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 have partnered with Quotezone* so that you can search and compare quotes from over 120 UK car insurance providers to find the best deal.
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 99.8% of AXA claims are paid out
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.
- 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.
The table below compares the difference between AXA Comprehensive vs Third-party, Fire and Theft. Third-party insurance is the minimum level of cover you need in the UK and can sometimes be cheaper than comprehensive cover. Comprehensive cover tends to cost more but offers more protection.
We compare the basic, bare-bones policies offered by AXA. You'll be able to add extra features and tailor your insurance policy to yourself.
| AXA Comprehensive | AXA Third Party Fire and Theft | |
| Damage to other people's cars or property | YES | YES |
| Injury to other people | YES | YES |
| Car repair guarantee | YES | YES |
| 90 days European cover | YES | YES |
| Audio and sat-nav cover if the car is stolen or damaged by theft and fire | YES | YES |
| Child car seat affected by fire or theft | YES | YES |
| Key cover | YES | NO |
| Windscreen cover | YES | NO |
|
Personal injury cover |
YES | NO |
| Personal belongings cover | YES | NO |
| Uninsured driver promise | YES | NO |
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.
- Legal expenses cover - AXA's car legal protection cover offers up to £100,000 in legal fees.
- 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.
To give you an idea of what you might pay, the average cost for a comprehensive car insurance policy was £635 for the first quarter of 2024 according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) Motor Insurance Tracker.
What is the excess on AXA car insurance?
With AXA, you will typically be liable for two types of excess; compulsory excess and voluntary excess. As the name suggests, compulsory excess is compulsory, meaning you have to pay it when you make a claim. When we ran a quote, the compulsory excess by AXA was set at £300. AXA sets your compulsory excess based on your individual circumstances including various factors such as your driving experience.
The voluntary excess is optional and ranges from £0 to £1,000. Opting to pay a voluntary excess can lower your overall premium, however, if you claim on your policy, you'll need to pay both your compulsory excess as well as your voluntary excess. Make sure this is something you can afford before you set your voluntary excess.
The lowest amount on offer by AXA is £50, and this then goes up in increments of £50 until you reach £500. You can then opt for a £700 or £1,000 voluntary excess. So, for example, if you select a voluntary excess of £250 and need to claim, the total amount payable by you before AXA pays out would be £550 assuming your compulsory excess is £300.
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
Emergency assistance is also available 24/7 by calling 0330 024 1305.
AXA car insurance customer reviews
AXA has a 4.3 out of 5.0 score on Trustpilot based on more than 22,000 reviews. Approximately 71% of reviewers gave AXA an "Excellent" score while around 15% of reviewers gave it just 1 star. Those who gave it 5 stars cited the excellent customer service, the low prices offered, as well as the ease of navigating the website. Those who gave it 1 star complained about issues with changing their vehicle details online and an unusually slow claims process in some instances.
Alternatives to AXA car insurance
Comparison sites 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. Our partner Quotezone* allows you to compare quotes from more than 120 car insurance providers in the UK.
In the table below, we also take a look at how AXA compares to some other popular alternatives on the market right now. As you can see, while AXA's features are comparable to other major players, it has a higher Trustpilot rating than its competitors suggesting a higher degree of customer satisfaction.
| AXA | Direct Line | Aviva | |
| Policy types available |
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| Uninsured driver protection |  |
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| Optional breakdown cover | |
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| Multi-car insurance discount | |
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| Temporary car insurance | |
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| No fee for changing policy details | |
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| Trustpilot score | 4.3 out of 5.0 | 3.9 out of 5.0 | 4.1 out of 5.0 |
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
- Multi-car insurance discount
- Opportunity to mirror your NCD
AXA car insurance cons
- Courtesy car not included as standard
- 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 extras such as enhanced personal injury add-ons. While a courtesy car isn't included as standard, it's possible to add this on at an additional cost as well. Optional add-ons mean you can tailor the policy to your needs.
When compared to alternatives like Direct Line and Aviva, AXA offers comparable features but comes with a higher Trustpilot score of 4.3 out of 5.0 indicating possible higher customer satisfaction. With more than 99.8% of car insurance claims paid out and more than 100 million customers around the world, it's a solid car insurance choice that has the features you need. However, if you want to explore other options on the market, Quotezone* allows you to compare more than 120 car insurance providers in the UK.
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