Every vehicle driven on UK roads needs to be suitably insured but trying to find the right cover can be overwhelming. In this independent review, we look at Admiral car insurance including what it covers, how much it costs and how it compares to other providers. We recommend reading the review in full but you can also jump to specific sections of the article using the following links:
- What is Admiral?
- Admiral car insurance key features
- What does Admiral car insurance cover?
- How much does Admiral car insurance cost?
- What is the excess on Admiral car insurance?
- How to make a claim on Admiral car insurance
- Admiral car insurance customer reviews
- Pros and cons of Admiral car insurance
- Alternatives to Admiral car insurance
- Summary
What is Admiral?
Admiral, a trading name of EUI Limited which is a subsidiary of Admiral Group plc, was established in 1993 and originally specialised in car insurance.
In 2005 Admiral became the first UK car insurance provider to offer a multi-car policy to help customers with more than one car obtain a cheaper premium for their car insurance.
In 2012 Admiral expanded its insurance offering with home insurance and travel insurance followed in 2017. 2017 also saw the launch of Admiral's MultiCover Insurance meaning that those wishing to insure both their home and car could do so under one policy.
Admiral car insurance key features
- A choice between comprehensive, third party, fire & theft and third party car insurance
- Windscreen cover, uninsured driver promise, and 24-hour emergency helpline as standard with some comprehensive policies
- Cater your car insurance with optional extras including breakdown cover and no claims bonus protection
- Specialist cover for electric vehicles
- Discounts for multiple vehicles or if you choose to insure your car and your home
- 5 star Defaqto rated comprehensive policies (excludes Essential cover)
What does Admiral car insurance cover?
Admiral offers three different types of car insurance cover; fully comprehensive, third party, fire & theft and third party.
Fully comprehensive car insurance is the most extensive car insurance policy type and offers cover for both repairs to your vehicle as well as any third party involved in the accident. Third party fire & theft covers damage to a third party and you will also be covered if your vehicle is stolen or damaged due to a fire. While, third party car insurance, the least comprehensive policy type, covers third party damage only.
Admiral offers a number of motor insurance policies to choose from including car insurance, van insurance, black box insurance, electric car insurance, learner driver insurance and temporary car insurance.
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Admiral car insurance policies
In the below table, we highlight the different levels of cover you can expect with an Admiral car insurance policy.
| Comprehensive* | Third party, fire & theft | Third party | |
| Cover for damage to your vehicle or personal injuries |  |
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| Cover for fire and theft claims | |
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| Cover for third party damage | |
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| Drive Other Cars subject to eligibility | |
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| European Cover for up to 90 days | |
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| Windscreen Cover (repair & replace) | |
Optional | Optional |
| Courtesy Car while yours is repaired at an Admiral-approved garage | |
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| Stereo Cover | |
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| 24hr Emergency Cover | |
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| Replacement Lock Cover max £500 | |
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| Personal Belongings Cover up to £200 or £500 for camper vans | |
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| £5,000 Personal Injury Cover | |
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| Child Car Seat Cover | |
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| New Car Replacement for cars less than a year old | |
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*Some cover is excluded from the Essential tier
Admiral car insurance optional extras
Below we share the additional extras that can be added to your Admiral car insurance policy. We have also provided rough estimations of the cost of these add-ons however this may vary depending on your individual policy.
Motor Legal Protection
When obtaining a quote you can choose to add Motor Legal Protection up to £100,000 to your Admiral car insurance policy but this does come at an additional cost of around £24.95 a year. Motor Legal Protection provides cover for the cost associated with legal fees when making a claim. For more information on Motor Legal Protection and whether you need it, read our article 'A complete guide to car insurance legal cover'.
Breakdown Cover
If you don't already have breakdown cover you may wish to add it to your Admiral car insurance policy. The breakdown cover is provided by The AA and varies from £44.95 for Roadside Assistance and up to £99.95 for European Cover. Before purchasing the add-on it is worth shopping around to ensure you are getting the best price.
