Aviva

Aviva is one of the biggest names in UK insurance and long-term savings. The company states that 21.7 million people in the UK trust it with "the things that matter most" (as of February 2026), and it says it has been protecting people's homes for 325 years¹. Its range stretches well beyond home and car cover: life insurance, critical illness and income protection, health insurance, personal accident cover, workplace and personal pensions, annuities, stocks and shares ISAs, a self-invested personal pension (SIPP), a general Investment Account, and equity release for homeowners aged 55 and over¹.

Aviva is also a big player behind other brands. It underwrites home insurance sold by Nationwide³, and its sister brand Quotemehappy sells app-based car insurance as "a member of the Aviva family"⁴. In equity release it says it has helped more than 300,000 customers release over £11.9 billion from their homes over more than 25 years².

What Aviva offers: insurance, pensions, investments and equity release

Aviva's business splits into four broad areas, and most customers deal with it in one of them.

Insurance. Home, motor and specialist vehicle cover, plus travel, healthcare, home emergency, gadget and legal expenses insurance for individuals, and cover for businesses¹⁰. It also sells health insurance and a range of personal accident products, including the Aviva Signature Accidental Death insurance, Accidental Permanent Injury insurance and Hospital Cash Plan¹¹.

Protection. Life insurance, Over 50s life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection, which pay out on death, serious illness or inability to work¹².

Pensions and retirement. Workplace pensions, personal pensions including the Aviva SIPP, and annuities. Aviva says it takes care of more than 1 million annuities¹⁴.

Investments. A stocks and shares ISA, the Aviva SIPP and a general Investment Account, holding shares, funds, ETFs and investment trusts¹⁵.

Equity release. Lifetime mortgages for homeowners aged 55 and over, releasing money tied up in a property².

If you are comparing a product type rather than a brand, the section guides on insurance, protection insurance, pensions, investing and ISAs explain how each market works. Aviva also underwrites policies sold under other brands: Nationwide's home insurance is underwritten by Aviva³, so Aviva can appear on documents for a policy you bought elsewhere.

Life insurance, critical illness and income protection

Aviva's protection range covers the three main risks to a household's income: death, serious illness and being unable to work. Life insurance pays a lump sum to family or dependants when the person insured dies; the Aviva Over 50s Life Insurance is a variant designed for older applicants without a medical questionnaire. Critical illness cover pays out on diagnosis of a specified serious illness, and Aviva's Critical Illness Plan can be claimed by phone on 0800 015 1142 or by online form¹³. Income protection replaces part of your income if illness or injury stops you working, and Aviva says that when you need to claim "you can start online or give us a call"¹⁸.

Two features are worth knowing about at the point of buying rather than at claim time:

• Writing a policy in trust. Aviva Trusts are available with a Life Insurance Plan or Over 50s life insurance, but not with a Critical Illness Plan or Free Parent Life Cover. A trust aims to pay the proceeds directly to the people you choose, outside your estate¹².
• Joint policies. On a joint Aviva Critical Illness Plan, if one person dies the policy still covers the other person¹³. Aviva also offers a Survivor Trust for joint life insurance policies, except critical illness cover¹².

Claims for life insurance, critical illness cover, waiver of premium and income protection each have their own claim route, and policy details and claims can be viewed in MyAviva¹⁸. How protection insurance works generally, including the differences between the types of cover and what they exclude, is set out in the guide to protection insurance.

Home, car and specialist vehicle insurance

Aviva says it has been insuring cars for over 100 years¹⁹. Its Signature car insurance comes in two levels: Comprehensive Car, covering accidental damage, fire and theft, and Third Party Fire and Theft¹⁹. Comprehensive policies add benefits the cheaper level does not, such as vehicle recovery after an accident, transport for you and your passengers, and help with overnight accommodation, with geographical restrictions applying¹⁹.

Beyond standard car insurance, Aviva sells:

• Aviva Zero, an app-based car insurance aimed at lower-emission vehicles, where most customers can view and change their policy, upload proof of their No Claim Discount and see documents in MyAviva, and claims can be made online²⁰.
• Performance car insurance, for high-powered and modified vehicles¹⁹.
• Campervan and motorhome insurance, where Aviva says it has over 30 years of experience and offers cover with its partner, Comfort Insurance⁹.
• Quotemehappy Connect, app-based car cover from Quotemehappy, a member of the Aviva family⁴. The General Accident brand is also part of Aviva's history: General Accident appears among the former names of Aviva's general insurance business on the FCA Register⁵.

For home insurance, Aviva handles claims around the clock: its general claims line is 0800 028 0038, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or 01603 603 744 from outside the UK⁹. Boiler, breakdown and heating claims have a dedicated number, 0345 300 3346, and legal services claims 0800 096 5850²¹. If your home insurance renews with Aviva even though you bought it from a bank or building society, that is because Aviva underwrites it: Nationwide's home insurance is underwritten by Aviva³. How home and car insurance work, what affects the price and what to check at renewal is covered in the insurance guide.

