Sabre Insurance

What Sabre Insurance does

Sabre Insurance Company Limited is a UK-domiciled motor insurer headquartered in Dorking, Surrey, listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker SBRE and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA reference 202795). Founded in 1982, the company specialises in non-standard motor insurance — underwriting drivers and vehicles that mainstream insurers typically decline, including drivers aged 17-99, modified and imported vehicles, drivers with criminal convictions, and previously cancelled policyholders — alongside commercial vehicle cover up to 3,500kg and taxi insurance. Customer benefits include a 5-year repair guarantee with lifetime paintwork guarantee, 24/7 claims reporting, dedicated UK claims handlers, courtesy vehicles, and physiotherapy services for accident injuries.

Distribution runs through two parallel channels. The primary channel is a broker network transacted via Electronic Data Interchange integration with all major UK insurance software houses (Open GI, CDL, SSP, TGSL, Applied Systems, Acturis, Datamatters). The secondary channel is direct-to-consumer through wholly-owned brands Sabre Direct, Go Girl (female drivers, with courtesy car and handbag cover as standard), Insure 2 Drive (simplified online purchase) and DriveSmart (telematics-based black-box pricing). Underlying technology spans automated underwriting and pricing engines, telematics devices capturing speed/braking/cornering/GPS data, and counter-fraud integration with CUE, MIAFTR, the Insurance Fraud Register, the National SIRA Database, DVLA, TransUnion and LexisNexis.

Sabre generates revenue by underwriting motor insurance premiums on private car, commercial vehicle and taxi policies, with policy terms of 3, 6 or 12 months. FY2025 delivered profit of £37.9M on a 19.2% net insurance margin, with gross written premiums returning to growth of 2.6% in Q4 2025 and over 5% in January–February 2026. A £5M share buyback was announced alongside results. The company's exclusive underwriting agreement with MCE Insurance (signed November 2021) extended into motorcycle, though MCE entered administration in July 2023 and creditors' voluntary liquidation in July 2025, with Sabre confirming its own operations were unaffected.

Name

Sabre Insurance

Legal name

Sabre Insurance Company Limited

Website

https://sabre.co.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sabre Insurance is a UK-listed non-standard motor insurer selling private car, commercial vehicle and taxi cover through broker EDI networks and direct brands (Sabre Direct, Go Girl, Insure 2 Drive, DriveSmart), serving drivers declined by mainstream insurers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Standard Motor Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Auto Insurance (FSAJAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Standard Personal Auto Insurance (Liability, Collision & Comprehensive) (FSAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Motor insurance
• Car insurance
• Non-standard insurance
• Telematics insurance
• Commercial vehicle insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Dorking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Motor Insurance Premiums: Sabre Insurance generates revenue primarily through underwriting motor insurance policies, collecting premiums from policyholders. The company reported full-year 2025 profit of £37.9 million with a net insurance margin of 19.2%. Revenue comes from private car, commercial vehicle, and taxi insurance products distributed through brokers and direct brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sabre Insurance is a UK-based motor insurer that underwrites and distributes non-standard private car, commercial vehicle (up to 3,500 kg), and taxi insurance policies. Its core offering is a comprehensive private car insurance product covering drivers aged 17-99 with vehicles valued up to £400,000, with specialist cover for modified and imported vehicles, young drivers, and drivers with convictions. Policies are sold primarily through a UK broker network using EDI integration with major insurance software houses, and directly to consumers through the Sabre Direct, Insure 2 Drive, Go Girl, and Drive Smart brands, with telematics-based pricing and dedicated UK claims handling.

