In this independent review, we take a look at AXA's car insurance including its key features, what it covers, and how it compares to other similar products to help you decide whether it's right for you.
We recommend reading the review in full, but you can also jump to specific sections of the article using the following links:
- What is AXA?
- AXA car insurance key features
- What does AXA cover?
- How much does AXA car insurance cost?
- What is the excess on AXA car insurance?
- Alternatives to AXA car insurance
- Pros and cons of AXA car insurance
- Summary
What is AXA?
AXA was founded in 1958 in France and is now one of the world's largest insurers, operating in more than 57 countries around the globe and serving 100 million customers all over the world. In the UK, it offers a range of insurance products including car, home, business, landlord, and health insurance. Its car insurance policy can be tailored to your preferences with a range of different add-ons and policy options to suit different circumstances.
AXA car insurance key features
- AXA Plus comes with the wrong fuel cover, a stolen key cover and onward travel
- Mirrored No Claims Discount allows you to benefit from your discount even if you're using it with a different policy
- Optional add-ons like enhanced personal injury and a courtesy car allow you to tailor your policy to your needs
- With multi-car insurance discounts, you can get up to 15% off if you insure more than one car with AXA
- You can make changes to your policy online without paying an admin fee
- If an uninsured driver hits you and it isn't your fault, you could get your excess and no claims discount back with the uninsured driver promise
- More than 99.7% of AXA claims are paid out (based on claims in 2024)
What does AXA cover?
AXA offers a range of policies to suit everyone's needs.
- Third-Party, Fire and Theft - This level of cover covers you for third-party, fire and theft-related claims while also providing extras such as European cover.
- Comprehensive - This level of cover provides third-party, fire and theft cover as well as cover for your own car if you're in an accident that isn't your fault among other extras. You can choose between two levels, standard and AXA Plus.
- Electric - This policy is designed for electric and hybrid vehicles and comes with extras like battery cover and charging cable cover including third-party cover if someone is injured by your charging cable (i.e. if they trip over it). You can choose between Comprehensive and Third Party, Fire and Theft cover.
- Multi-car - This policy allows you to receive up to 15% discount on your quote if you insure multiple cars.
- Van - This policy is designed to cover vans and comes with extra features such as a longer EU travel cover, the cover required to tow a trailer, and a guaranteed courtesy van if yours is stolen or damaged.
When taking out a car insurance policy with AXA, you can choose between fully comprehensive or third party, fire & theft car insurance. Fully comprehensive is the most extensive type of cover as it covers both damage to your vehicle as well as a third party. Third party, fire & theft car insurance on the other hand only covers damage or injury claims to a third party. Your vehicle will however be covered for damage caused by fire or theft. For more information on car insurance types and how they work, read our article, 'What are the different types of car insurance?'
In the table below, we compare the different levels of cover with AXA car insurance.
| AXA Comprehensive | AXA Plus Comprehensive | AXA Third Party Fire and Theft | AXA Plus Third Party Fire and Theft | |
| Damage to other people's cars or property | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Injury to other people | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Car repair guarantee | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| 90 days European cover | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Audio and sat-nav cover if the car is stolen or damaged by theft and fire | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Child car seat affected by fire or theft | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Key cover | YES | YES | NO | YES |
| Windscreen cover | YES | YES | NO | NO |
|
Personal injury cover |
YES | YES | NO | NO |
| Personal belongings cover | YES | YES | NO | NO |
| Uninsured driver promise | YES | YES | NO | NO |
| Courtesy car | Optional extra | YES | Optional extra | YES |
AXA Plus vs AXA
Whether you opt for third-party car insurance or comprehensive car insurance, you'll be able to choose between AXA Plus or AXA. All AXA policies come with a lifetime guarantee on repairs as long as you use one of AXA's approved repairers as well as 90 days of European cover. However, if you opt for AXA Plus, you will also get:
- The opportunity to upgrade your courtesy car to one that's a similar size to yours
- Overnight accommodation or onward travel
- Wrong fuel cover
- Higher limits on certain covers (such as personal belongings and personal accident)
If you don't opt for the Plus version, you can still add on some of the above as optional extras. This allows you to tailor the policy to your exact needs.
Optional extras with AXA
AXA, like other major car insurance companies, offers a range of optional extras to ensure your policy meets your needs. These optional extras include:
- Courtesy car - Add a courtesy car for £9.99 to your standard AXA policy; this can be used for 14 days while your car is being repaired but isn't available if your car is written off or stolen.
- Protected no-claims discount - Protect your NCD to ensure you don't lose it as long as you don't make more than one claim in a year or two claims across three years.
- Breakdown cover - Add AXA breakdown cover and benefit from an average wait of just 60 minutes for local breakdown recovery. Before purchasing cover, however, it is worth comparing the cost of separate breakdown cover to check you are getting a good deal. Our article 'What is breakdown cover and how does it work? looks at stand alone breakdown cover, what it includes and how much it costs.
- Legal expenses cover - AXA's car legal protection cover offers up to £100,000 in legal fees. Read our complete guide to car insurance legal cover.
- Personal injury and rehabilitation cover - Receive up to £100,000 if you're injured in your car during an accident and receive rehabilitation via physios and chiropractors if you purchase the add-on.
AXA's No Claims Discount policy
Your No Claims Discount allows you to earn a discount on your car insurance policy for each year you drive without claiming on your policy. The more years you accrue, the bigger the discount. With AXA, you can earn up to 20 years of No Claims Discount. There is also the option to protect your NCD and even mirror it. We explain what this means in the sections below.
