LONDON, June 27, 2026, 22:07 BST
- Admiral Group ended Friday trading at 3,524p, gaining 1.85%. FTSE 100 slipped 0.21%.
- The stock jumped roughly 8.3% this week. The FTSE 100 added about 1.4%.
- Comprehensive car insurance premiums in the UK edged up 1% to £719, posting their first quarterly increase since late 2023.
- Repair costs still matter, with ABI reporting a 3% increase in Q1 vehicle repair payouts to £1.9 billion.
Admiral Group plc (LON:ADM) gained 1.85% on Friday to close at 3,524p, putting shares just 4.4% under their 52-week high. The move marks a quick shift for the insurer, which often trades on UK motor insurance price trends. The London Stock Exchange closes weekends. Regular sessions run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in London.
Admiral shares didn’t just jump for a day. The bigger story is that Admiral rallied this week as new UK motor-premium numbers showed the first uptick in comprehensive car insurance quotes since late 2023. The Confused.com car insurance price index, using data from WTW NASDAQ:WTW, reported the average comprehensive policy at £719. That’s up £8, or 1%, in the past three months, but still 5% lower than this time last year.
Admiral ended the week up about 8.3%, rising from 3,254p at the June 19 close to 3,524p at the June 26 close. The FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) added around 1.4% during the same stretch, moving to 10,508.02 from 10,363.27. Admiral outperformed the index by roughly 6.9 percentage points.
Admiral’s earnings feel the impact from the gap between motor premiums and claims inflation more than the wider market. The stock is yielding 4.79% and trades at 13.65 times earnings, with a market cap near 10.53 billion pounds, AJ Bell data showed after Friday’s close.
Admiral warned earlier that the pricing cycle was shifting. Back in March, CFO Geraint Jones told investors, “market prices appear to have plateaued,” adding that Admiral bumped up its own motor rates in early 2026. For 2025, Admiral posted pre-tax profit of £957.9 million from continuing operations, up 16%. UK motor insurance profit hit £1.02 billion. Admiral Group Plc
Tim Rourke, EMEA P&C leader for Insurance Consulting and Technology at WTW, said the new premium data is “an inflection point” for the market. He said claims cost pressures “have not gone away,” pointing to repair cost inflation, more complex vehicles, supply chain issues and credit hire costs as the main squeezes for insurers. Insurance Edge
Premiums may not deliver for insurers if claims keep climbing. Average UK motor premiums were steady in Q1 at 560 pounds, the Association of British Insurers said. But insurers paid out 2.9 billion pounds on motor claims in the quarter, including 1.9 billion pounds on repairs, up 3% quarter-on-quarter. The average accidental damage claim jumped 8% to 3,699 pounds.
Motor insurance prices are “starting to increase slightly” after a run of declines, Matt Crole-Rees, Confused.com’s motor general manager and motor insurance expert, said. He added that drivers “could soon see their price increase” at renewal. That squeeze on consumers might let insurers raise rates, but it also means price competition is still tough on comparison sites—an area where Admiral has held up well, according to Confused.
Admiral is looking to expand beyond its core private motor business. The group wrapped up its £80 million deal for Flock on June 1, bringing in a digital fleet insurer that uses a telemetry-based approach. Emma Huntington, Admiral Pioneer’s CEO, said the acquisition should let Admiral serve fleet customers “at scale.” Flock CEO Ed Leon Klinger said the business now has a shot at “a much bigger share of the UK motor market.” Admiral Group Plc
Admiral shares ended the week at 3,524p, staying under the 52-week high of 3,686p. There’s nothing on the financial calendar until interim results drop on Aug. 6. Until then, investors are watching to see if premium hikes keep ahead of rising repair costs.
