UK drivers shopped for motor insurance at a record rate in the first half of 2026, but most of them did not move.
An average of 403,000 consumers shopped for motor insurance each day in H1 2026, about 31,000 more per day than a year earlier, according to the LexisNexis Insurance Demand Meter UK, published on 3 November. The proportion who switched provider held at around 22%, broadly in line with 2025. That means 78% of policyholders stayed with their insurer.
LexisNexis linked the rise in shopping to motor premiums beginning to increase again. ABI data shows the average premium paid in Q2 2026 was £566, up 1% on the previous quarter, while insurers paid out a record £3.2 billion in motor claims in the same period. EY has projected a net combined ratio of 111% for UK motor insurers this year.
Retention may not hold. Switching rose in June, both nationally and among policyholders in London and Manchester. LexisNexis called it an important trend to watch. Manchester-based policyholders switched at an average rate of 23%, against 21% in London, though the gap is narrowing.
“Retention has held up well so far, but if price differences between providers become more pronounced, we could see greater movement in the market in the second half of the year,” said Tom Clarke, UK and Ireland motor strategy director at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.
The cars being insured are also changing. Hybrids accounted for 46% of new private car registrations in H1 2026 and fully electric vehicles a further 24%, together 70% of the total. Internal combustion engine registrations fell 9% year on year and 30% compared with H1 2022. LexisNexis said a growing share of vehicles entering insurers’ books will have different repair, technology and risk characteristics from the cars they replace.
“With 70% of new private cars now hybrid or fully electric, insurance providers need accurate, vehicle-level data on powertrain, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and repairability to understand the risk they are pricing and to help ensure customers get the right outcome when they make a claim,” Clarke said.
For brokers, the numbers point to two pressures at renewal. Clients are shopping, so renewal pricing has to hold up against what they find elsewhere. For clients adding hybrids or EVs, accurate vehicle detail on file matters for both the price and the claim.
