What A-Plan Insurance does

A-Plan Insurance is a UK private insurance broker operating under the trading name Howden Insurance, headquartered in Witney, England. The company matches individual, private-client, small-business, and student customers with specialist insurance providers through a panel of more than 200 products spanning car, van, motorcycle, taxi, home, contents, landlord, holiday home, life, health, travel, boat, caravan and motorhome, golf, aviation, student, farm and estate, and small-business lines. Distribution runs through a UK-wide local branch network, telephone sales, and online quote forms, with claims and renewals supported by branch staff.

The platform is a broker intermediary rather than a carrier: technology is built around proprietary broker systems for quote generation, policy management, and claims handling, accessed via the howdeninsurance.co.uk website, branch offices, and two published phone lines. Revenue is commission-based, earned from insurers on placed and renewed policies, with annual billing cycles and quote-based pricing reflecting individual risk profiles. The business is FCA-regulated, privately held under A-Plan Holdings, has 501–1,000 employees, and includes Haven Knox-Johnston as a wholly-owned subsidiary providing specialist marine and boat insurance. Recent recognition includes Insurance Broker of the Decade at the 2024 British Insurance Awards and the Insurance Times Industry Achiever Award 2024.

Name

A-Plan Insurance

Legal name

A-Plan Holdings

Website

https://aplan.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A-Plan Insurance, trading as Howden Insurance, is a privately held UK insurance broker intermediating over 200 personal, private-client, small-business, and specialist insurance products through a national branch network, phone, and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• Personal lines insurance
• Commercial lines insurance
• Specialist insurance products
• UK insurance broker

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commission: Revenue generated through commissions from insurance providers when policies are placed and renewed. As a broker, they earn commission from insurers for bringing and retaining business on their panels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A-Plan Insurance operates as a UK insurance broker (trading as Howden Insurance) that intermediates between individual consumers, private clients, and small businesses and a panel of over 200 specialist insurance providers. The company distributes policies across motor, home, leisure, life and health, travel, student, and farm and estate categories through local branches, phone, and online quote channels, earning commission on placed and renewed policies. It does not underwrite insurance itself but matches customer risk profiles to specialist insurer products and provides ongoing claims support.

