NFU Mutual and M&S among most trusted insurers as big brands beat smaller rivals

Household names have secured the top spots in the nation’s hearts as the most trusted insurers, new research found, with lesser known challengers failing to convince the public.

Home, travel, car and pet insurers were weighed and measured by consumer rights group Fairer Finance, and ranked according to how much faith people had in them.

A poll of 10,000 consumers found trust in the insurance industry overall has dropped to its lowest level in four years, despite recent falls in home and car insurance premiums.

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Travel insurance remains the least trusted insurance sector, as satisfaction scores fell across the board for price, value, and customer service, with all of the 10 largest providers experiencing a drop in perceived value for money.

James Daley, managing director at Fairer Finance, said: “Falling premiums aren’t enough to restore public trust in insurers, especially when claims experience and transparency continue to lag.

“Our latest results underline the fact that trust is fragile, and once lost, it’s not easily regained.”

Which is the most trusted car insurer?

NFU Mutual is the most trusted car insurer, the survey found. NFU performs well with claim satisfaction scores among the large car insurers, which no doubt correlates with its high trust level.

Customers also reported a very positive view of NFU's communication and customer service, and they also handle complaints very well compared to others.

On the flipside, Go Skippy has been deemed to be fairly bad across the board for digital capability, value and claims satisfaction, though not right at the bottom for any of them, Fairer Finance said.

Which is the most trusted home insurer?

Ecclesiastical came out top for most trusted insurer for home insurance (though NFU Mutual did well here too).

Ecclesiastical is considered to be very good value for money. This metric cost Intelligent Insurance, however, which was found to be very bad value for money, sending it to the bottom of the ranking.

Which is the most trusted travel insurer?

In travel, M&S has very high claim satisfaction and customers are more satisfied with their value for money than most travel insurance providers.

At the other end of the scale, GoodToGo Insurance was found to have very low value for money scores, which hurt its overall ranking.

Rising prices appear to be harming customers' perceptions of value in travel insurance and potentially driving a decrease in consumer trust.

Which is the most trusted pet insurer?

PDSA takes the top spot for pet insurance, leading for its value for money and claims satisfaction scores.

Pet-insurance.co.uk, on the other hand, scored very badly on value for money and digital capability.

Overall, claims satisfaction is highest in pet insurance (58.61%), followed by car insurance (56.55%) and lower in home insurance (52.56%) and travel insurance (49.19%), Fairer Finance found.

Fairer Finance’s Daley said: “The insurance sector is now firmly in the regulator’s spotlight – and needs to step up to the challenge of closing the expectation gap. Too many consumers are buying policies without understanding where the limitations of their cover are.

“Insurers, brokers and price comparison sites need to work together to help consumers understand what they’re buying and, more importantly, what they’re not buying.”

GoSkippy, Intelligent Insurance, GoodToGo Insurance and Pet-Insurance.co.uk have been contacted for comment.