Protected No Claims Discount
You can add No Claims Discount Protection as part of your AXA policy. What this means is that if you make a single claim in a year, or two claims over three years, your NCD will not be affected and you won't lose the years you've built up. This can be valuable, particularly if you have several years of NCD built up and you're concerned about losing your discount if you ever need to claim.
You can find out more about protecting your NCD in our article on whether your NCD is worth protecting.
Mirrored No Claims Discount
In some cases, people can't transfer their no-claims discount to their new policy, for instance, if it's currently being used for another car you own on a different policy. However, with AXA's mirrored no-claims discount, you could benefit from a discount. You would need to provide details about your existing no-claims discount as well as evidence such as:
- Another policy that is still in force and in the same name as the one you're taking out with AXA
- The number of years of no-claims discount you've accrued
AXA says that the evidence needs to be on the insurer's headed paper for it to count. Once it reviews the evidence, it may then be able to offer you a mirrored NCD based on your official record. This allows you to benefit from the discount on your AXA policy as well as your existing policy.
How much does AXA car insurance cost?
The exact cost of an AXA car insurance policy will vary depending on a range of factors including the type of policy you select, the voluntary excess you're willing to pay, how long you've held your licence, where you live, what car you drive, and how many years of no claims discount you've accrued among others. However, according to the latest figures by ABI, the annual car insurance premium in the third quarter of 2025 was £551.
What is the excess on AXA car insurance?
The excess is the amount you need to pay when making a claim on your car insurance policy. There are two types of excess; compulsory excess and voluntary excess. The compulsory excess also known as the mandatory excess, is the amount set by the insurer and the voluntary excess is the amount chosen by you when getting a quote. Usually, increasing the voluntary excess can reduce the cost of your insurance premium, however it does increase the amount payable when claiming. More information can be found in our article 'Car insurance excess explained'.
The level of your compulsory excess set by AXA will be based on several factors such as your age, driving experience and your car's insurance group.
How to make an AXA claim
If you need to claim with AXA, you'll need to answer a few questions on the website to check whether you can make the claim online or whether you need to phone the company. Some of the questions you may need to answer include:
- Whether you need emergency roadside assistance
- What type of claim you need to make
- Whether you're in the UK
- How many vehicles were involved in the accident
Depending on your answers, you'll be given the option to make a claim online or call if you prefer. The number to call from within the UK is 0330 024 1305 and if you're outside the UK, you'll need to call +44 (0)1217 520 685.
You can make a claim online via the website in some circumstances. You'll need to log on to your AXA account and provide details such as:
- What happened and when it happened
- The exact location of the accident
- The damage incurred
- Pictures of the vehicle
- Details of the third party involved
- Details of any witnesses
AXA car insurance customer reviews
AXA has a score of 4.4 out of 5.0 on Trustpilot based on more than 28,500 reviews. Approximately 71% of reviewers gave AXA an "Excellent" score, while around 15% of reviewers gave it just 1 star. It is worth bearing in mind that the Trustpilot reviews are for AXA car and home insurance. However those who mentioned car insurance and gave 5 stars cited the excellent customer service, the low prices offered, as well as the ease of navigating the website. Those who gave 1 star complained about issues with changing their vehicle details online and an unusually slow claims process in some instances. As with all insurance policies, it is important to do your research before purchasing a policy.
Alternatives to AXA car insurance
Comparison sites such as Confused.com* are the best way to check for car insurance alternatives. They provide quotes tailored to your circumstances to help you find the best-priced policies on the market. Not all comparison sites are whole of market, however, so you may be able to find a better deal directly with an insurer.
In the table below, we take a look at how AXA compares to some other popular alternatives on the market right now.
| AXA | Direct Line | Aviva | |
| Policy types available |
|
|
|
| Uninsured driver protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Optional breakdown cover | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-car insurance discount | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Temporary car insurance | No but you can temporarily add a car or driver to an existing policy | No but you can temporarily add a car or driver to an existing policy | Yes |
| Fee for changing policy details | No | No | No if made online (there is a charge for changes made over the phone) |
| Trustpilot score | 4.4 out of 5.0 | 4.2 out of 5.0 | 4.3 out of 5.0 |
| More information | Direct Line car insurance review | Aviva car insurance review |
If you're looking to explore even more car insurance policies, take a look at the best car insurance in the UK to compare features, fees, and ratings across the board.
Pros and cons of AXA car insurance
Below, we outline the pros and cons of AXA car insurance to help you decide whether it's right for you.
AXA car insurance pros
- 90 days European cover as standard
- Lifetime repair guarantee as long as you own the car
- Opportunity to mirror your NCD
- Generous multi-car discount
AXA car insurance cons
- Courtesy car not included as standard (unless you opt for AXA Plus)
- No third-party only insurance
Summary
AXA is a well-respected global insurance brand offering a range of different insurance products such as car insurance. AXA car insurance offers lots of competitive benefits, such as the opportunity to mirror your NCD, uninsured driver protection, and European cover. While a courtesy car isn't included with the AXA standard policies, it's possible to add this on at an additional cost. Other optional add-ons to AXA's comprehensive policies include breakdown cover and legal cover meaning you can tailor the policy to your needs.
AXA car and home insurance is rated as "excellent" on Trustpilot and in 2024, AXA claim they paid out on 99.7% of car insurance claims.
As with all car insurance policies, it is best to shop around to find the best provider at the best price and we compare some of the best providers in our article, 'Best car insurance in the UK'.
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