comparethemarket com
Compare the Market: What It Does, How It Wins, and Where It Stands
Ever wondered why ComparetheMarket.com dominates UK price comparison sites even when it’s not always the cheapest? It’s not magic. It’s branding, smart tech, and a rewards scheme people actually care about. Here's how it stacks up—and why people keep going back.
What Compare the Market Actually Does
Compare the Market isn’t just about saving money. It’s about saving time and effort. Type in your details, and within minutes, it pulls in dozens of quotes across car, home, van, travel, pet insurance—you name it. That’s the simple pitch.
But it’s the experience that keeps people using it. There’s a saved quote feature so you don’t have to start from scratch next time. There’s AutoSergei, a kind of digital assistant that nudges you before your insurance renews and suggests a better deal. Small touches like that make switching feel like less of a chore.
The site doesn’t rank providers based on who pays more. It makes money when users complete a purchase through the platform—flat fees, not sneaky commissions. So the incentive is to convert users, not mislead them. That’s a subtle but important difference from some competitors.
The Meerkat That Took Over UK Marketing
If anyone says “Simples” in that little meerkat voice, you know exactly who they’re referencing. Compare the Market’s ad campaign featuring Aleksandr the Meerkat launched back in 2009, and it’s been pure gold ever since.
This wasn’t just a cute mascot—it was branding genius. The whole concept played on a simple misunderstanding between “market” and “meerkat.” It turned a functional tool into something people actually enjoyed engaging with.
They doubled down with things like Meerkat Movies—2-for-1 cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday—and Meerkat Meals for restaurant discounts. These perks made people associate insurance comparison with actual value after the sale. Not just saving money up front, but getting something ongoing. That's sticky marketing.
How It Stands Up Against Other Big Names
Compare the Market isn’t the only player, but it does lead the pack. MoneySuperMarket, Go.Compare, and Confused.com are the main rivals. Each has its own hook, but none has cracked the culture like Compare the Market has.
MoneySuperMarket is big on financial products—loans, credit cards, all that—and even had Snoop Dogg in their ads. Go.Compare stuck with its operatic mascot. Confused.com has rebranded a bunch of times, but still can’t shake the feeling that it’s chasing rather than leading.
In terms of market share—especially for motor insurance—Compare the Market smokes the rest. Over half of all online motor insurance quotes in the UK go through them. The next biggest player is at less than 15%.
Here’s what’s wild though: their quotes often aren’t the cheapest. On average, their car insurance quotes sit at around £665, while Go.Compare lands closer to £597. People pay a bit more—voluntarily—because the experience is smooth, the brand is trusted, and they know there’s a free coffee or cinema ticket coming.
Yes, They Had a Run-In With the Regulator
Back in 2017, the CMA looked into whether Compare the Market was blocking insurers from offering lower prices elsewhere. That’s a big no-no. In 2020, they got hit with a £17.9 million fine.
But that’s not where the story ends. In 2023, the tribunal reversed the decision and told the CMA to refund £6 million in costs. It didn’t exactly make headlines, but the brand walked away cleaner than it went in.
For a company that dominates a market and plays in the finance space, that's about as clean as it gets.
Users Actually Like It
It’s one thing to have a flashy mascot. It’s another to have people actually enjoy using your product. Compare the Market has over 96,000 reviews on Trustpilot with an average score of 4.9 out of 5. That’s not typical for financial services.
The praise tends to center around how easy the site is to use, how fast quotes come back, and how helpful the rewards are. People like not having to dig through 30 tabs. They like not worrying about renewal dates. And they like a free latte with their policy.
Some complaints do come up—usually about follow-up emails or the occasional buggy app experience. But they’re outliers.
Behind the Curtain: Who’s Running It
Compare the Market is part of BGL Group, and the CEO is Mark Bailie, who took over in 2020. He’s not a flashy operator. He’s focused on building out product lines and layering in more tech—specifically AI—to improve how the platform handles complex policies like life and health insurance.
There’s been talk of whether they’ll float on the London Stock Exchange. As of now, no IPO is planned. The CEO was pretty blunt about why: the London market doesn’t reward high-growth tech companies, so why bother?
Instead, the focus has been on growing out their non-insurance lines—broadband, energy, credit cards—without making the site feel bloated.
It’s a Moneymaker, No Question
In 2023 alone, Compare the Market pulled in £467 million in revenue and over £150 million in pre-tax profits. That’s not small change. Even more telling, they say they helped UK consumers save around £14 billion during the recent cost-of-living crunch. Whether that figure holds up to scrutiny or not, it speaks to the kind of scale they’re operating on.
They’re not scraping for ad pennies. They’re making solid margins from customers who come back again and again.
Why People Still Choose Them, Even If They're Not the Cheapest
People don't always pick the lowest number. They pick what feels safe. What feels easy. What feels like a win.
Compare the Market doesn’t just show quotes. It builds trust through consistency, ease of use, and a bit of fun. A £5-a-month saving isn’t worth the headache of re-entering your info elsewhere or guessing whether a no-name broker is reliable.
Add in the fact that you can get a free movie ticket or coffee, and the slightly higher quote feels less like a loss and more like a tradeoff.
The Bottom Line
Compare the Market figured out something most price comparison sites didn’t: people want simplicity and they love rewards. Throw in a mascot that people actually care about, and you get a platform that’s not just useful—it’s memorable.
Even when competitors come in cheaper, Compare the Market wins on trust, branding, and experience. And honestly, that’s not a small thing. That’s the whole game.
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