Europa Group Ltd

Europa Group Ltd: digital-first insurance from Thornbury, Bristol

Europa Group Ltd is an insurance services provider headquartered at Europa House, Midland Way, Thornbury, Bristol. The company describes itself as a solutions-based provider of insurance services and has built its activity around a digital-first model, combining its own platforms with third-party technology to serve the general public, insurance brokers, insurance companies and large affinity brands.

Motorcycles sit at the centre of the business. The group states that its expertise is aimed at riders, manufacturers and enthusiasts, and that it has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in the motorcycle insurance market. Alongside this specialisation, it also serves the motor manufacturing industry and writes car, van and home business.

From Motorcycle Direct to a multi-brand group

Europa Group was established in 1997 and launched Motorcycle Direct as its first brand, offering motorcycle and scooter insurance to the general public. In its early years, Motorcycle Direct partnered with some of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers to provide white-label insurance.

In 1999 the group added Ridersure, a business-to-business motorcycle insurance broker that works with some of the largest broking networks in the country. Ridersure covers niche markets, from imported scooters to heavily modified sports bikes, and gives brokers access to an extensive panel of insurers through an online portal.

In 2005 the group diversified beyond motorcycles with Onequote Direct, a brand created to write car, van and home insurance on the CDL Classic platform. The company presents this expansion into new personal lines as a key element of its growth. Today the group also operates Europa Underwriting, which specialises in creating tailored motor insurance solutions, and Wiser Choice and Bike Onequote Direct appear among its brands.

Third-party administration for major brands

A substantial part of Europa Group's activity consists of administering insurance programmes on behalf of other brands. The company's timeline records the following partnerships:

• 2009 – Octagon Insurance: third-party administration, an e-commerce platform and administrative support for Octagon's customer base. At its peak, the group reports having had over 650 staff on site across Octagon and its other third-party agreements at Europa House.
• 2013 – Ford Insure: selected as Allianz's preferred third-party administrator for Ford Insure UK, providing complimentary seven-day insurance for every private car sold across Ford's UK dealer network. The Dealer Gateway developed for this programme issued half a million policies over five years and won an innovation award against 300 other entries, according to the company.
• 2015/16 – Nissan & Infinity: preferred partner for Nissan Insurance in collaboration with Maiden Insurance Partnerships, with a bespoke e-commerce solution for free-to-go insurance cover, a dealer network portal and a Nissan employee insurance solution. The Infinity brand was added in 2016 with mirrored functionality.
• 2016 – AA Motorcycle Insurance: white-label agreement to provide motorcycle insurance under the AA brand, directly and through price comparison sites.
• 2017 – RAC Bike Insurance: white-label agreement to provide motorcycle insurance under the RAC brand, directly and through price comparison sites, with tailored package products and member discounts.
• 2019 – Ingenie Black Box Insurance: third-party administrator for Ingenie's black box cover for young drivers, with a bespoke e-commerce system, integrated live chat and chatbots, and an API enabling business-to-business new business quotations.
• 2020 – Vauxhall Insurance (Stellantis): preferred partner to administer Vauxhall Drive Away Insurance, with a bespoke e-commerce journey and a dealer network portal.
• 2021 – RAC: selected as preferred partner to administer Home, Van and Black Box Insurance customers, launching in March 2021 on CDL Strata with a self-service customer portal.

Technology behind the digital-first approach

The group has invested in two core platforms. In March 2020 it moved to the IPI Genesys platform, an omnichannel and customer experience system that allowed a shift to remote work during the pandemic and supported the introduction of live chat, speech analytics and AI. In March 2024 it transitioned from CDL Classic to CDL Strata, a cloud-based insurance platform used to build a bespoke customer portal designed to mirror the simplicity of its e-commerce journeys, with live chat support.

These systems underpin a customer journey that the company says is optimised for mobile use and integrated into its custom-built portal, so policyholders can manage their policies online throughout their lifecycle. Live chat support is available for assistance. Europa Group states that its goal is to reduce the need for voice contact and to shift the majority of customer contact to online or self-service channels by the end of 2025, maintaining a consistent experience from new business through renewal or cancellation.

Customer feedback and regulatory status

The company's site includes a Trustpilot score for Motorcycle Direct and quotes individual customer comments about the speed and simplicity of buying cover, including one customer who reported being insured within ten minutes. These are presented as customer testimonials rather than as an independent assessment of the group.

Europa Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with Financial Services Register No. 309794, and is registered as a limited company in England and Wales No. 3279177. Its registered office is Unit 2, West Park Row, Great Park Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 4QG.