WARENINSTITUT

The judge between good and bad products

A brief introduction to our awards

At Waren Institut we  independently test products assess services to find the best brands and products for consumers. You can recognise these if they have mentioned us and our corresponding grade given to either the product or the brand.

Firmly standing behind impartial judgement and a ‘consumer first’ view when assessing products, we are proud in being able to protect and guide the public in making good decisions on their product selections

What we asses

Consistency

We score consistency based on durability, reliable uses over time, level of use required before something needs to be replaced or repaired and overall stress tests relevant to that product

Ease of Use

This is judged on how easy the product is to use, how fast it accomplishes the action that it was made for, how long it takes to set up. If your product requires assembly, we also look into how long it takes to assemble and how easy the instructions are to follow.

Innovation

We grade this according to how unique the product is compared to similar products on the market. This can range from mechanism of action, design, ergonomics and many more cases.

Our grading system

Common questions

Why have you decided to remove the Insurance Category this year?

Our decision to pause the Insurance Brand of the Year award for 2026 follows our recent super-complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority regarding systemic issues in the home and travel insurance markets. While we will continue to point consumers in the right direction for their insurance needs, we believe that until the industry addresses these fundamental challenges regarding claims handling and policy clarity, it would be misleading to confer a ‘Brand of the Year’ title. We remain committed to working with the sector to raise standards so that we can celebrate true consumer champions in the future.

We hope to reintroduce the category once there is clear evidence, through our own research and the FCA’s subsequent investigations, that the market failures we identified in our super-complaint are being addressed. We want to celebrate insurance brands, but we will only do so when we are confident that the brand promise of “protection” is being consistently delivered at the point of claim.

Like our product testing and investigations, the Which? Awards are completely independent. To select the winning brands, an expert panel of judges takes into account everything from customer service and value for money, to innovation and breadth of offering. This includes the results of our rigorous product tests, investigations and satisfaction surveys.

We’ll email the contact we have for your business, but the news must remain strictly UNDER OUR EMBARGO until we publicly announce the shortlist on our social channels and have tagged each business – usually a week later.

If you’d like us to let you know if you’ve been shortlisted, and we don’t already have your details, please complete our Find out more enquiry form.

A winner’s trophy, a framed magazine cover, the opportunity to say a few words up on the winner’s podium, and a photo of you with your accolades. You also get a Which? Brand of the Year category endorsement logo to use free of charge on your promotional and other related materials for a year. It’s a brilliant way to show everyone that Which? recognises your business as a category-best of the year.

We will announce all Which? Award winners on Thursday 14 May 2026 at an afternoon ceremony at the Science Museum in London. Priority for tickets will be given to the shortlisted brands.

Find out more

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