Business insurance · United Kingdom · Head-to-head
AXA Business UK vs Hiscox UK
Two United Kingdom business insurance options, compared side by side for United Kingdom trades.
Which should you choose?
AXA Business UK and Hiscox UK are both Tier A, which every business insurance entry without a reputation warning receives, so the tier does not separate them. Weigh the pros, cons, pricing and United Kingdom-specific notes below against your trade and region.
AXA Business UK
Tier A · ListedAXA's UK business insurance for tradespeople, bought online: pick the covers you need, from £7 a month
AXA Insurance UK plc, part of the AXA group, sells business insurance to UK tradespeople through an online quote. You choose from public liability (£1 million to £10 million depending on occupation), employers' liability, professional indemnity and business contents, with add-ons such as tools, hired-in plant, contract works, business interruption, legal expenses and cyber. AXA says it protects over 867,000 businesses.
Pros
- + Choose only the covers you need
- + Business insurance from £7 a month, by AXA's own figure
- + Trade add-ons including tools, hired-in plant, contract works and legal expenses
- + AXA says it protects over 867,000 businesses
Cons
- − AXA's £7 figure is what 10% of its customers paid or less in April-June 2026
- − Public liability limits depend on your occupation
- − No per-trade prices published; your premium comes from a quote
United Kingdom note
AXA notes that employers' liability is a legal requirement if you have any staff; it is one of the covers you select, with a £10 million limit. AXA Insurance UK plc is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA (firm reference 202312).
Hiscox UK
Tier A · ListedUK specialist insurer selling public liability, professional indemnity, employers' liability and tools cover to tradespeople online and by phone
Hiscox sells business insurance direct to UK tradespeople online and by phone, and says it has over 100 years of industry experience. Its UK companies, Hiscox Underwriting Ltd and the insurer Hiscox Insurance Company Limited, are based at 22 Bishopsgate, London and authorised by the FCA, the insurer also by the PRA. For trades it offers public liability, professional indemnity, employers' liability and tool insurance, plus cyber, legal protection, property and equipment breakdown cover, though Hiscox says not every cover is available for every trade.
Pros
- + Public liability from £5.20 a month, by Hiscox's own figure
- + Professional indemnity available alongside public liability
- + Quote online or by phone, with proof of insurance in minutes, Hiscox says
- + UK insurer authorised by the FCA and PRA
Cons
- − Employers' liability is sold only with public liability
- − Builders are referred to a partner insurer
- − Not every cover is available for every trade
- − Only a 'from' price is published; your premium comes from a quote
United Kingdom note
Hiscox notes that employers' liability is required by law when you employ staff, and it sells employers' liability only together with public liability, not on its own. It does not insure builders directly; its tradesmen page refers builders to a builders' insurance partner.
More United Kingdom options
See all United Kingdom business insurance vendors and the rest of the United Kingdom directory.