Revealed: The best UK home insurer is...

Insurance league tables are fun to watch, especially for brokers who have relationships with multiple insurers. Now we have the inside scoop on the latest home insurers ranking by Which?, based on a combination of customer feedback and the consumer body’s analysis of policies.

Over 30 providers were examined by Which?, both in terms of standard contents insurance and buildings insurance, while client ratings were generated from a survey of more than 6,000 respondents. Factors considered include transparency of charges and value for money.

Here are the top three recommended home insurers and what they offer:

1. NFU Mutual – single-item limit of £7,500 for valuables; legal expenses covered as standard up to £50,000; no additional policy charges.
2. Age UK (policies underwritten by Ageas) – no setup, adjustment, default, or cancellations fees; provides a discount if both buildings and contents policies are purchased; cover for bikes at home and away from home.
3. M&S Bank (policies underwritten by AXA) – single-item limit of £10,000 for valuables; garden contents cover limit of £100,000; optional home emergency cover with £1,000 limit.

All three insurers posted a total score above 70%, with top-ranked NFU Mutual scoring 77%. Total score is made up of 50% of the customer score, plus 25% each for buildings and contents policy scores.

For its assessment of quality of standard cover, Which? compared 32 elements of a buildings insurance policy and 46 elements of a contents insurance policy. NFU Mutual, for instance, scored 80% for its contents cover – the highest across all score categories.

With more than 1.5 million members and supporters, Which? is the largest independent consumer body in the UK.