Haggling pays: Which? reveals why you should never take a car insurance renewal quote at face value – and the firms where customers have most success
Haggling pays: Which? reveals why you should never take a car insurance renewal quote at face value – and the firms where customers have most success
A new Which? survey of 2,000 motorists has found that two thirds of those who contacted their car insurer to discuss price walked away with a cheaper premium offer last year.
In April 2026 Which? carried out a survey of 2,000 UK adults, representative of those who have car insurance. Separately, last November, Which? also asked 25 insurers if they were receptive to negotiating prices with renewing customers.
Discounts are a tool insurers use to retain customers that might otherwise go elsewhere, and though they don't shout about it, these are often baked into their pricing strategy. However, the Which? survey found nearly four in ten (37%) motorists last year accepted their insurer’s renewal offer without challenging it and could therefore be missing out on savings.
When Which? contacted 25 insurers to ask about their approach, only 12 said they might be receptive to negotiating prices, and fewer still explicitly said actual discounts could be provided, such as a ‘valuable customer discount’ or discounts ‘to reward customer loyalty’.
Despite this, Which? found high rates of success among those that contacted their insurer to discuss their premium. Six in ten survey respondents (58%) contacted their insurer to discuss their policy price in the last year, of which two thirds (65%) were offered a lower premium.
Six in ten (58%) of those who obtained a price cut told Which? they made no changes to their policy, indicating that the cheaper price was a straight discount. In other instances, lower premiums may be achieved by making minor amends to the policy, for example by increasing the excess.
Among those respondents who accepted a new offer, those paying annually reported an average saving of £60 a year, and those paying monthly achieved an average monthly discount of £21.
While on average two thirds (65%) of those who spoke to their insurer about price achieved a lower premium, customers of some insurers had even higher success rates. For example, seven in ten (72%) of those with Admiral saw a reduction in premium, and the majority (57%) of those did so without making any policy changes.
Similarly, two thirds (68%) of Hastings Direct customers who discussed their policy price saw a reduction, and around six in ten of those offered a reduced price (63%) didn’t make policy changes as part of the discussion.
The consumer champion’s research also spotlighted how outcomes could vary dependent on factors including age and vulnerability. Older drivers were more likely than younger motorists to be offered a straight discount, whereas younger drivers were more likely to make changes to their policy in order to get a lower price.
Vulnerable customers, which can include those with certain health conditions, in financial difficulty or lacking confidence online, were more likely than other customers to contact their insurer about their price, and to be offered a reduction following the discussion. However, they were also significantly more likely to make changes to their policy to cut down on costs.
Sam Richardson, Editor, Which? Money, said:
“Far too many of us take our car insurer’s renewal quote at face value, when we should really be looking at it as an opening offer. Just a quick call to your insurer when it’s time to renew could pay real dividends, with most people in our survey finding the experience of haggling straightforward.
“Insurers factor price negotiations into their premiums, so if you’re not benefiting from a discount, the unfortunate reality is that you could well be funding someone else's.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
In April 2026, Which? carried out a weighted survey of 2,000 UK adults, representative of those with car insurance. Fieldwork was carried out online by Deltapoll.
Haggling success by brand shown below:
Graphic showing how prices vary by region, age and whether you renew or switch.
Rights of reply
Hastings Direct said it doesn’t haggle or negotiate with customers, but that ‘where customers have shopped around (which we encourage them to do) and found a better price, we are able to consider offering a lower price. This is not decided by our customer service agents but is calculated by whether we can afford to reduce our margins to sustainably retain that customer.’ It added that it monitors pricing outcomes for customers with vulnerabilities and provides additional support and protections to ensure they’re not disadvantaged compared to other groups of customers, and that ‘on average those with vulnerabilities receive outcomes that are at least as good as non-vulnerable customers - sometimes better.’
An Admiral spokesperson said: “Our renewal prices are based on the information we hold about each customer, alongside our claims and pricing data, to ensure they are fair and accurate. We make clear in our renewal communications that customers can contact us if their circumstances have changed, their details need updating, they’ve found a cheaper quote or they’re unhappy with their renewal terms. In these cases, we review the policy and, where appropriate, apply any available discount through a consistent, system-led process. We closely oversee this approach through robust pricing, monitoring operational and renewal journey outcomes and customer feedback. We also have additional safeguards in place for vulnerable customers.”
About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.
Fiercely independent, we put people over profit - shining a light on unfair practices, influencing policy and holding businesses to account to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.
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