New research reveals why Brits are falling out of love with their insurers
Bad reviews, poor customer service and high prices are the top factors giving people ‘the ick’ for insurers
February may be the month of love, but new data from Go.Compare has revealed the top reasons people fall out of love with their insurers. The research asked Brits which factors would influence them against choosing a particular insurer, and revealed that customer reviews are king – with nearly half of people (45%) saying if they see bad reviews online, it’ll put them off.*
The survey quizzed 2,000 Brits about their insurance ‘icks’ and found that poor customer service trumps high price as the number one influence putting people off an insurer. 43% of people they would be put off if they know the provider has a poor reputation for customer service, and 38% said that if someone they knew had a bad experience with a particular insurer, they’d be more likely to steer clear of them. Additionally, nearly a third of people (28%) said they’d be put off if an insurer uses automated customer service instead of having real people you can speak to.
Price is certainly still an important factor though, with four in ten (40%) admitting they would be less likely to choose an insurer with higher prices than competitors, and 36% saying high admin fees would put them off.
Surprisingly though, low prices aren’t necessarily a selling point for insurers either – with more than one in ten people (14%) confessing they’re put-off choosing a provider if they’re the cheapest option on a comparison site.
Overall, the top factors influencing people against certain insurers are:
|
Factor influencing people against an insurer |
% who would be put off |
|
|
1 |
Seeing bad customer reviews online |
45% |
|
2 |
Knowing the provider has a reputation for poor customer service |
43% |
|
3 |
Seeing that their prices are higher than competitors |
40% |
|
4 |
Knowing someone personally who has had a bad experience with the provider |
38% |
|
5 |
If there are high admin fees |
36% |
Additionally, nearly a third of people (29%) said they’d be influenced against an insurer if their claims acceptance rate is comparatively low, and 27% said they would be put off if they didn’t know / hadn’t heard of the insurer previously.
Ceri McMillan, Go.Compare insurance spokesperson, said: “Price is always going to be an important factor when it comes to choosing an insurance provider – but it’s really interesting to see that it isn’t everyone’s number one concern.
“Our data reveals that people want to know they’re going to be treated well by their insurer, they want to see good reviews and feel confident in the level of service provided. For many, being able to speak to real people and knowing about the company are important trust signals.
“For consumers, it’s clear that doing your research is important – whether it’s looking at other people’s feedback online or comparing how the company’s claims acceptance rate stacks up against competitors. Taking a little time to better understand the insurers available is well worth it in the long run.
“For insurers, the clear message is that winning public hearts isn’t just a competition for who is the cheapest. Consistent support, communication and reputation are all important factors too.”
Comparison sites allow people to compare a wide range of policies in one place and will often provide a quick way to look at a range of factors, which can help policyholders make an informed choice on their insurance.
More information about choosing an insurance policy can be found at: https://www.gocompare.com/insurance/
Contact Information
Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
*The research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 2,000 UK nationally representative consumers aged 18+. Data collected between 14.01.2026 and 16.01.2026. Censuswide follows the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles and is a member of the British Polling Council.
For further information please contact:
Front Door Communications at Go.Compare@fdcomms.co.uk
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.