Investing with Aviva: ISAs, SIPPs and the Investment Account

Aviva's investment platform offers three account types: a Stocks and Shares ISA, a self-invested personal pension (the Aviva SIPP) and a general Investment Account, which Aviva says you can set up in minutes¹⁵. The same range of investments sits inside each:

• Funds: over 5,000 funds to choose from in the SIPP, either picking your own or using ready-made options¹⁶.
• ETFs: over 900 exchange-traded funds²².
• Investment trusts: over 100 trusts¹⁵.
• Shares: individual UK and overseas shares, traded in real time with the option of limit orders to set your price target¹⁵.

The Aviva SIPP is a pension you control yourself: Aviva describes it as saving "for retirement with control over where your money is invested", with options including stocks and shares, funds, ETFs and commercial property¹⁶. If choosing from thousands of funds feels daunting, Aviva offers ready-made fund options chosen after answering a few questions about your goals¹⁶.

For investors who want their money to avoid certain industries, Aviva has an Investment Preference Tool. Which? describes it as allowing you "to choose which types of company, for example, high-impact fossil fuels or unfair employment practices, to exclude from the funds"²³. How ISAs, pensions and investing work in general is explained in the guides to ISAs, investing and pensions.

How the Aviva Charge and dealing fees work

Aviva's platform charges work on a simple structure, and it is worth understanding each part before you open an account.

The Aviva Charge is the platform's ongoing fee. Aviva describes it as "a straightforward fee based on the value of your investments"¹⁵, charged as a percentage each year. It applies only to money held in investments, not to cash held on the platform²⁴. The current percentage, and the value above which the charge stops or reduces, are set out on Aviva's own charging pages, which is where to check today's figures before you invest.

Dealing fees apply when you buy or sell shares, ETFs or investment trusts, charged as a flat fee per trade¹⁵.

Other costs sit outside Aviva's own charges. Foreign exchange charges may apply when you invest overseas¹⁵, and the funds and trusts you hold each take their own internal costs, which are shown in each fund's documents rather than by Aviva.

Practical points about trading: the platform operates when the market is open, usually 8am until 4:30pm Monday to Friday, and if you sell, the money settles in your account after two days¹⁵. If you hold investments through Aviva and want to talk about charges, its platform contact number is 0800 404 9942²⁴.

Pensions: workplace, personal and older policies

Many people hold an Aviva pension without having chosen it, because their employer's workplace pension is with Aviva. Through an online account, workplace pension members can check their pension value and transaction history, see their pension documents, change their details, switch funds and see their performance, make single payments and manage their beneficiaries⁸.

For personal pensions applied for by phone, post or in person, MyAviva lets you check your pension value, change your retirement age or beneficiaries, and change or make payments⁸. At retirement, Aviva sells annuities, which convert a pension pot into a guaranteed income, and it says it is trusted to take care of more than 1 million annuities¹⁴. If your pension is with another provider and you want to talk to Aviva about an annuity, the number is 0800 051 4003¹⁴.

Older policies. Aviva absorbed several former insurers, most notably Friends Life, so you may hold an "ex-Friends Life" pension or an older policy from firms such as Royal Scottish Assurance or National Westminster Life Assurance, which transferred to Aviva²⁵. What you can do with these depends on the policy:

• If you have an Aviva or ex-Friends Life pension, you may be able to switch funds online with MyAviva, or call 0800 145 5744²⁶.
• Some ex-Friends Life funds can only be changed by sending instructions by post, with all legal owners and trustees signing written instructions²⁵.

The pensions guide explains the different types of pension, how to trace lost ones and what your options are at retirement.

Lifetime mortgages: how Aviva's equity release works

Equity release lets homeowners aged 55 or over turn part of the value of their home into cash without moving out. Aviva offers only one type: the lifetime mortgage, a loan secured on your home which is repaid when you die or move into long-term care. Aviva states plainly that it "only provide[s] lifetime mortgages and do[es] not offer home reversion plans", the other main type of equity release²⁷.

The entry conditions are that you are a UK homeowner aged 55 or over and your property is worth at least £75,000². The process is adviser-led rather than something you can complete alone:

Aviva is clear that "equity release is a major financial commitment, so you must take financial advice before you apply for it with us", and the adviser provides a personalised illustration before anything is signed²⁸. If you come to Aviva directly, you do not pay a separate advice fee for the initial appointment; instead Aviva pays the adviser commission once the mortgage completes, and an advice fee applies to later further borrowing²⁹. An adviser you contact through Aviva can only advise on Aviva's own lifetime mortgage and cannot recommend one from another provider²⁹. Aviva says it only suggests a lifetime mortgage for around a quarter of the people it speaks to, and it has been offering them since 1998²⁹.

