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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.
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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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.
There is an annual Sipp admin fee of £75.
Advance's Retirement Account charges a percentage fee, which varies according to the value of your pot:
First £100,000: 0.35%
Next £150,000: 0.30%
Next £250,000: 0.25%
£500,000+: 0.10%
Aegon charges a £75 annual admin fee, whether you take regular or ad hoc payments.
You'll also be charged a percentage fee, depending on the value of your pot:
First £29,999.99: 0.60%
Next £20,000 (£30,000 to £49,999.99): 0.55%
Next £50,000 (£50,000 to £99,999.99): 0.50%
Next £150,000 (£100,000 to £249,999.99): 0.45%
£250,000 and over: 0%
AJ Bell Youinvest's Sipp charges a percentage fee in tiers.
It works a bit like income tax bands - each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
First £0 - £250,000: 0.25%
Next £250,000-£500,00: 0.1%
Value over £500,000: No charge
There are no charges for drawdown set-up or withdrawals.
Aviva's OIS product charges a percentage fee in tiers.
It works a bit like income tax bands - each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
Up to and including £49,999: 0.4%
£50,000 to £249,999: 0.35%
£250,000 to £499,999: 0.25%
£500,000 and over: No charge
There is an annual admin fee of £150 (levied by AJ Bell) and a drawdown set-up fee of £75.
Barclay Smart Investor's Sipp also charges an annual percentage fee of 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.
Bestinvest's Sipp charges an annual percentage fee, which varies according to the value of your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
Up to £250,000: 0.4%
£250,001 - £500,000: 0.2%
£500,001-£1m: 0.1%
Over £1m: no charge
When you move into drawdown you'll pay a fee of £180.
There is also a payroll charge of £60 for regular income payments; £30 for one-off payments and a Sipp admin charge of £120 if you've less than £30,000 in your Sipp.
Charles Stanley Direct's Sipp also charges an annual percentage fee that varies according to the amount in your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension.
Up to £250,000: 0.35%
£250,001-£499,999: 0.2%
£500,000-£999,999: 0.15%
£1m-£2m: 0.05%
£2m+: no charge
Close Brother's Sipp charges an annual admin fee of £180.
It also charges a percentage fee (deducted monthly) that varies according to the value of your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
The first £500,000: 0.25%
Next £500,000: 0.2%
Next £500,000: 0.1%
£1.5m+: no charge
EQi's Sipp charges an annual administration fee of £118.80 and an annual drawdown fee of £180.
It also charges an annual percentage fee, which varies according to the value of your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
First £50,000: 0.3%
£50,000.01-£250,000: 0.25%
£250,000+: 0.15% (max £250 per quarter)
Fidelity's Sipp charges an annual percentage fee, which varies depending on the size of your pot:
Less than £25,000: 0.35% if you have a regular savings plan, or £90 a year if you don't.
£25,000 to £249,999: 0.35%
£250,000 to £1m: 0.2%
£1m+: 0.2% for the first £1m and no service fee for investments over £1m. This means the maximum fee is £2,000 a year.
The same service fee is charged across all of your investments. So, if you hold £300,000 - the fee would be 0.2% across the full amount.
There is an annual service fee of 0.25%, plus an annual 'investor fee' of £45 (if not already being paid on another account).
Halifax's Sipp charges an annual admin fee of 0.25% (capped at £16.50 a month). There are no transfer or drawdown charges.
Hargreaves Lansdown charges an annual percentage fee that varies according to the amount in your pot.
Different fees apply to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
First £250,000: 0.45%
£250,000 to £1m: 0.25%
£1m to £2m: 0.1%
Over £2m: no charge
Interactive Investor charges a flat fee of £5.99 a month for Sipps worth up to £50,000.
For Sipps worth more than £50,000, the fee is £12.99 a month.
There are no charges for taking an income from your pension.
L&G applies an annual service charge of 0.25% of the value of your pension.
There is also a fund management charge, which varies depending on the fund (between 0.14% and 0.31%).
LV's Flexible Transitions Account (extended funds) charges a percentage fee in tiers.
