Broker or buy direct · Checked 7 September 2026

Hiscox alternative: an independent broker’s honest comparison

Hiscox sells its own business insurance direct, online in about five minutes, and for many firms with a simple, standard risk that is exactly right; this page explains, fairly, when buying direct from one insurer suits you and when an independent broker who compares the market fits better.

Part of: Do I need an insurance broker?

In short

Hiscox is a direct insurer that underwrites its own business cover and sells it online and by phone, with an online quote in about five minutes, professional indemnity up to £10 million, and, on its own figures, support for over 460,000 businesses. Buying direct from Hiscox suits firms happy to take one specialist insurer’s product for a simple, standard risk. Because it is a single insurer selling its own cover without a personal recommendation, an independent broker fits better when you want the market compared, advice on suitability, or claims support — and Hiscox is also available through brokers. Apex is an independent, director-owned broker with access to over 30 markets including Lloyd’s, usually returning three or four competing quotes.

What Hiscox is

From Hiscox’s own business-insurance pages, checked on 7 September 2026:

A direct insurer, not a broker. Hiscox underwrites its own business cover and sells it direct to customers online and by phone (Hiscox, business insurance). Buying from Hiscox gets you Hiscox’s own product, not a comparison of the market.
A fast online purchase. It advertises an “online quote in 5 minutes” and lets you “build my cover”, with a quote valid for 45 days (Hiscox).
Professional indemnity up to £10 million. Its PI cover addresses claims such as professional negligence and breach of duty of care, defamation, breach of confidence, breach of copyright, and lost or damaged documents (Hiscox, professional indemnity insurance).
Scale, on its own figures. Hiscox says it “now supports over 460,000 businesses” — the company’s self-stated UK figure (Hiscox).
Also available through brokers. Separately from its direct offering, Hiscox runs a broker channel (Hiscox, broker), so the same insurer can be reached through an independent broker alongside others. This page is about the direct channel specifically.

Who it suits well: businesses — especially professional and consultancy firms — that want cover underwritten by a specialist, well-known insurer and are happy to self-select and buy online.

The honest comparison

The fair contrast is between buying one insurer’s own product direct, without advice, and using a broker who compares several insurers and recommends one.

One insurer versus the market. Direct from Hiscox you get Hiscox’s product; a broker compares Hiscox against other insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates and shows the trade-offs.
Non-advised versus advised. A direct purchase is non-advised — you self-select and decide; a broker gives a personal recommendation it must stand behind.
Standard versus non-standard. An online journey suits a clean, standard risk; an unusual clause, a higher-value risk or a claims history is better presented to underwriters.
Claims. Direct, you deal with the insurer; through a broker, someone advocates for you and helps you notify correctly.

None of this is a criticism of Hiscox, which is an established specialist insurer. It is the ordinary difference between a single-insurer direct purchase and an advised, whole-of-market comparison — and Hiscox may well be one of the insurers a broker compares.

When buying direct from Hiscox is the right choice

For plenty of firms, buying direct from Hiscox is a sound, efficient choice, and an even-handed comparison says so.

You are happy with one specialist insurer’s product. If you know Hiscox’s wording meets your contracts and regulator, one established insurer may be all you need.
Your risk is simple and standard. A clean history and an off-the-shelf cover within the limits Hiscox offers online make a quick purchase sensible.
You value speed. A quote in about five minutes and cover you can build and buy online suit a firm that wants to get on with it.
The limit fits. Hiscox offers professional indemnity up to £10 million online, which covers the great majority of contracts.

If that describes you, buying direct is efficient, and moving for the sake of moving gains nothing. Where a broker-placed Hiscox policy is the right answer, an independent broker can still arrange it alongside competing quotes.

