is the personal finance expert for Independent Advisor, guiding readers through everything they need to know about car insurance and home insurance. From how much it costs to the best insurance providers in the UK, he’s here to help you find the right policy for your needs.
In his capacity as writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet , Connor explored a number of topics close to his heart, such as the impact of our increasingly cashless society, and the hardships and heroics of British entrepreneurs. His commentary was featured in sites such as The Mirror , the Daily Express and Business Insider .
At financial trading firm Spreadex, meanwhile, his market commentary was featured in outlets such as The Guardian , BBC , Reuters and the Evening Standard .
Connor is a voracious reader with an MA in English, and is dedicated to making life’s financial decisions a little bit easier by doing away with jargon and needless complexity.
Amy is a seasoned writer and editor with a special interest in home design, sustainable technology and green building methods.
She has interviewed hundreds of self-builders, extenders and renovators about their journeys towards individual, well-considered homes, as well as architects and industry experts during her five years working as Assistant Editor at Homebuilding & Renovating, part of Future plc.
Amy’s work covers topics ranging from home, interior and garden design to DIY step-by-steps, planning permission and build costs, and has been published in Period Living, Real Homes, and 25 Beautiful Homes, Homes and Gardens.
Now an Editor at the Independent Advisor, Amy manages homes-related content for the site, including solar panels, combi boilers, and windows.
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