Only nine UK carriers have cleared the bar for "Recommended" status in Insurance DataLab's debut Insurer Performance Index, with health cash plan provider Simplyhealth Access topping the ranking as brokers face growing regulatory pressure to justify how they choose the insurers behind their clients' cover.
The Hampshire-based mutual scored 822 out of 1,000 to lead the small cohort, edging ahead of a select group of carriers granted Recommended status by the market intelligence firm.
Insurance DataLab's framework grades carriers across four pillars — claims, complaints, solvency and underwriting — and demands top-quartile placement overall, alongside consistent showings in each category, before a recommendation is awarded.
That bar proved difficult to clear. Only eight other insurers made the cut, with AIG UK the leading multi-line group at 789, followed by Starr International (Europe) at 772, Alwyn at 768 and Sabre at 764.
Acromas came in at 736, AA Underwriting at 713, Highway at 703 and Hiscox at 702, rounding out a list weighted towards specialist and personal lines players rather than the broader composite market.
Simplyhealth Access stood out for its conduct metrics. The carrier logged low Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) complaint volumes, an upheld rate below the market average and what Insurance DataLab described as a market-leading Financial Ombudsman Service upheld rate in medical expenses.
Claims handling also weighed in its favour, with high acceptance rates and limited disputes feeding into the score. The firm's capital position was flagged as among the strongest in the surveyed group.
The findings sit within Insurance DataLab's inaugural Insurer Performance & Conduct Report, produced in partnership with the British Insurance Brokers' Association and sponsored by SSP. The full data set is due to be released at the 2026 BIBA Conference.
Alongside the ranking, Insurance DataLab has folded the same index into its Security Committee-in-a-Box product, a tool used by brokers to evaluate insurer counterparties.
The integration draws on regulatory filings and the firm's own research, including its Commercial Lines Claims Pulse — a study run with Research in Finance covering more than 800 commercial claims experiences — to give brokers a structured way to document why a particular insurer is being used.
The push reflects the FCA's Consumer Duty regime, under which brokers are expected to evidence that placement choices support good customer outcomes rather than rest on financial strength alone.
Insurance DataLab co-founder Matt Scott (pictured above) said the rationale for the new framework was the need for hard evidence behind broker decisions.
"Being able to evidence insurer performance has never been more important," Scott said, pointing to a more scrutinised operating environment in which choices need to be backed by clear, objective data.
He added that carriers recognised in the index are those producing balanced results across all four pillars rather than excelling in a single area, with that consistency translating into better outcomes for brokers and their clients.
"Brokers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that placement decisions are based on clear evidence and deliver good customer outcomes," Scott said.
He said the updated Security Committee-in-a-Box is intended to help brokers move from fragmented data to a more defensible approach, supporting decisions on insurer selection with a clearer audit trail.