It works a bit like income tax bands - each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension. There is a minimum fee of £195 per year.
It works like this:
First £700,000 - 0.3%
Over £700,000 - No charge
M&G Wealth applies an annual percentage charge, which varies depending on the amount in your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension.
First £1m: 0.3%
Next £2m: 0.10%
Next £2m: 0.06%
Nucleus charges an annual percentage fee that varies depending on how much you have in your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension.
First £200,000: 0.33%
Next £300,000: 0.3%
Next £500,000: 0.175%
£1m+: 0.05%
It works a bit like income tax bands - each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension.
It works like this for the Tracker drawdown option:
First £100,000 - 0.50%
Funds over £100,000 - 0.25%
The People's Pension charges an annual management charge of 0.5% of the value of your pot.
It offers a rebate on some of the management charge for savings over £3,000:
Up to £3,000: no rebate
Over £3,000 and up to £10,000: rebate of 0.1%
Over £10,000 and up to £25,000: rebate of 0.2%
Over £25,000 and up to £50,000: rebate of 0.25%
Over £50,000: rebate of 0.3%.
Prudential's Retirement Account charges an annual percentage fee, which varies depending on the size of your pension pot.
The bigger your pension, the lower the fee charged on all the money you hold:
Up to £99,999: 0.3%
£100,000 to £249,999: 0.2%
£250,000 to £499,999: 0.15%
£500,000 to £749,999: 0.15%
£750,000 to £999,999: 0.125%
£1m or above: 0.1%
Quilter charges an annual percentage fee, which varies depending on the size of your pot.
Each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension.
First £50,000: 0.35%
£50,000 to £250,000: 0.25%
£250,000 to £750,000: 0.2%
£750,000+: 0.15%
Royal London Pension Portfolio Income Release plan charges a percentage fee (1%), which is not a separate fee - it's built into the price of the investments you choose.
The fee for its internally managed funds and Governed Range portfolios is therefore included in the core charge.
Then, it applies a discount based on how much you have in your pension. The discount applies to your entire pension pot. The lack of additional fund costs means that this is a competitive option.
It works like this:
£0-£44,900 - 0.10% per year, so the charge is 0.90%
£44,901-£89,900 - 0.50% per year, so the charge is 0.50%
£89,901-£269,000 - 0.55% per year, so the charge is 0.45%
£269,001-£899,000 - 0.60% per year, so the charge is 0.40%
£899,000+ - 0.65% per year, so the charge is 0.35%
Scottish Widows' Retirement Account charges a single percentage fee, which varies depending on the size of your pension pot.
The bigger your pension, the lower the fee charged on all the money in it:
£0 to £29,999: 0.9%
£30,000 to £49,999: 0.4%
£50,000 to £249,999: 0.30%
£250,000 to £499,999: 0.25%
£500,000 to £999,999: 0.2%
£1m+: 0.1%
Standard Life's Investment Pathways Option funds have a bundled charge. The fund management charge (1.02%) includes both investment and administration costs, meaning that the product is cost effective overall.
The bigger the pension, the lower the fee charged on all the money you hold.
It works like this:
Up to £25,000 - discount of 0.30%, so effective plan charge of 0.72%
£25,000+ - discount of 0.50%, so effective plan charge of 0.52%
Transact charges an £80 annual Sipp charge, plus a tiered percentage fee.
This works a bit like income tax bands - each percentage fee applies to different amounts held in the Sipp, rather than a single percentage fee applied to your entire pension:
First £600,000: 0.26%
£600,000 to £1.2m: 0.17%
£1.2m to £5m: 0.07%
Anything over £5m: 0.05%
Vanguard's Personal Pension charges an account fee of £4 a month for pots of up to £32,000.
If you have more than £32,000, you'll pay an annual fee of 0.15% up to a maximum of £375 (this cap applies across all accounts you have on the platform - e.g. if you have an Isa as well as a pension, the maximum charge for both will be £375).
If you opt for Vanguard to choose and manage your investments for you, you'll also pay a management fee of 0.3%.
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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