Personal Injury Cover
Despite Admiral comprehensive car insurance providing up to £5,000 of personal injury cover as standard you can choose to enhance this cover to either £50,000 or £100,000. Choosing to enhance your personal injury cover is optional and does come at an additional cost of up to £36.95 depending on the policy you choose.
Hire Vehicle Cover
If you are involved in an accident Admiral comprehensive car insurance includes a small courtesy car while your car is repaired, however, you are not covered if your vehicle is stolen or written off. Hire Vehicle Cover ensures you get access to a hire vehicle for up to 28 days if your car is stolen and unrecovered or written off in an accident that was your fault but this does come at an additional cost of around £26.95 a year.
Windscreen cover
If you don't opt for a comprehensive Admiral car insurance policy, where windscreen cover is included as standard, you can choose to add it to your car insurance policy from £12.95 a year. It is worth noting, however, that an excess does apply if you need to make a claim for windscreen repair or replacement.
No Claims Bonus protection
When getting an Admiral car insurance quote you can choose to protect your No Claims Bonus (NCB) at an additional cost. This means you will be able to make 2 at-fault claims in 3 years without your No Claims Bonus being reduced. However, how much protection you get will depend on how many years of No Claims Bonus you have accrued. If you do not choose to protect your NCB and you make an at-fault claim, your No Claims Bonus will automatically reduce.
How much does Admiral car insurance cost?
How much you will pay for your Admiral car insurance policy can vary depending on a number of factors including where you live, the car you drive and your age. However, according to the Admiral website, the average UK annual premium cost for March 2023 was £807.92 for petrol/diesel vehicles and £963.57 for electric vehicles.
In the below table, we show how much Admiral customers paid for their annual car insurance on average in March 2023.
| Age (years) | Average annual premium cost |
| 17-18 | £1,413.88 |
| 19-21 | £1,170.10 |
| 22-25 | £904.89 |
| 26-30 | £766.53 |
| 31-40 | £781.64 |
| 41-50 | £744.22 |
| 51-60 | £656.43 |
| 60+ | £655.89 |
(Source: Admiral.com)
You may also see a discount awarded to your Admiral car insurance if you have accrued a high No Claims Bonus. The following table shows the average discount received by Admiral car insurance customers in 2022.
| No Claims Bonus | Average discount received |
| 1 year | 12% |
| 3 years | 14% |
| 5 years | 18% |
| 9+ years | 29% |
Are there any Admiral car insurance admin fees?
In the below tables, we share some of the administration fees payable by customers that cancel or make changes to their Admiral car insurance policy. We have not listed every charge and charges may vary depending on individual policies. It is important to read through policy documents carefully to ensure you know exactly what you will have to pay if you need to make a change to your Admiral car insurance policy.
Admin fees for cancellation
| Charge if cancelled within 14 days | Charge if cancelled after 14 days | |
| Cancellation | £25 | £55 |
| Cancellation for a vehicle with a LittleBox/Safe Driver | £125 | £155 |
| Cancellation for a vehicle with a LittleBox Plug & Drive | £75 (£50 is refunded if the unit is returned within 30 days) | £105 (£50 is refunded if the unit is returned within 30 days) |
| Vehicle (with a LittleBox Pod) | £25 | £90 |
| Additional charge for Motor policy upgrades | N/A | £5 |
| Voided policy | £80 plus the premium amount will not be returned | £80 plus the premium amount will not be returned |
Admin fees for changes to your policy
| Charge | |
| Vehicle changes or removal | £29.50 per vehicle |
| Change to any motor policy details made online | £9.50 |
| Change to any motor policy details over the phone | £25.00 |
| Change to any property policy details | £19.50 |
| Vehicle Registration change | £5.50 |
| LittleBox/Safe Driver hardware charge (a disconnection/deactivation may also affect premium cost) | £100.00 |
| Debt administration fee | £15.00 |
| Debt Recovery referral | £30.00 |
| Unpaid/rejected Direct Debit instalment | £7.50 |
What is the excess on Admiral car insurance?
