Best home insurance 2024

How to choose the best home insurance provider

With home insurance prices on the rise thanks to extreme weather and higher inflation, it's increasingly important to get the right policy.  

The best home insurance companies offer quality cover as standard, as well as excellent customer service. To find out who those include, we surveyed 1,718 customers who have recently claimed, and analysed 78 policies from 37 companies. We've asked questions on everything from clarity of home insurance policies to customer service. 

Our experts then used this information to understand how each company has treated its customers when most needed, and assess the top providers. 

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Best UK home insurance companies: the Which? Recommended Provider

We compared 37 insurance companies in total, and you can see our results in the tables below. At the moment, we are giving only one our Which? recommended Provider Award.

NFU Mutual

NFU Mutual was our only Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) this year.

• 81% customer score: It topped our customer score rankings for home insurance by some distance with a score of 81%. Whether asked about the clarity of its policies or of speed of updates during claims, NFU Mutual policyholders were full of praise for the insurer.
• 74% policy score: It was no slouch when it came to cover either. Compared with other standard policies, NFU Mutual's buildings and contents scores of 74% placed it comfortably in the top half for buildings (ranking 13th out of 35) and fourth best for contents. 

We like: it's also one of the few providers we surveyed that won't charge you extra for paying your premiums monthly, or a Home insurance: add-ons, fees and charges explained. Unfortunately though, NFU Mutual will only insure homes located in certain (often rural) areas of the UK.

• Read our full review of NFU Mutual's home insurance.

Next best UK home insurance companies

While these are not Which? Recommended Providers, these companies stand out, scoring as the next best.

LV

• 74% customer score: LV received a customer score rating of 74%, ranking third out of 15 providers. They missed the Which? Recommended Provider status by just one point, with the required minimum score being 75%.
• Policy score: with a 73% rating, LV's buildings policy ranked well within the top half of standard policies we analysed. While its contents policy scored 71%, placing it among the top handful.

We like: LV's policy offers the same level of coverage for items stored in outbuildings (such as a garage or shed) as it does for those within the home – where often a lower cover limit will apply. It also provides standard coverage for burst pipes, encompassing both pipe repairs and damage resulting from leaks.

• Read our full review of LV home insurance. 

Find out more about LV using the service provided by Confused.com.

Aviva

• 70% customer score: customers gave Aviva a 70% score, placing it 10th out of 15 providers.
• Policy score: Aviva's standard policy performed reasonably well in our analysis. The buildings insurance received a score of 72%, a bit higher than the 71% average for standard policies. The contents policy scored 70%, comfortably surpassing the 65% average for standard policies.

We like: it provides 24/7 emergency assistance via phone or online, with no setup or renewal fees. The coverage includes protection for flooding damage to belongings caused by gradual groundwater build-up, damage caused by domestic pets, and £750 coverage for cash and credit cards both in and away from the home.

• Read our full review of Aviva home insurance. 

Find out more about Aviva using the service provided by Confused.com.

Direct Line

• 75% customer score: customers rated Direct Line 75% – second out of 15 providers rated.
• Policy score: while it didn't do terribly, Direct Line's standard policy ('Home insurance') left room for improvement in our evaluation. The buildings cover achieved a score of 70%, slightly below the average of 71%, and the contents score of 63% fell just below the 65% average.

We like: Direct Line covers the expenses for damage to belongings in outbuildings (for example, sheds or greenhouses) at the same level as items inside your home. The policy provides strong coverage for burst pipes, and if you lose your keys or they are stolen, you can make a claim to replace external locks.

• Read our full review of Direct line home insurance.

Other Best Buy home policies

In addition to our overall Which? Recommended Provider, we also found eight Best Buy policies - find out how we arrived at them below. 

These included our Which? Recommended Provider NFU Mutual, alongside policies from Churchill, Direct Line, Ecclesiastical, NatWest, Privilege, Royal Bank of Scotland, and The Salvation Army General Insurance Company (Sagic)

NatWest ('Premier') and Royal Bank of Scotland ('Premier')

• Customer score: we didn't get sufficient respondents to award a customer or claims score for these policies. 
• Policy score: Both NatWest's and Royal Bank of Scotland's 'Premier' policies performed exceptionally well in our assessment - both policies achieved top scores and received Best Buy (for buildings cover and contents cover). You can carry out these policies only by calling in. Both scored a strong 86% for buildings cover and an outstanding 91% for contents cover. 

We like: Key features of both policies include coverage for matching sets, ensuring that if an item from a set (like a chair in a three-piece suite) cannot be repaired or replaced, the insurer will replace the entire set. 

