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14 Mar 2024

Vanguard investment platform review

Which? experts analyse Vanguard's charges and ask its customers to rate it for service, tools, value for money and more

Megan ThomasResearcher & writer

In this article

Is Vanguard any good?
What do customers say about Vanguard?
How much does Vanguard cost?
What can you invest in with Vanguard?
Is Vanguard good for ethical investors?
Is your money safe with Vanguard?

Is Vanguard any good?

Which? members can exclusively read the results of our unique customer satisfaction survey.

Members can log in to see our review of Vanguard. If you're not already a member, join Which? and get full access to these results and all our reviews.

To become a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for either stocks and shares Isas or general investment accounts, a platform needs to have a customer score of at least 70%, not be in the top 25% most expensive in one of our fees scenarios, and not score lower than three stars in any category.

On top of these criteria, we apply statistical tests that place the platforms into ‘bands’, and only the platforms in the highest band – the ones that really stand out against the rest – can be a WRP.

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction is based on feedback from customers.

We ask investors to rate their current platform for its ease of use, overall customer service and customer communications, whether it represents value for money, if they are satisfied with it overall and whether they would recommend it to someone else.

In January 2024, we heard 4,136 reviews and gave customer scores to 17 do-it-yourself investment platforms. Each platform must have at least 30 responses, a minimum of three investments to choose from yourself, and not offer contract for difference (CFD) trading to receive a customer score.

What do customers say about Vanguard?

‘They are very easy to deal with. I find their range of funds very easy to understand, and from the information they provide, I feel confident in choosing ones that match the level of risk I want to take. They are relatively low-cost, and I have never had any problems.’
‘Works well, but would be better if they had an app.’
‘I see them as the leaders in the industry. They have the easiest user-friendly interface and experienced customer service.’

How much does Vanguard cost?

There is no difference in fees whether you're investing in a Vanguard stocks and shares Isa or a general investment account.

Annual platform charge:

0.15%

Trading charge:

None
Optional 'quote and deal' service on exchange-traded funds costs £7.50 (allows you to buy and sell in real-time)

Fund charge:

The average fund fee on Vanguard is 0.16% - with a high of 0.78% and a low of 0.06%

How much would I pay to invest with Vanguard?

We've estimated the cost of investing over the course of a year in a Vanguard stocks and shares Isa, assuming that you make four purchases and four sales each year.

Costs will vary depending on how much you invest.


£5,000
£10,000
£25,000
£50,000
£100,000
£250,000
£500,000

What can you invest in with Vanguard?

Vanguard accounts and services

General investment account
Stocks and shares (flexible)
Self-invested personal pension (Sipp)
Income drawdown
Managed Isa
Managed pension
Junior investment Isa

Investments on Vanguard

63 funds (OEICs, multi-asset funds)
31 exchange-traded funds

Correct as of January 2024

Is Vanguard good for ethical investors?

Vanguard offers more details about the holdings of funds than any other provider in our survey, generally listing hundreds of the companies each fund invests in.

However, they do not make it easy to filter and find ethical funds.

Find out more: Ethical investing explained

Is your money safe with Vanguard?

Vanguard is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, your money will be ring-fenced and should be returned if a company goes bust without you having to wait alongside other creditors.

If ring-fencing failed, you would be compensated by the FSCS.

The FSCS will cover up to £85,000 of investments per person per platform. You can claim for free online at www.fscs.org.uk; there's no reason to use a claims management company.

You won't be compensated for investments falling in value or if a company in which you hold shares goes bust unless this poor performance resulted from bad advice given by a regulated independent financial adviser that has since gone bankrupt.