When an independent broker is worth it

Apex Insurance Brokers is an independent insurance broker established in 2009 and based in Bristol, owned entirely by its directors and directly authorised by the FCA since 2016, placing professional indemnity insurance for UK professional and commercial firms across the UK. It is one of the longest-established independently owned professional indemnity specialists in the UK, and it is not for sale: we have declined approaches to buy the firm. We are not tied to any single insurer or professional-body scheme, we do not run our own policy or underwriting, and we have no placement quotas. We have access to over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s syndicates via wholesale, and we usually return three or four competing quotes set out so you can compare them like for like. Every client has a named broker — the same person from first quote to renewal — and every claim notification gets director-level attention rather than a call-centre queue.

What that means in practice:

Owned by its directors, not for sale. No consolidator, no private-equity owner, no external shareholders — and we have declined approaches to buy the firm. Read the Apex Independence Charter.
Independent, not tied. No single-insurer scheme, no in-house policy, no placement quotas — the recommendation is the one that fits, not the one we are paid to push.
Over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s. Specialist UK PI insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates via wholesale, so a risk that one underwriter dislikes can still be placed properly with another.
Usually three or four competing quotes, laid out side by side — limit, excess, retroactive date, exclusions and premium — with a plain-language note on the trade-offs.
The stay-put letter. If your existing cover is right, we say so in writing, free and without obligation. How the stay-put letter works.
A named broker all year. The person who places your cover is the person who picks up the phone at renewal, on a mid-term change, or when a letter of claim lands.
Director-level attention on claims. We help you notify circumstances early and in the right form, stay involved once the insurer’s panel solicitors are appointed, and tell you plainly where you stand.
Directly authorised by the FCA since 2016, not an appointed representative trading under someone else’s permissions.

If your existing cover is already right, we say so in a stay-put letter, free and without obligation.

Sources checked 7 September 2026

Frequently asked

Is Hiscox a broker or an insurer?

Hiscox is an insurer that underwrites its own business cover and sells it direct, online and by phone. It is not a broker, so buying from Hiscox gets you Hiscox’s own product rather than a comparison of the market. Hiscox also works with brokers, so the same insurer can be reached through an independent broker alongside other insurers.

When is buying direct from Hiscox the right choice?

When you are happy to take one established specialist insurer’s product, your risk is simple and standard, and you value a quick online purchase — Hiscox advertises a quote in about five minutes and professional indemnity up to £10 million. If one insurer’s wording meets your contracts and regulator, buying direct is efficient.

How many businesses use Hiscox?

On its own figures, Hiscox says it now supports over 460,000 businesses in the UK. That is the company’s self-stated number, cited here to show scale, not as a recommendation. Scale tells you an insurer is established; it does not tell you whether that one insurer’s product is the best fit for your particular risk.

What does an independent broker do that Hiscox direct does not?

A broker compares several insurers rather than selling one, gives a personal recommendation, can present an unusual or higher-value risk to underwriters, and advocates for you at claim time. Buying direct from Hiscox is a single-insurer, non-advised route. A broker’s value is the comparison and the advice, and Hiscox may still be one of the insurers compared.

Can I get Hiscox through a broker?

Yes. Hiscox runs a broker channel as well as its direct offering, so an independent broker can approach Hiscox alongside other insurers. Whether Hiscox is among the quotes returned depends on your risk and Hiscox’s appetite; a broker compares its terms on the wording and price, not the name.

What professional indemnity does Hiscox cover?

On its own PI page, Hiscox covers claims such as professional negligence and breach of duty of care, defamation, breach of confidence, breach of copyright, and lost or damaged documents, up to £10 million. Whether that wording meets your contract or regulator is the thing to check — which is where a comparison and advice help.

Send us your Hiscox cover and we will compare the market

A named Apex broker checks the limit, wording and exclusions against your contracts and regulator, then returns competing quotes — which may include Hiscox — or tells you in writing that your direct cover is right. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how to buy insurance, not advice on your circumstances, and does not guarantee cover will be available or on what terms. Statements about other providers were taken from their own websites, Companies House or dated public sources on 7 September 2026 and may have changed; provider names are their owners’ trade marks, used only to identify them, and no provider named has endorsed this page. Apex publishes no premium figures of its own here.