Product overview

Sabre Insurance is a UK-based motor insurer operating under a platform-plus-distribution-channels model. The core product is Sabre Motor Insurance, a non-standard car insurance offering covering private cars, small commercial vehicles, taxis, and specialist vehicles through multiple distribution channels including brokers, direct sales (Sabre Direct), and sub-brands (Go Girl, Insure 2 Drive, Drive Smart). The company also provides Commercial Vehicle Insurance for vehicles up to 3,500kg and specialist Taxi Insurance. Additional offerings include temporary driver and vehicle add-ons, and a reduced commission variant. Products are distributed through EDI connections with major insurance software houses (Open GI, CDL, SSP, Acturis, Applied Systems) and regulated by the FCA and PRA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Car Insurance Core non-standard private car insurance product offered through brokers and direct brands. Provides Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft, and Third Party Only cover options for private cars and small commercial vehicles. Accepts drivers aged 17-99 with vehicles valued up to £400,000, and explicitly covers modified vehicles, imported vehicles, motorhomes, and caravanettes up to 3,000 kg. Available in 3, 6, and 12 month policy terms, with protected no claims bonus available on all covers for risks with minimum one year's NCD.
• Commercial Vehicle Insurance Specialist commercial vehicle insurance for vehicles up to 3,500 kg gross vehicle weight, with vehicle value up to £250,000. Includes courier and haulage cover, and the Class 3 carriage of goods for hire and reward extension. Targeted at UK small businesses and owner-operators with light commercial vehicles.
• Taxi Insurance Specialist taxi insurance available to selected agents operating private hire and public hire vehicles licensed by approved UK Taxi Licensing Authorities. Provides Comprehensive, TPFT, and Third Party Only cover for vehicles valued up to £100,000.
• Go Girl Car Insurance Direct-to-consumer car insurance brand specifically targeted at female drivers, offering comprehensive cover with courtesy car and handbag cover included as standard benefits. Sold online via gogirl.co.uk and through price comparison websites as a wholly-owned Sabre sub-brand.
• Insure 2 Drive Car Insurance Direct-to-consumer car insurance brand offering simplified online cover aimed at drivers seeking straightforward, budget-friendly insurance. Sold online via insure2drive.co.uk and through price comparison websites as a wholly-owned Sabre sub-brand.
• Drive Smart Telematics Car Insurance Telematics-based car insurance product that uses a black-box telematics device to monitor driving behaviour (speed, braking, cornering, GPS location) and adjust premiums based on actual driving patterns. Sold directly online as a wholly-owned Sabre sub-brand targeting safe drivers seeking usage-based pricing.
• Sabre Direct Car Insurance Direct sales channel for Sabre-branded motor insurance products, sold online via sabredirect.co.uk and through price comparison websites. Provides the same underlying Sabre motor cover as the broker channel, with no broker intermediary.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19.2% net insurance margin for full-year 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Sabre works in partnership with the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) and associated not-for-profit companies who provide services on behalf of the insurance industry. MIB processes personal information at every stage of the insurance journey, including checking driving licence data against DVLA, verifying No Claims Bonus entitlement, fraud detection, maintaining insurance databases (Motor Insurance Database, MIAFTR, CUE), managing claims for untraced/uninsured drivers, and supporting claims processes.
• MCE Insurance LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 November 2021In November 2021, Sabre Insurance signed a long-term agreement to become the exclusive underwriter of broker MCE Insurance Ltd.'s motorbike policies. This was a significant partnership following MCE's entry into administration, with Sabre providing continued coverage for MCE's existing policyholders.
• Software Houses (Open GI, CDL, SSP, TGSL, Applied Systems, Acturis, Datamatters)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnerships with major insurance software houses for broker quoting systems. EDI integration enables automated quoting, policy administration, mid-term adjustments, renewals, and daily transmission of business data to comply with regulatory requirements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aviva UK: One of the UK's largest composite insurers (motor, home, life, commercial). Provides a benchmark for broker-distributed UK motor scale and competes for the same broker placement slots as Sabre.
• Zurich Insurance UK: UK general insurance arm of Zurich offering motor, home, and commercial lines through brokers. Competes with Sabre for the same broker-led motor placement opportunities.
• Admiral Group: Largest UK personal lines insurer, operating multi-brand motor insurance (Admiral, Elephant, Diamond, Bell). Overlaps with Sabre's broker-distributed UK motor business but at far greater scale and broader standard-risk focus.
• Ageas UK: UK arm of the Belgian insurer, offering motor, home, and travel through broker and direct channels. Competes with Sabre in broker-distributed UK motor, though broader portfolio and lower non-standard specialization.
• Covéa Insurance: UK arm of French mutual Covéa, offering motor and home insurance via brokers. Comparable broker-distribution model and UK motor focus to Sabre, though broader risk appetite.

Direct peers

• Markerstudy Group: UK motor insurer specializing in non-standard and broker-distributed underwriting through brands like Zenith, Equity Red Star, and MCE. Closest pure non-standard motor peer to Sabre.
• Direct Line Group: UK motor and home insurer (Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege, Darwin). Most direct competitor to Sabre in UK private car insurance with both broker and direct distribution, though broader risk appetite than Sabre's non-standard focus.
• Hastings Group: UK personal lines insurer (Hastings Direct, People's Choice, InsurePink) known for price-comparison-led distribution and a non-standard/standard hybrid book. Closest pricing comparison to Sabre's digital-first sub-brands.
• esure Group: UK motor and home insurer (esure, Sheilas' Wheels, First Alternative) targeting standard and female-driver segments. Overlaps with Sabre's Go Girl brand positioning and price-comparison-led acquisition model.

Regional players

• Acromas / Saga (motor arm): UK motor insurer targeting older drivers via Saga brand. Comparable UK broker/direct-distributed motor model but serves a niche demographic distinct from Sabre's non-standard/younger-driver focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1553441534949091
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sabre-insurance-group-plc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sabre Insurance