Why Which? is pausing the Insurance Brand of the Year award

For two decades, the Which? Awards have served as a fiercely independent and trusted barometer of excellence.

They highlight the brands that go above and beyond for their customers and those that genuinely deliver for consumers across markets where complexity and opacity are too often the norm. 

Insurance is a sector where products can appear interchangeable and trust is hard-won, so being named Insurance Brand of the Year has offered a powerful signal of quality, fairness and reliability. 

However, sadly, our research and our super-complaint have highlighted that quality, fairness and reliability are often not the case in the insurance industry.

That is why, after 12 years, we have taken the difficult, but necessary, decision not to present the award in 2026.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly.

Serious concerns

Our recent super-complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority set out serious concerns about systemic issues in the home and travel insurance markets. 

At its core, the complaint highlighted persistent problems with how firms support consumer understanding and handle claims. 

When people buy insurance, they are purchasing peace of mind. Yet too often, that promise is undermined at the point they need it most: when making a claim.

When people buy insurance, they are purchasing peace of mind. Yet too often, that promise is undermined at the point they need it most: when making a claim. 

Delays, poor communication and inadequate claim outcomes are not isolated failings, they point to deeper structural weaknesses. 

At the same time, unreasonable limitations and exclusions of cover can leave many consumers lacking protection.

These failings are pervasive across the industry, hence we do not believe it would be credible to single out a ‘best’ brand overall this year. 

Nominating a number of providers would imply a level of consumer experience that, based on our evidence, is not consistently being delivered across the market. 

The absence of an award is therefore not a withdrawal from the sector, but a clear statement: we will not award a ‘best’ where consumers are clearly being underserved.

For insurers, this should be seen less as a reproach than an opportunity for reset. We hope this pause sends a clear signal that future recognition must be earned through demonstrably positive consumer outcomes.

The path back to recognition is clear, but it requires a rebalancing of priorities. The five outcomes we want to see are:

• Insurance products that better meet consumers’ needs and reasonable expectations;
• Consumers better understanding the relevant limitations of their insurance cover;
• Consumers experiencing fewer problems when making claims;
• Consumers receiving more appropriate support from their insurer, especially if they are in vulnerable circumstances; and
• Consumers having fewer claims rejected.

The industry now has a clear opportunity to respond proactively to these challenges, investing in better products and services, before further regulatory escalation forces their hand.

FCA engagement

We welcome the Financial Conduct Authority’s engagement with the concerns we have raised, and we will continue to work constructively with both the regulator and the industry to drive improvements. 

A well-functioning insurance market is essential not just for individual consumers, but for wider economic resilience. 

However, we must stress the urgency of this task as, without swift, collaborative action, the relationship between providers and policyholders will fracture further.

Our decision to pause the Insurance Brand of the Year award is not an endpoint, we remain committed to helping consumers navigate their options and to recognising those firms that genuinely lead the way in particular areas. 

When the award returns, it must recognise something unequivocal: brands that deliver on their promises, not just in theory, but when it matters most, rather than just being the least flawed options in a struggling market.