UK insurance firms face growing trust gap as customers question claims, renewals and use of AI.

Insurance providers are facing a growing Trust Gap as consumers question claims outcomes, renewal communications, and the increasing use of AI. That’s according to new research from customer engagement platform MaxContact.

The company’s Voice of the UK Consumer 2026 report highlights growing concerns around some of the most important customer interactions in insurance. While the sector has one of the highest trust ratings of any industry, consumers report very different experiences when making a claim, discussing a renewal or seeking information about their cover.

Key findings from the report include

• Consumers trust human agents almost twice as much as AI chatbots for policy information, with trust levels of 73% compared with 37%. This was the largest gap in trust between humans and AI recorded in the study.
• Insurance has one of the highest trust scores of any sector, at 93.8%. Only banking (95.9%), online retail (94.8%) and telecoms were rated higher (94.3%).
• However, it also has the second highest call avoidance rate, with 25% of consumers saying it is the sector they would be least likely to answer a call from.
• One third (33%) of insurance customers say they have felt unfairly treated during a claim or dispute.
• 33% say renewal contact feels informational but with a clear commercial push to renew, while 24% view it primarily as a sales-focused call. Only 23% say renewal contact feels like a genuine attempt to help them understand their options and get the right cover.

The findings reveal a growing Trust Gap between insurers' strong reputations and customers' real-life experiences.

Despite being one of the most trusted sectors in the UK, insurance also recorded the second-highest call avoidance rate in the study, with one in four consumers saying they would be unlikely to answer a call from an insurer. This suggests that trust alone is no longer enough to guarantee engagement. For an industry that relies on customer contact during claims, renewals and policy servicing, this level of avoidance represents a significant engagement challenge.

MaxContact believe that trust is no longer measured solely by brand reputation, but by how customers experience each individual touchpoint. Despite high levels of trust in insurers overall, consumers are increasingly forming opinions based on claims handling, renewals, customer service interactions, and other moments of direct engagement.

One in three insurance customers feel unfairly treated during claims

Claims handling remains one of the most important moments in the customer journey, and the research suggests it is also one of the most challenging from a trust perspective.

While insurance is built on a promise of supporting customers when things go wrong, one in three consumers (33%) say they have felt unfairly treated during a claim or dispute. Just 22% say they experienced both fair treatment and a satisfactory outcome.

MaxContact’s research indicates that customer confidence is influenced by more than just claim outcomes. A customer's sense of fairness is shaped not only by the outcome of a claim, but also by how the process is communicated and managed.

To prevent the Trust Gap widening during any claims processes, insurers should proactively enhance their claims communication processes, offer transparent and detailed explanations regarding outcomes, and establish a clear and accessible escalation pathway for complaints.

The renewal process is where customer trust is most fragile

The report also highlights concerns around insurance renewals, one of the sector's most commercially important interactions. While renewal contact is often intended to inform customers about their options, many consumers perceive the experience differently.

One third (33%) see renewal contact as informational but commercially driven, while nearly a quarter (24%) say it feels like a sales call. Only 23% believe renewal discussions represent a genuine attempt to help them find the right policy for their needs. Worryingly, 7% say the renewal process feels pressuring, as though they’re being discouraged from shopping around.

These findings suggest that insurers should think carefully about how renewal conversations are structured. To help retain customer trust, MaxContact recommends that insurers should audit their renewal communications against a "genuine help" standard and design conversations around the customer's actual circumstances rather than the policy renewal itself.

Insurance customers still trust people more than AI

Even though AI is increasingly used in the insurance industry, most consumers still trust human agents much more when looking for information about their policy choices.

MaxContact’s research found that 73% trust a human agent for insurance information, compared with just 37% who trust an AI chatbot. This represents the largest gap between human and AI trust recorded anywhere in the study.

While 67% of insurance customers say they would be comfortable with AI handling the first stage of a claim, 46% said it was only acceptable if a human takes over quickly. This cautious approach from consumers suggests that insurers should prioritise clear escalation journeys to help maintain consumer trust throughout the claims process.

The wider report also found that 88% of consumers believe companies should clearly disclose when AI is being used, while more than one in five consumers who had interacted with AI only realised afterwards that automation had been involved. This highlights a broader issue around transparency and customer confidence.

Commenting on the findings, Ben Booth, CEO of MaxContact, says:

"What's striking about our research is that insurance is one of the most trusted sectors in our study, yet it also has the second highest call avoidance rate, with one in four consumers saying they would be unlikely to answer a call from an insurer. That's a clear sign that trust in a brand doesn't automatically translate into customer engagement."

"Claims, renewals and customer service interactions are often the moments where that trust is tested. They're the make-or-break moments where customers form their strongest impressions of an insurer, and the findings suggest that confidence can quickly weaken when those interactions don't meet expectations."

Ben believes these findings reflect a much wider Trust Gap emerging across multiple industries.

He adds:

“The Trust Gap is one of the most important findings in the report. Consumers generally trust the organisations they deal with, but they're becoming less confident in the interactions themselves. Whether it's a claim outcome, a renewal conversation or an AI-assisted service, people want transparency, fairness and confidence that they're being treated properly."

 “Trust is no longer something that's built through branding alone. It's increasingly earned through every single interaction that a customer has with an organisation. The insurers that close this Trust Gap will be the ones who communicate clearly, support customers when they need help and make every touchpoint feel transparent and trustworthy."

To download a copy of the Voice of the UK Consumer 2026 report, please visit MaxContact.

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Editors notes

MaxContact is the AI-powered customer engagement platform that transforms customer conversations into measurable business outcomes. Built around industry-leading intelligent dialling technology and smart automation, we help teams connect with the right customers at the right time, while AI-powered capabilities drive consistent performance improvements. Our platform delivers exceptional results - from 200-300% increases in contact rates to doubling sales teams conversion rates. Whether driving sales, improving retention, or optimising debt recovery, MaxContact empowers businesses to scale performance predictably. Trusted by growing companies handling millions of interactions annually and backed by 5-star UK-based support, MaxContact proves that smart technology amplifies human potential rather than replacing it.