Hastings Group reports first half year results 2026

Hastings Group (‘Hastings’), one of the leading UK P&C digital insurance providers and part of the Sampo Group (‘Sampo’), reports today on performance for the six months ended 30 June 2026.

Toby van der Meer, Group CEO, commented:

"Hastings has delivered a strong first half of 2026, achieving further customer growth while maintaining pricing discipline. Live customer policies increased to 4.8 million, up 13% year-on-year, supported by targeted growth in selected motor and home insurance segments, and strong customer retention.  After falling for much of 2025, market prices for car insurance have stabilised during the second quarter. In this environment, Hastings' gross written premiums grew 4% year on year.

We have continued to invest to become the UK's best digital insurer. We have introduced further enhancements to our mobile app, making it even easier for customers to manage their insurance when and where it suits them. Alongside these digital improvements, we remain focused on being there when customers need us most, whether that's providing a range of products to suit their needs, make changes to their policy, or supporting them through a claim. Strong customer satisfaction scores reflect the positive impact of this continued investment and our ongoing commitment to delivering great service.

29,911 people were killed or seriously injured on UK roads in 2025. Unfortunately, almost every day our claims teams see the serious impact that car and home insurance accidents can have on the families involved. I’m very proud of the incredible work done by these teams to help customers and others impacted in these situations. We also continue to focus on providing driving safety feedback, particularly to younger drivers, and working with Brake, the road safety charity, to help victims of serious accidents, as well as to support initiatives to make UK roads safer. 

I would like to thank colleagues across Hastings for their continued commitment, professionalism and dedication throughout the first half of 2026. Their efforts have been instrumental in supporting our customers, delivering strong business performance and making a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate."

Financial highlights

Strong performance for the six months ended 30 June 2026, including:

• Live customer policies (‘LCP’) increased 13% year-on-year to 4.8 million, driven by growth across both Motor and Home insurance through targeted new business expansion and improved customer retention. Motor policies increased 13%, while Home policies grew 14%.
• Gross written premium and brokerage income increased 4% year-on-year to £1,300.9m (2025: £1,245.9m), driven by higher policy volumes as more customers chose Hastings, partially offset by lower average premiums.
• Operating ratio¹ remained strong, rising slightly to 89.6% (2025: 88.4%), reflecting a modest increase in claims frequency, partly offset by a reduction in the cost ratio, demonstrating our continued focus on efficiency while supporting customers when they need us most.
• The increase in operating ratio on marginally higher net insurance revenue resulted in a stable underwriting result² of £95.3m (2025: £94.3m).

Strategic and operational initiatives

Noteworthy progress continues to be made on strategic and operational initiatives:

• Continued development of our pricing and analytics capabilities, including the rollout of new pricing models for key motor segments (young drivers, electric vehicles), alongside advanced data science techniques that are improving pricing accuracy, customer value and conversion rates.
• Improved efficiency in claims management through greater automation and expanded digital journeys, enabling customers to access support quickly, reducing processing times and delivering efficiency savings ahead of plan.
• Continued expansion of our telematics programme, supporting competitive pricing for our customers and building safer driving habits.
• Further investment in digital self-service, including new mobile app features, a revamped user interface and expanded in-app Messenger support, making it easier for customers to manage their insurance. Messenger now handles 35% of all customer contacts, providing faster, more convenient support when customers need it.
• Launched “Here to Save” our new brand campaign, that combines the Company’s heritage with a fresh, modern identity, championing our commitments to helping customers save time, money and hassle, every day.

Our colleagues and communities

Continuing to build a sustainable and inclusive culture for our colleagues and communities:

• Supported over 1,000 colleagues through Customer Service training as part of our wider Market Leading Customer Experience programme, helping to strengthen service delivery, build colleague capability, and drive good customer outcomes.
• Invested in future talent and career development by supporting 23 graduates to successfully complete their two-year programme and move into permanent roles across the business.
• Expanded opportunities for young people through our new partnership with Code Camp and continued support of the Futuready programme, helping students build coding, employability and career skills for the future.
• Strengthened our inclusive culture through the launch of our Ethnicity & Culture Network, creating opportunities for colleagues to share experiences, celebrate diversity and foster a greater sense of belonging.
• Supported our ambition to make UK roads safer by continuing our partnership with Brake and donating car seats to Baby Basics in Leicester and Bexhill, helping families in need while improving child passenger safety.
• Raised over £197,000 for local charities and good causes, while colleagues volunteered more than 7,395 hours to support local communities.
• Advanced our sustainability ambitions by equipping Supplier Relationship Managers with the knowledge and tools to collaborate on environmental improvements and help reduce Scope 3 emissions.
• Inspired collective action for people and the environment through our biggest-ever Go Green and Community event, encouraging colleagues to support sustainability and community initiatives, generating hundreds of pledges and raising money for charity.

Ends
 

For more information, please contact pr@hastingsdirect.com

¹Operating ratio is calculated with claims and operational costs over insurance and other revenue.

²Underwriting result is net insurance revenue and other income, less claims and other operational costs.