What Granite Underwriting does

Granite Underwriting is a UK specialist non-standard motor insurance distributor and managing general agent, operating as a trading name of Acorn Insurance and Financial Services Ltd (an FCA-authorised and regulated entity, registration 311873). Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Formby, Liverpool, the company focuses exclusively on drivers and motor trade customers that fall outside standard market criteria — including those with motoring convictions, criminal convictions, adverse claims histories, policy cancellations, and failed ID verification. Its portfolio spans private car, van, fleet (including taxi and commercial), motor trade, short-term impound, courier, credit hire, and self-drive hire insurance, distributed through a network of more than 200 UK brokers via dedicated ICE-powered and legacy portals with API integrations.

The company transitioned its broker portal and trading infrastructure to the ICE (InsureTech) platform in May 2025, enabling no-code product configuration, real-time payment allocation, automated cancellations, and partner API connectivity. All policies are underwritten exclusively by Haven Insurance Company Limited, which provides capacity while Granite handles broker distribution and risk selection. In March 2026, Granite extended its fleet offering with a 25+ vehicle taxi product featuring in-house claims handling and long-term agreement options.

Revenue is generated through insurance premiums on annual and short-term policies (7-day and 30-day durations) and through broker-facing fees (new business/renewal fees of £7.20-£85 per policy or vehicle, adjustment fees of £15-£25, and cancellation fees of £50-£100 depending on product line). The company also benefits from Inflexion's 2019 investment as a growth capital backer. Distribution is exclusively broker-led with no direct-to-consumer channel, and geographic coverage spans England, Scotland, and Wales (excluding Northern Ireland for motor trade).

Name

Granite Underwriting

Legal name

Acorn Insurance and Financial Services Ltd

Website

https://graniteunderwriting.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Granite Underwriting is a UK specialist non-standard motor insurance distributor, founded in 1982 and operating through 200+ brokers via the ICE platform. It serves drivers with convictions, adverse claims, and complex risks across car, van, fleet, motor trade, taxi, and courier products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Motor Insurance

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Excess/Surplus Lines (E&S) (FSAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD)

Keywords

• Non-standard motor insurance
• Specialist car insurance
• Commercial vehicle insurance
• Fleet insurance brokerage
• Taxi insurance products

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Motor Insurance Premiums: Granite Underwriting earns revenue through insurance premiums paid by policyholders across its motor insurance products including private car, van, fleet, and motor trade insurance. Policies are underwritten on an exclusive basis by Haven Insurance Company Limited. Revenue is generated from annual and short-term (7-day and 30-day) policy arrangements.
2. Broker Fees: The company charges various broker-facing fees including new business/renewal fees per policy or per vehicle, adjustment fees, and cancellation fees depending on product line and policy duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Granite Underwriting underwrites and distributes specialist non-standard motor insurance products—private car, van, fleet, motor trade, taxi fleet, courier, short-term impound, credit hire, and self-drive hire—exclusively through a network of UK insurance brokers. Operating as a trading name of Acorn Insurance and Financial Services Ltd, the company provides brokers with multi-portal access (legacy portal, SchemeServe, and ICE-powered portals) and relies on Haven Insurance Company Limited as the exclusive underwriter for all policies.

