17 December 2025
Allianz unwraps Christmas mishaps: Past, present and future
- Between 22 - 27 December, average fire claims cost over £23k last year, followed by over £4.5k for a burst pipe
- Fire claims rise 13% during the festive period, with lighting fires/ candles and using electric heaters as top causes
- Brits travel 65 miles on average over Christmas, with an average breakdown claim costing £166
Christmas time is a calamity for claims according to Allianz UK, with fire claims up 13% during December on average than any other month in the year since 2019. With a mix of cold weather and festivities, lighting fires or candles and using electric heaters are the top causes.
For many Brits it can be a real ‘nightmare before Christmas’, as between 22 - 27 December last year, the average cost of claims paid by Allianz UK were:
- £23,474 for a fire related incident
- £4,586 for a burst pipe
- £645 for accidental damage
- £132 for defrosted freezer contents.
But these aren’t the only disasters people are experiencing at this time of year.
According to new research by Allianz UK*, 15% have encountered a food related disaster, such as dropped the turkey or spilled red wine/ gravy on the carpet. In addition, 11% of people say they’ve experienced a power cut at Christmas.
Attempting the drive home for Christmas...
It’s not just home disasters that occur during Christmas, with 8% of people saying they have experienced breaking down in the car while travelling to friends or family over the festive period. On average, Brits travel over 65 miles by car visiting friends and family, with Allianz UK seeing breakdowns increase by 32% when comparing the number of jobs between November 2024 and January 2025.
On average in December last year a breakdown claim cost the insurer £166, with the most common problem being the engine wouldn’t start and was dead on turning the key. The 9th December was the busiest day of the month last year, with claims up 605% compared to Christmas day.
Matt Cox, Allianz UK Chief Claims Officer, said:
“There’s never a ‘good’ time to make an insurance claim, but especially at Christmas you don’t want to be thinking about it. This time of year should be about enjoying yourself and spending time with friends and family. A fire, a burst pipe, a car breaking down, or even something less serious like a stained carpet can really take away from the enjoyment of the festive period. But, should the worst happen, it’s at times like this that people really see the value of insurance and the support they receive.
“With the cold weather and additional travelling during the holiday season across the UK, it’s also worth checking if you’ve got the right level of cover in place should you breakdown.”
Media contact
Natasha Gibbs, External Communications Manager
[email protected]
*Claims data collected by Allianz UK from 1 January 2019 – 31 January 2025.
*Online survey of 2000 UK homeowners commissioned by Allianz UK and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected between 14/08/2025 and 18/08/2025. All participants are double-opted in to take part in research and are paid an amount depending on the length and complexity of the survey. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team. OnePoll are MRS Company Partners, corporate membership of ESOMAR and Members of the British Polling Council.
About Allianz Holdings plc
Allianz Holdings plc is the non-regulated holding company which owns the principal insurance operations of Allianz SE in Great Britain including Allianz Insurance.
About Allianz
The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers serving private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 749 billion euros* on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.8 trillion euros* of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2024, over 156,000 employees achieved total business volume of 179.8 billion euros and an operating profit of 16.0 billion euros for the Group.
* As of June 30, 2025.
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