Product overview

A-Plan Insurance (trading as Howden Insurance) is an insurance broker platform providing a comprehensive portfolio of over 200 insurance products across personal, business, and specialist categories. The offering operates as a multi-product insurance broker rather than a single unified platform, with core products (Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Van Insurance, Motorcycle Insurance, Taxi Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Travel Insurance, Boat Insurance, Aviation Insurance, Golf Insurance, and Small Business Insurance) complemented by specialized product lines (Classic and Collections, Specialist Motor, Specialist Home, Caravan & Motorhome Insurance, Student Insurance, and Farm & Estate Insurance) and various add-on modules (Young Driver Insurance, Related Motor, Contents Insurance, Protection, Holiday Accommodation). The company acts as an intermediary, matching customers with specialist insurance providers to offer tailored, personalized coverage for complex and unique insurance needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car Insurance Mainstream motor insurance covering standard vehicle coverage, with options for various driver profiles and vehicle types, placed via the broker's panel of specialist insurers.
• Van Insurance Van insurance policies for individual and business use, including modified van coverage, placed with specialist providers.
• Home Insurance Comprehensive home insurance covering buildings and contents for homeowners, with high-value and specialist home variants.
• Motorcycle Insurance Motorcycle, moped, and trike insurance policies placed with specialist providers.
• Taxi Insurance Flexible taxi insurance for individual drivers and fleet operators, covering private hire and public hire vehicles.
• Boat Insurance Bespoke boat insurance and marine trade insurance provided through subsidiary Haven Knox-Johnston, covering leisure and commercial marine risks.
• Aviation Insurance Aviation insurance coverage for personal aircraft and related aviation needs.
• Caravan & Motorhome Insurance Caravan, motorhome, campervan, static caravan, and park home insurance placed with specialist leisure providers.
• Golf Insurance Specialist golf insurance including golf buggy and golf pro shop coverage.
• Life Insurance Life insurance products including family income benefit, inheritance tax planning, and over-50s cover.
• Health Insurance Health, private medical, critical illness, income protection, mortgage insurance, and personal accident cover.
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance providing coverage for personal travel needs.
• Classic and Collections Insurance Specialist insurance for classic cars, classic motorbikes, classic multi-car, hot rods, custom cars, military vehicles, and vehicle clubs.
• Specialist Motor Insurance Specialist motor cover including modified cars, 4x4/off-road, American and import cars, car collections, driving instructor, electric, Japanese import, kit and replica, high performance, horsebox, over-50s/70s, and track day policies.
• Specialist Home Insurance Specialist home insurance for buy-to-let, listed property, non-standard construction, flood risk, thatched, timber framed, subsidence, and unoccupied property.
• Student Insurance Student-specific insurance covering student car, student contents, gadgets and possessions, bicycle, laptop, mobile phone, and tablet.
• Farm & Estate Insurance Rural insurance including equine, livestock, rural home and contents, rural motor, shoot cancellation, smallholding, tractor, and farm estate coverage.
• Small Business Insurance Commercial insurance for small businesses including motor fleet, commercial property, and liability coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51% of clients saved an average of £402 when switching at renewal (based on 1,630 car and 889 home insurance clients, Aug 2025 - Jan 2026)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Haven Knox-JohnstoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaven Knox-Johnston is featured as a specialist provider for bespoke boat insurance and marine trade insurance products through the Howden platform, providing specialist marine and yacht insurance expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aston Lark: One of the UK's largest independent insurance brokers offering personal, commercial, and specialist lines through offices across the UK. Comparable scale and full-service retail broker model with growing specialist capabilities.
• Adrian Flux: UK specialist insurance broker focused on niche personal and motor risks (classic cars, modified vehicles, high-performance, imported cars). Highly comparable to A-Plan's specialist motor and classic/collections product lines for hard-to-place risks.
• Towergate Insurance Brokers: Large UK multi-line insurance broker offering personal, commercial, and specialist lines through a branch and advisor network. Directly comparable as a UK-domiciled retail broker with broad product breadth and local presence.
• Saga Insurance: UK insurance provider focused on the over-50s segment offering car, home, travel, and health cover. Comparable to A-Plan's 'over 50s' and over-70s motor product lines and similar affinity-based customer positioning.
• Swinton Insurance: One of the UK's largest high-street insurance brokers historically focused on personal lines (motor, home) with branch-led distribution. Directly comparable as a multi-product retail insurance intermediary serving UK consumers through both physical and digital channels.
• Cavendish Online Insurance: UK online insurance broker offering personal and commercial products across multiple providers. Comparable as a UK multi-provider broker model, though A-Plan differentiates via branch distribution versus Cavendish's primarily digital go-to-market.
• Alan & Thomas Insurance Brokers: UK specialist insurance broker covering marine, aviation, commercial, and high-net-worth personal lines. Comparable specialist-niche overlap, particularly with A-Plan's marine offering via Haven Knox-Johnston and aviation insurance line.

Broad incumbents

• LV= (Liverpool Victoria): UK mutual insurance provider offering life, health, motor, home, and travel insurance through a mix of direct and broker channels. Overlaps A-Plan's life & health brokerage activity and competes for similar personal-lines customers.
• Direct Line Group: UK-listed personal-lines insurance group operating direct-to-consumer brands (Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege, Green Flag). Operates broadly in the same UK personal insurance market but uses proprietary direct distribution rather than broking intermediaries, representing both a competitor and a potential carrier for A-Plan.

Others

• Compare the Market: UK price-comparison website enabling consumers to compare personal insurance products across providers. Not a broker, but a primary substitute distribution channel that competes for the same UK consumers seeking car, home, and other personal-lines cover; an important strategic pressure point for traditional branch-based brokers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aplaninsurance
• Facebookfacebook.com/829198830425748
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howden-rural

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 A-Plan Insurance