AXA home insurance review

What does Axa's home insurance cover?

The information below gives an at-glance view of the key things that the Axa's home insurance covers as standard. 

Elements marked with a ✓ are covered as standard and those marked with a ✘ are not covered as standard. However, these can be added to a policy as optional extras for an additional cost.

• Find out more: what is buildings insurance?

How Which? Rates Axa's home insurance

To help you find the best home insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst. 

We survey thousands of real home insurance customers to find out how they rate their insurer for customer satisfaction.

We also analyse and rate 60 different elements of contents and buildings insurance to create policy scores, helping you judge the quality of your cover - and how an insurer compares to its peers.

We combine this into an overall score to highlight the insurers that offer great cover and service.

Which? members can log in to see the results of our analysis. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial for Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and enjoy the benefits of a Which? membership.

Home And Mobile Insurance

AXA review

Overall Which? score

%

Our total score score combines both the Which? Customer Score, ratings from real customers of the provider, and our expert analysis of the provider's policies. The total score is made up of 50% of the Customer Score and 25% each of Buildings and Contents policy scores.

Which? Customer Score

%

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction, based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Buildings policy score

%

Which?'s rating of the quality this company's buildings insurance policy. We analysed 32 features of its cover to calculate the policy score.

Contents policy score

%

Which?'s rating of the quality this company's contents insurance policy. We analysed 46 features of its cover to calculate the policy score.

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AXA's home insurance policy: is it good or bad? 

In February 2019, we analysed and rated 60 of the most important elements of standard home insurance policies to come up with the overall policy score.

We assess how important each individual element is when choosing and using a home insurance policy, and weight it accordingly when calculating our total policy score. Each element is given a star rating, out of five.

Overall, 49 out of the 60 elements policy elements we analysed in Axa's home insurance earned a 3-star rating or higher.

While 20 of Axa's policy elements were given a full 5-star rating, the majority of the features in its policy were given a 3-star rating or below, which indicates an average level of cover.  

Best parts of Axa's home insurance policy:

We've identified three standout features in Axa's home insurance policy:

• Cover of up to £1,000 of money in the home, which we gave a full 5-star rating
• Buildings accidental damage covered as standard, which earned the policy 5 stars
• Up to £10,000 cover for single items not specified on your policy, which scored 5 stars

Worst parts of Axa's home insurance policy:

We've identified three features in Axa's home insurance policy which scored poorly:

• Cover of up to £5,000 for contents kept in outbuildings, which scored 2 stars out a possible 5
• Doesn't pay a switching fee, which we gave 0 stars
• A £1,000 cover limit for personal possession left in the car, which earned 2 stars

In detail: every part of Axa's home insurance rated

Which? members can log in to see the results of our analysis. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial for Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and enjoy the benefits of a Which? membership.

Table last updated in February 2019. Next updated in February 2020.

Most important policy elementsSecondary policy elementsOther policy elements

Policy elements	Details	Rating	Area covered
Interest charged on payment by installments (APR)			Buildings and contents
Renewal fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Home emergency cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Home emergency cover (£)			Buildings and contents
Owner's / Occupier's liability (£)			Buildings and contents
Accidental damage cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Accidental damage cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Subsidence - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Alternative accommodation (£)			Buildings only
Burst pipes - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Blockage of sewer pipe - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Single item limit for valuables - max limit (£)			Contents only
Contents in the open - within home boundary i.e. garden (£)			Contents only
Contents in outbuildings - including garages (£)			Contents only
Theft from outbuildings (£)			Contents only
Personal Possessions - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Personal Possessions limit within a car (£)			Contents only
Bicycles - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Mobile phones (away from home) - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Does mobile phone cover include calls?			Contents only