Product overview

Granite Underwriting is a specialist non-standard motor insurance provider offering a portfolio of insurance products designed for drivers and businesses that fall outside standard market criteria. The product range includes four core products: Car Insurance (for private drivers aged 23+ with non-standard profiles including convictions and previous claims), Van Insurance (for commercial vehicles up to 3.5T GVW), Fleet Insurance (for fleets of 3+ vehicles including taxi, commercial, credit hire, and self-drive hire), and Motor Trade Insurance (for mechanics, retailers, and traders). The portfolio also includes specialized sub-products such as 25+ Vehicle Taxi Fleet Insurance, Short-Term Impound Insurance (30-day release policies), Courier/Fast Food Delivery Insurance, and support for high-risk vehicle categories. All products are distributed through a broker network and accessed via online portals and the ICE trading platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Car Insurance Non-standard private car insurance for drivers aged 23+ with complex driving histories, convictions, or high-risk profiles. Cover levels: Comprehensive, Third Party Fire & Theft, and Third Party Only. Distributed via UK brokers.
• Van Insurance Commercial vehicle insurance for drivers aged 23+ with vehicles up to 3.5T GVW. Supports SDP, commuting, carriage of own goods, hire & reward, and 30-day impound cover. Accommodates factors not considered by standard providers.
• Fleet Insurance Fleet insurance covering cars, MPVs, minibuses, vans, and lorries up to 7.5 tonnes GVW. Includes Minifleet (3+ vehicles) and standard fleet (10+ vehicles). Covers taxi, commercial, credit hire, and self-drive hire fleets. Cover levels: Comprehensive, Third-Party Fire & Theft, and Third Party Only.
• Motor Trade Insurance Flexible motor trade insurance for mechanics, retailers, home traders, valeters, bodywork specialists, recovery operators, tyre fitters, MOT test stations, and auto electricians. Road risk cover for drivers aged 25+ and associated liability risks. Considers customers with adverse credit, adverse claims, and criminal convictions (excluding terrorism). UK Motor Traders excluding Northern Ireland.
• 25+ Vehicle Taxi Fleet Insurance Specialist taxi fleet insurance for UK operators with 25+ vehicles, covering taxis, chauffeurs, minibuses, public hire, and private hire vehicles. Includes in-house claims management, optional long-term agreements, and coverage for complex risks.
• Short-Term Impound Insurance 30-day policy providing third-party coverage to release impounded vehicles, with same-day document issuance. Positioned as a stop-gap solution while customers arrange longer-term policies. Accessed via the SchemeServe portal.
• Courier Insurance Fast food delivery insurance for drivers working with Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo. Multidrop, unlimited radius policy for courier and private cars, for drivers aged 21+.
• Credit Hire Insurance Fleet insurance for credit hire companies covering the provision of replacement vehicles.
• Self-Drive Hire Insurance Fleet insurance for self-drive hire outfits providing vehicles for self-drive rental purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 brokers trust Granite Underwriting across the UK
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Taxi Fleet OperatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 March 2026Partnership with taxi fleet operators (25+ vehicles) for the new taxi fleet insurance product. Operators benefit from expanded capacity, in-house claims team support, and optional long-term agreements for reduced costs and improved claims handling.
• ICE (InsureTech)coreTechnology or Integration · 21 May 2025ICE provides the technology platform powering Granite Underwriting's new broker portals and enhanced trading capabilities. Features include real-time payment allocation, automated cancellations and direct debit defaults, no-code product configuration, and robust API integration to portals and partner systems.
• Haven Insurance Company LimitedcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHaven Insurance underwrites all Granite Underwriting policies on an exclusive basis. This is a core partnership where Haven provides the underwriting capacity and financial backing while Granite handles broker distribution and risk selection for non-standard motor insurance products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aviva UK: Major UK general insurer offering motor alongside home, life and commercial lines; competes with Granite in standard and adjacent non-standard motor through broader distribution.
• LV= (Liverpool Victoria): UK general insurer headquartered near Liverpool with motor, home and life products; competes with Granite for non-standard UK motor customers through broker and direct channels.
• Admiral Group: Multi-brand UK motor insurer (Admiral, Bell, Diamond, elephant.co.uk) operating price-comparison-led distribution with non-standard and standard offerings, competing for the same end drivers.
• Direct Line Group: Major UK motor and home insurer with significant non-standard exposure via Direct Line and Churchill brands; broad incumbent competing for the same specialist motor customer pool.
• Ageas UK: UK general insurer offering motor alongside home and commercial lines, with broker distribution that overlaps with Granite's intermediary channel.

Direct peers

• Markerstudy Group: UK MGA group specialising in non-standard motor and broker-distributed specialty lines, with comparable claims-handling operations and a similar product breadth across personal and commercial motor.
• Swinton Group: UK broker-led motor insurance distributor with a non-standard specialty offering, comparable multi-product portfolio (car, van, fleet) and similar reliance on intermediary relationships.
• Highway Insurance: UK non-standard motor insurance provider operating through brokers, focused on drivers with convictions and adverse histories — directly overlapping Granite's core customer segment and product profile.
• Quote Detective: UK specialist broker partner of Granite that also distributes comparable non-standard motor via API integrations — illustrative of the broker-distribution competitive set in this niche.
• Sabre Insurance Group: LSE-listed UK non-standard motor insurer with a comparable broker-distributed MGA model, similar specialist focus on higher-risk drivers, and overlapping product set across car and van.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/granite-underwriting-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Granite Underwriting