The excess is the amount payable in the event of a claim. Car insurance policies usually come with two types of excess, voluntary and compulsory excess. The compulsory excess is the amount set by the insurer and the voluntary excess is the amount chosen by you when you get a quote. Usually the higher the agreed excess on the policy, the lower your insurance premium but you have to remember that this is the amount payable when you make a claim so choosing a high voluntary amount to lower your premium may not always be the best option.
The below table shows examples of the excess on an Admiral comprehensive car insurance policy depending on your age, but excess on individual policies may vary.
| Age of driver at time of accident | Compulsory excess amount | Voluntary excess amount | Total excess amount payable |
| Under 21 | £500 | £250 | £750 |
| 21 - 24 | £400 | £250 | £650 |
| Over 25 with a licence for at least a year | £250 | £250 | £500 |
| Over 25 with a licence for less than a year | £400 | £250 | £650 |
How to make a claim with Admiral car insurance
If you have an accident or your car is stolen then you need to inform Admiral within 48 hours of the incident either online or by telephone. You may also be asked to provide a crime reference number from the police if your vehicle was stolen.
You can easily claim on your Admiral car insurance policy by logging in to your online account and clicking 'Start my Claim Now'. Alternatively, you can call Admiral on 0333 220 2033 to make a claim.
In order for your claim to be processed as quickly as possible it is best to provide as much information as you can including your policy number, your vehicle registration number, details of the claim and any footage or paperwork that can support your claim.
Admiral car insurance customer reviews
Admiral Insurance has a rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars from over 20,000 reviews on the consumer website Trustpilot. 57% of customers rated it as '5 stars' citing an easy set-up and competitive price. 28% rated it as '1 star' with customers complaining of admin fees, increases in price at renewal and problems with claims.
It is also worth noting, however, that not all of the reviews are specific to car insurance but refer to Admiral Insurance products as a whole. As with all insurance products you need to ensure you thoroughly research before taking out a product to ensure it is right for you.
Pros and cons of Admiral car insurance
Pros
- Policy type to suit most drivers
- Discount if you insure multiple cars or your car and your home
- 5 star defaqto rating on some policies
- Child car seat cover included with comprehensive policies
Cons
- Administration fees if you need to amend or cancel your policy
- High compulsory excesses for young drivers
- New car replacement is only for cars under 12 months old
Alternatives to Admiral car insurance
In this section of the review, we compare Admiral car insurance to alternative car insurance policies. One of the best ways to compare car insurance policies, however, is via a comparison site. Comparison sites allow you to compare multiple policies at once to find the best deal for your circumstances. We have partnered with Quotezone* so that you can search and compare quotes from over 110 UK car insurance providers. Comparison sites are not always whole of market, however, so it can mean you may miss out on deals offered by other insurers.
In the below table, we compare Admiral's comprehensive car insurance to the most comprehensive policy with Direct Line and Aviva. For more information on the providers mentioned in the table, read our Direct Line and Aviva car insurance reviews.
Admiral vs Direct Line vs Aviva
| Admiral | Aviva | Direct Line | |
| Policy Types |
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| Uninsured driver protection | |
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| Multi-car insurance discount | |
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| Temporary car insurance | |
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| Optional breakdown cover | |
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| Policy amendments admin fee | |
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| Defaqto rating | 5 stars (3 star rating for Essential policy) | 4 & 5 star policies | 5 stars |
Summary
Overall, Admiral car insurance offers a vast choice of cover with a number of policies to choose from that suit motorists of different ages. The option to cater your cover for individual circumstances is also beneficial and means you are not paying for cover that you don't need. Admiral does however have an extensive list of administration fees and charges should you need to amend or cancel your car insurance policy which is something to consider, especially if you are thinking of moving home or changing your registration number.
If you use a comparison site to take out an Admiral car insurance policy you may notice a different name e.g Admiral Gold or Admiral Platinum and this is likely to be related to the add-ons included with the policy. As with all car insurance policies it is best to do your research to ensure you are getting the best cover for your circumstances at the right price. You may also wish to compare providers in our article, 'Best car insurance in the UK'.
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