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Best pension drawdown providers 2025

We've surveyed nearly 2,000 pension drawdown customers to identify the providers that offer the best value and service. 
Paul Davies

How to choose the best pension drawdown provider

Pension drawdown is a way of taking money out of your pension to fund your retirement. It allows you to keep your savings invested and take money out whenever you choose.

Many people remain with their existing pension provider when going into drawdown. But it pays to shop around as fees, investment choice and customer service can vary significantly. 

We've made this job easier by comparing fees across the market and surveying nearly 2,000 customers to find out which providers offer great value as well as excellent service.

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Best pension drawdown companies compared

We've asked nearly 2,000 drawdown customers to rate their providers in a range of categories, including customer service, information on investments and value for money.

The firms that combine high customer satisfaction (a score of 70% and above) with competitive charges are awarded our coveted Which? Recommended Provider status.

RECOMMENDED PROVIDER
Vanguard
82%
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER
Royal London
75%
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER
AJ Bell
74%
RECOMMENDED PROVIDER
Fidelity
72%
Hargreaves Lansdown
72%
Quilter
70%
Aegon
68%

Source: The results are based on an online survey of 1,944 adults - members of the Which? Connect panel and members of the public - conducted in August 2024. Customer score is based on satisfaction with the brand and likelihood to recommend. Sample sizes as follows: AJ Bell 85, Barclays Smart Investor 36, Fidelity 112, Hargreaves Lansdown 166, Interactive Investor 47, Standard Life 115, Vanguard 48, Aegon 108, Royal London 121, Quilter 99, Prudential/M&G 108, Aviva 209, Scottish Widows 103, Legal & General 43

Which? Recommended Providers of pension drawdown

Vanguard

Vanguard is a relative newcomer to the pension drawdown market having joined in 2020. It’s one of the cheapest providers across all pot sizes in our analysis (see table below). 

Vanguard only offers its own funds, which won’t suit those looking for a wide selection of investments. Its target retirement funds are ready-made portfolios that can be used by drawdown customers. 

AJ Bell

AJ Bell’s drawdown fees are competitive at 0.25% on the first £250,000, 0.1% on the next £250,000 and no charge on more than £500,000. The company is also a Which? Recommended Provider for Sipps and provides a seamless process for moving funds from its Sipp into drawdown.

Royal London

Royal London is the largest life and pensions company in the UK. It pays customers a share of the profits when the company does well (every year since 2009). Its Pension Portfolio Income Release plan charges a combined platform and fund fee. A discount is then applied to your entire pension pot, making it a competitive option.

Fidelity

Fidelity impresses with a series of four-star ratings in our survey. It got three stars for value for money, as fees start relatively high with 0.35% charged on the first £250,000. However, this falls to 0.2% across all your invested funds if you’ve more than £250,000.

How much does pension drawdown cost?

We've compared the charges levied by 26 providers of pension drawdown for three different pot sizes: £100,000, £250,000 and £500,000.

Company
Fee structure
Annual cost - £100k pot
Annual cost - £250k pot
Annual cost - £500k pot
Aegon - ARC
Fixed admin and platform fee
£615
£1,290
£1,290
AJ Bell
Platform fee only
£250
£625
£875
Aviva - OIS
Platform fee only
£375
£900
£1,525
Barclays Smart Investor (a)
Fixed admin and platform fee
£520
£795
£920
Bestinvest
Platform fee only
£400
£1,000
£1,500
Charles Stanley Direct
Platform fee only
£350
£875
£1,375
Close Brothers
Fixed admin and platform fee
£430
£805
£1,430

Footnotes: a) Sipp is administered by AJ Bell which receives the annual Sipp fee  b) Charges are for Pension Builder Sipp  c) Flexible Transitions Account - extended funds  d) Using the 'Tracker' drawdown option   e) Collective Retirement Account  f) Core charge includes fees for internally-managed funds and Governed Range portfolios, with discounts applied based on pot size  g) Fund management charge includes both investment (fund) and admin costs. Figures based on Investment Pathways Option funds

Pension drawdown charges in detail

Click on each company for more information about their drawdown charges.

How we analyse pension drawdown providers

Our editorial independence means we are able to work on behalf of consumers, not pension firms. That means our reviews are fair and there's no hidden agenda.

To become a Which? Recommended Provider of pension drawdown, companies need a high customer score (70% or more) in our survey of customers, plus competitive fees across all six pot sizes we looked at (£50,000, £100,000, £250,000, £350,000, £500,000 and £750,000). 

We compared core pension drawdown charges (fixed and platform fees) and fund fees for investment pathway 3. Companies with charges among the most expensive quartile for any pot size were excluded from being a WRP.

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