--- title: "Admiral vs First Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Admiral or First Direct more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/admiral-insurance-vs-first-direct" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Admiral vs First Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Admiral or First Direct more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Admiral and First Direct - **Competitive set**: Personal loan lenders - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Admiral Share of Search**: 5.4% - **First Direct Share of Search**: 1.5% ## Is Admiral or First Direct more popular in search? - In September 2026, Admiral had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Admiral had about 18,800 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. Admiral made up 5.4% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. - Admiral was ahead of First Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Admiral’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 4.8% to 5.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 15.5K to 18.8K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Direct’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 1.1% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6K to 5.2K. ## Top personal loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, First Direct was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Admiral did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | M&S Bank | 1st | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | First Direct | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Nationwide | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Santander | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Tesco Bank | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | HSBC | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sainsbury's Bank | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lloyds Bank | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zopa | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Novuna | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Admiral | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Barclays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | NatWest | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Monzo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Halifax | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about personal loan lenders - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best personal loan in the UK?": 1. Nationwide, 2. Santander, 3. First Direct - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK lenders have the lowest rates on a £10,000 loan?": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Sainsbury's Bank, 5. Santander - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best way to borrow money for a car or home improvements in the UK?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "personal loan": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. HSBC, 4. Lloyds Bank - Searched Google, AI Overview "best personal loans": 1. M&S Bank, 2. Nationwide, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Santander, 5. Zopa Not named in any answer: Novuna, Admiral, Barclays, NatWest, Monzo and Halifax. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom personal loan lenders in September 2026? - In September 2026, First Direct rose from 15th to 14th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. - In September 2026, Admiral fell from 4th to 5th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. ## Month by month | Month | Admiral estimated searches | Admiral Share of Search | Admiral rank | First Direct estimated searches | First Direct Share of Search | First Direct rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 15.5K | 4.8% | 7 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | | Nov 2025 | 15.4K | 5.4% | 4 | 3K | 1% | 15 | | Dec 2025 | 15.4K | 5.8% | 4 | 3K | 1.1% | 15 | | Jan 2026 | 22.9K | 6.1% | 4 | 4.5K | 1.2% | 15 | | Feb 2026 | 18.8K | 5.6% | 4 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | | Mar 2026 | 18.8K | 5.4% | 4 | 4.5K | 1.3% | 15 | | Apr 2026 | 18.8K | 5.5% | 4 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | | May 2026 | 18.8K | 5.7% | 4 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | | Jun 2026 | 18.8K | 6.1% | 4 | 3.6K | 1.2% | 15 | | Jul 2026 | 18.8K | 5.8% | 4 | 4.3K | 1.3% | 15 | | Aug 2026 | 18.8K | 5.3% | 4 | 4.9K | 1.4% | 15 | | Sep 2026 | 18.8K | 5.4% | 5 | 5.2K | 1.5% | 14 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Admiral’s and First Direct’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Admiral**: Measured on the search terms “admiral loan” and “admiral personal loan”, summed into one figure. - **First Direct**: Measured on the search terms “first direct loan” and “first direct personal loan”, summed into one figure. - [Admiral profile](/demand/uk/brands/admiral-insurance) - [First Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/first-direct) - [All personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Admiral or First Direct more popular in search? In September 2026, Admiral had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Admiral had about 18,800 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. Admiral made up 5.4% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Admiral vs First Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/admiral-insurance-vs-first-direct This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/admiral-insurance-vs-first-direct. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.