Two protections matter here. First, all Aviva lifetime mortgages carry a no negative equity guarantee: "you'll never have to pay back more than the best price your home can reasonably be sold for"³⁰. Second, Aviva is a long-standing member of the Equity Release Council, the industry body set up in 1991 to protect people taking equity release, and says it is committed to upholding its standards³⁰. Equity release reduces what you leave behind and can affect benefits and tax, so read the mortgages guide and take advice before committing.

Managing policies with MyAviva, the app and by phone

MyAviva is the online account for most Aviva policies. Most customers can use it to view policy information and cover details, and get access to helplines and contact information²⁰. For pensions it also covers values, retirement age, beneficiaries and payments⁸; for Aviva Zero car insurance it handles policy changes, No Claim Discount proof and documents²⁰; and critical illness policy details and claims can be managed there too¹³.

To register you set up an account at aviva.co.uk using details from your policy, then log in with your email and password. Aviva's app complements the website: health insurance customers can use the Aviva Digital GP app to get a referral, and claims can be started online or by phone across most products³¹. A few things still need the phone or the post: some ex-Friends Life fund switches require signed written instructions²⁵, and Aviva notes that calls may be recorded or monitored²⁹.

Making a claim and what to have ready

Aviva runs a general claims line on 0800 028 0038, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or 01603 603 744 from outside the UK⁹. Many claims can also be started online, through MyAviva or an online claim form¹⁸. The main routes:

• Life insurance: tell Aviva by phone or online. Before starting, have ready the name of the person who has died or making the terminal illness claim, how you are related to them, the cause of death or details of the terminal illness, the policy number and your contact details³².
• Critical illness: notify a claim by calling 0800 015 1142 or completing the online form¹³.
• Income protection: start your claim online or by phone. Aviva says it connects claimants with "dedicated case managers, vocational rehabilitation consultants and specialist clinicians" alongside the claim¹⁸.
• Health insurance: four steps: ask a GP for a referral (or use the Aviva Digital GP app), start the claim in MyAviva or by phone, tell Aviva about further treatment referrals, and Aviva pays approved bills directly with your healthcare provider³¹.
• Hospital Cash Plan: call 0800 051 5175, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm; payment goes to the insured person, or a parent or guardian if under 16¹¹.
• Home, boiler and legal: home claims can be started online; boiler, breakdown and heating claims on 0345 300 3346 and legal services claims on 0800 096 5850²¹.

If you are struggling to pay premiums on a protection policy, contact Aviva rather than letting the policy lapse silently: claim routes and support options exist across life, critical illness, waiver of premium and income protection¹⁸.

Complaints and service record

Aviva publishes its complaints data, which gives a picture of how often things go wrong. In the first half of 2026, its general insurance business opened 54,710 complaints and closed 53,482, a rate of 2.91 per 1,000 policies in force. Of those closed, 52.7% were upheld in the customer's favour, and the main cause of complaints was general administration and customer service¹⁰.

On speed, 37.4% of general insurance complaints were closed within three days, and 60.2% more were closed within eight weeks¹⁰. In home finance, the main cause of complaints was disputes over sums or charges³³. On service, Aviva's Signature car insurance shows a customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 1,663 reviews¹⁹.

If you need to complain, contact Aviva first: it must respond within set timescales, and if you are not satisfied you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free. The rules and your rights are set out in the guide to consumer protection.

Scams using the Aviva name and how to report them

Aviva warns that it is aware "of several scams using the Aviva name or logo at the moment, where emails or text messages look to have come from Aviva"³⁴. The scams it names include fake bond and ISA websites, especially those offering temptingly high returns, fake phone numbers, recruitment scams and pension scams³⁴.

If you receive a suspicious email or text:

1. Do not reply, click any links, or enter any personal information including payment card details³⁴.
2. Mark the email as junk and delete it³⁴.
3. Notify your bank as a priority if you have responded or paid³⁴.
4. Report it to Action Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk) and the National Cyber Security Centre (report@phishing.gov.uk)³⁴.

You only need to tell Aviva itself if you are a customer and you have clicked links, entered personal information or made a payment³⁴. Aviva says that if you have "even the tiniest concern" that your policy or investment has been targeted by fraudsters, it will investigate immediately³⁴. On texts, Aviva says it might text you if you have made a claim or it lacks your email address, but it does not send texts about offers³⁵. How scams work and your rights to get money back are covered in the guide to scams and fraud.

How money with Aviva is protected

Aviva's general insurance business is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and its entry can be checked on the FCA Register⁵. It appears on the Bank of England's PRA list of UK insurers authorised to carry out contracts of insurance, dated 1 September 2026⁶, and Companies House records the firm as an active company incorporated in 1891⁷. Aviva's investment businesses, including its wrap platform, are authorised and regulated by the FCA⁸. Equity release, as a regulated mortgage activity, is overseen by the FCA².

For you as a customer, this means three things. First, Aviva must follow prudential rules about the money it holds. Second, if something goes wrong you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free. Third, if the firm were to fail, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme generally steps in for consumers; what it covers, and its limits for investments, insurance and pensions, is explained in the guide to consumer protection.