Policy element	Details	Rating	Area covered
Insurer pays switching fees? (£)			Buildings and contents
Adjustment fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Cancellation fee - after 14 days (£)			Buildings and contents
Duplicate document fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Standard level of excess (£)			Buildings and contents
Subsidence excess (£)			Buildings only
24 hour emergency helpline - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Are repairs guaranteed under home emergency cover? (Yes/No)			Buildings and contents
Gradual build up of ground water covered?			Buildings and contents
Garden cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Storm damage to fences - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Trace and access limit (£)			Buildings only
Bicycle away from home (£)			Contents only
TV or AV equipment accidental damage - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Is money covered away from home - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Money in the home (£)			Contents only
Money away from the home (£)			Contents only
Digital information in the home (£)			Contents only
Students contents in digs covered - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Home removal insurance - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Cover level for loss of keys (£)			Buildings only
Cover level for loss of keys (£)			Contents only
Cover level for theft of keys (£)			Buildings only
Cover level for theft of keys (£)			Contents only
Is boiler cover included - home emergency cover?			Buildings and contents
Boiler cover - parts and repairs included?			Buildings and contents
Boiler cover - call-outs included?			Buildings and contents

Policy element	Details	Rating	Area covered
Payment Default fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Unoccupancy period			Buildings and contents
Legal expenses - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Legal expenses cover (£)			Buildings and contents
Garden contents cover (£)			Contents only
No claims discount (NCD) protection?			Buildings and contents
Students cover limit (£)			Contents only
Minimum level of excess (£)			Buildings and contents
Discount for buying buildings and contents insurance?			Buildings and contents
Business / Office equipment covered - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Loss of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Loss of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Theft of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Theft of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only

To see how Axa's home insurance compares to other policies check out our guide on the best and worst home insurance policies.

How did customers rate Axa's home insurance?

As well as looking at how Axa's home insurance policy stacks up against others, we've also analysed how customers feel about it too.

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction is based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Overall, Axa home insurance scored 65% for customer satisfaction, placing it 32nd out of the 34 home insurers we looked at.

Axa's 'application process' was one of the highest rated features and was scored three out of five stars by customers. The transparency of Axa's charges and penalties was scored the lowest and only received two stars.

The table below shows how Axa home insurance scored for eight elements of customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction element	Which? Customer rating
Application process
Clarity of policy
Dealing with queries
Ease of managing your policy online
Transparency of charges/penalties
Dealing with complaints
Experience of making a claim
Value for money

Does Axa offer different levels of home insurance cover?

Axa offers three home insurance policies - HomeSmart, HomeSure and HomeSafe. 

The scores shown in this review relate to Axa's standard HomeSure policy. If you would like to take out home insurance with the Axa but need more cover, you could opt for Axa's HomeSafe policy.

This policy offers:

• Home emergency cover us included as standard
• Personal possessions are covered as standard
• Legal expenses are included as standard

Due to the increased level of cover, this policy is likely to be more expensive than Axa's standard HomeSure policy. 

If you'd like to stick with Axa but want less cover than the standard policy offers, it's worth checking out their HomeSmart home insurance. 

This policy offers:

• Buildings accidental cover as an optional extra
• 30 day cover for leaving your home unoccupied
• Up to £2,500 for contents stored in outbuildings

The Axa HomeSmart policy is likely to be cheaper than it's standard home insurance due to the reduced level of cover. 

How much does Axa's home insurance cost?

Your contents insurance and buildings insurance will be priced based on your own personal circumstances, where you live and the type of property and contents you own. 

Axa allows you to gather quotes on its own website www.axa.co.uk/home-insurance. You can also compare Axa's home insurance on the following price comparison sites:

• Confused.com
• Gocompare.com
• Comparethemarket.com
• Moneysupermarket.com

Check out our guide for more information on how home insurance add-ons, fees and charges affect the price of your policy.

What is Axa's claims number?

If you need to make a claim with Axa home insurance call 0330 024 8086. 

According to Axa, you'll be asked what happened and details about the structure of your home. While Axa can get your claim started without them, it's best to have your policy documents, personal information, and evidence that could help your claim to hand.

The acid test of any home insurance provider is how it handles your claim. In January 2019, Which? surveyed 1,456 members of the general public about their experiences using a major home insurance provider.

The Axa scored 64%, placing it 16th out of 21 home insurers. It scored three stars for several factors including 'speed of dealing with a claim', and its 'customer service' as a whole. Axa only earned two stars for its 'regular communication on claim progress'.

Find out how it compared to other insurers on or guide making a home insurance claim.

Who underwrites Axa's home insurance?

Axa's home insurance is underwritten by Axa Insurance plc. 

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