• Read our full reviews of NatWest's home insurance and Royal Bank of Scotland's home insurance.

Best UK home insurance companies and policies compared

We've summarised all our findings in the tables below, and provided full reviews of 20 providers opposite. 

In the drop down menu below, you can select two tables. In the first table, you can compare the 14 insurers that received both customer scores and policy scores. The policy scores are for each provider's standard policy.

The second table shows our 24 buildings and contents Best Buys. While we couldn't review the customer service of all providers we looked at, Best Buys are awarded to policies that stood out in our analysis as offering particularly high levels of cover - on paper, at least. 

• See how over 70 buildings policies compared
• See how over 70 contents policies compared

How to pick a home insurance policy

Maha Gadir, Insurance Analyst, says: 'When it comes to picking the best home insurance policy, don't assume that a specific item or incident being covered 'as standard' will mean you are covered in all circumstances. For example, a policy that includes home emergency cover can sometimes exclude storm damage to your roof or gas supply failures and stolen or lost key cover rarely includes internal door locks or safes.

It's also possible for claims around burst or blocked pipes to need further investigation, the amount available for a "Trace and Access" can range from £1,000 - £15,000 so it's crucial to have an expert estimation of expected costs to avoid being left with a nasty bill.'

Home insurance FAQs

How we analyse home insurance

Customer scores

In November 2022, we surveyed 1,718 policyholders who had made a claim with their current insurer within the last two years. The customer score is based on their overall satisfaction and their likelihood of recommending their insurer.

Providers must receive a minimum sample size of 30 to be included.

We only survey customers who've recently claimed. This is because you'll only know how good an insurer's customer service really is when you have to make a claim. That's when good insurers will show their ability to deal with problems, quickly process your claim and arrange replacements or repairs as soon as possible.

Policy scores

In December 2022 we surveyed 37 insurance companies about the levels of cover in their policies. We rated 40 elements of contents cover, 21 elements of buildings cover, and 25 features that apply to both - such as admin fees. The the policy score reflects how well the policy did overall. The higher it is, the more the more comprehensive the cover.

Certain elements are weighted to have more or less of an impact on the policy score, based on the general level of importance we think it has. Among the highest-weighted elements are accidental damage cover, claim limits for valuables and alternative accommodation cover.

Total score

The total score is a combination of the two policy scores and the customer score. It is made up of 50% customer score, and 25% each of buildings and contents policy scores.

Which? Recommended Providers

The 'Recommended Provider' badge is our top endorsement. A Recommended Provider is a company that offers average or better levels of cover in its standard policy and - perhaps more importantly - gets great feedback from customers who have tried putting their cover to use (have made claims).

The top-scoring providers will be awarded Which? Recommended Provider status, if they have met certain conditions:

• be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
• be available to the public
• have received responses from 30 or more customers in our customer survey
• must achieve a high score in our customer satisfaction survey
• must also achieve average or above policy scores for buildings and contents.
• must also achieve an average or better claims score

Find out more about Which? Recommended Provider status.

Which? Best Buys

We review a lot of policies - and our 'Best Buy' badge recognises the individual products that stood out as being the most comprehensive in our analysis. It doesn't reflect customer service. However, we won't give a provider a Best Buy badge where there's evidence - either from our surveys or from Financial Conduct Authority data - of poor service or a poorer-than-average record of paying claims.

• Policies named as Best Buys for buildings cover have a minimum policy score of 74%
• Policies named as Best Buys for contents cover have a minimum policy score of 68%

Additionally, we look at how consistently good the cover is in policies. To make the cut, a policy needs to have scored at least three out of five points in two thirds of the areas we've rated (see 'How we calculate the scores' for more).

Lastly, all Best Buy policies must have - or make available - the following levels of cover as a minimum:

Buildings

Flood, storm, subsidence and accidental damage cover; Cover for burst or blocked pipes; Trace and access cover (£5,000); Alternative accommodation (£50,000); Property owner liability (£1m); Replacement of locks or keys for external doors (£500); Home Emergency Cover (£500 and includes the central heating system) 

Contents

Accidental damage cover; Theft and damage of contents in the open; Theft and damage of contents from outbuildings; Business equipment; Alternative accommodation (£15,000); Money in the home (£500); Valuables (unspecified single item limit - £1,500); Personal possessions (unspecified single item limit - £1,000); Replacement of locks or keys for external doors (£500).

Find out more: Does household insurance cover flooding?