Motor insurance coverage pricing isn’t any stranger to regulatory scrutiny, but one necessary a part of the proposition continues to function largely out of sight: add-ons. Whereas headline premiums have been formed and reshaped by regulatory intervention, the remedy of add-ons has developed extra quietly – regardless of their rising significance to buyer outcomes.
Authorized bills, breakdown, courtesy automobile, private accident and windscreen cowl play a important function in how prospects expertise worth – and in how insurers generate margin. Our newest evaluation of value comparability web site (PCW) journeys and minimal add-on costs (October 2025 vs February 2025) reveals simply how large the hole has develop into between what prospects assume they’re shopping for and what they really obtain.
Michael Dingwall, who led the evaluation, explains:
“What stood out wasn’t simply the extent of variation in add-on pricing, however how inconsistent the expertise will be relying on the place and the way a buyer buys.”
That inconsistency is not only a buyer expertise downside. Below Client Responsibility – and more and more underneath the DMCC regime – it turns into a conduct and competitors problem.
Central to the journey, inconsistent in follow
Throughout all main PCWs, add-ons stay a distinguished a part of the motor quote journey. Clients are routinely offered with choices for authorized cowl, breakdown, private accident, courtesy automobile and windscreen. Nonetheless, how these options are displayed varies broadly.
Some websites clearly present what’s included from the outcomes web page. Others require prospects to click on into coverage element to find whether or not key options are current. One main PCW doesn’t show add-on costs even when they’re out there, making significant value comparability tough.
As Catherine Carey, Head of Advertising at Client Intelligence, notes:
“How add-ons are displayed typically issues as a lot as how they’re priced. Small variations in presentation can have a huge impact on what prospects consider they’ve bought.”
Central to the journey, inconsistent in follow
Probably the most placing discovering is the dimensions of value variation throughout the market:
- Authorized add-ons vary from just a few kilos to nearly £40
- Breakdown cowl spans £2 to greater than £80
- Windscreen cowl can fluctuate from underneath £5 to over £70 for a similar model on the identical PCW
In lots of circumstances, there isn’t a apparent risk-based driver behind these variations.
Tim Stout, Head of Development & Innovation at Client Intelligence, feedback:
“When the identical sort of add-on will be priced anyplace between just a few kilos and a number of other dozen kilos, it raises legitimate questions on how truthful worth is being outlined and evidenced.”
If an insurer can profitably provide windscreen cowl for £5, how defensible is £70? These gaps recommend add-ons might generally be used for margin restoration in methods that aren’t all the time clear to prospects.
Why this issues now
With most motor insurance coverage now bought by PCWs, these platforms play an more and more influential function in shaping buyer journeys. Their design decisions have an effect on how data is offered, what prospects evaluate and the way worth is known on the level of buy.
For insurers and brokers, add-ons ought to now be handled as a core a part of Client Responsibility compliance – not a secondary consideration. Readability, consistency and ease are more and more aggressive benefits, not simply regulatory hygiene.
See the place you benchmark
Add-ons are not a peripheral pricing resolution. They’re a visual take a look at of truthful worth, transparency and buyer understanding.
Client Intelligence helps insurers see precisely the place their add-on pricing and buildings sit available in the market. Our benchmarking instruments present how your add-ons evaluate throughout all main PCWs, highlighting minimums, medians, outliers and up to date competitor motion.
In order for you a transparent, evidence-led view of how your add-ons stack up – and the place pricing, presentation or worth might be uncovered underneath Client Responsibility – get in contact to see the place you actually benchmark.
See how your add-ons actually evaluate
Benchmark your add-on pricing and buildings throughout all main PCWs. Determine outliers, monitor competitor motion and proof truthful worth with confidence.
