In a year of staycations, National Trust Holidays scoops coveted Which? Award for excellent Covid-19 response

National Trust Holidays have scooped the win for Travel Brand of the Year in this year’s Which? Awards, reflecting the year of the staycation for holidaymakers. 

Which? has announced the winners of its 2021 Which? Awards, with many big brands receiving an accolade due to their handling of the  Covid-19 pandemic.

National Trust Holidays has been commended for putting consumers first, promptly refunding those who haven’t been able to fulfill their booking due to Covid-19. It also earned a refund satisfaction score of 88%, which is higher than any other company in the Which? refund survey.

It has been the year of the staycation and Which? notes that National Trust has consistently provided excellent holiday cottage experiences – being the only provider to be endorsed as a Which? Recommended Provider in the last two Which? holiday cottage surveys.

Outside of the travel sector, the Awards this year have also recognised brands’ sustainability credentials. The consumer champion launched its Eco Buys in 2020 to add to its suite of endorsements, recognising products for their repairability, longevity and energy efficiency.

This year’s Large Kitchen Appliance Brand of the Year has been awarded to Bosch in recognition of the brand’s approach to sustainability and the Eco Buys they have achieved as a result.  

Many of Bosch’s Eco Buys are inexpensive, such as the Bosch WAN28108GB, which is the cheapest Eco Buy washing machine. Of the 18 Bosch’s Which? tested in the past year, 14 are also Best Buys.

The Awards, which have been running since 2007, recognise best practice for consumers and give awards to businesses and products from banks to home entertainment brands. 

This year’s 11 categories have seen some returning winners with Toyota (Car Brand of the Year), Apple (Home Technology Brand of the Year) and LG (Home Entertainment Brand of the Year) all winning last year. 

Tesco Mobile won Utilities Brand of the Year for the first time since 2013 and Starling Bank earned a first time win – and is the first ever ‘challenger’ bank to be awarded. 

The other winners – many of whom have won in previous years – are LV= (Insurance Brand of the Year), Richer Sounds (Retailer of the Year), and De’Longhi (Kitchen and Household Products Brand of the Year). 

Which? Chief Executive, Anabel Hoult said: 

“It is a genuine pleasure to be able to shine a spotlight on the brands that have exceeded expectations when it comes to customer experience. 

“In a year when businesses and consumers faced exceptional pressures, we are delighted to celebrate those brands that really delivered for their customers.”

The Which? Awards are usually presented at a ceremony, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s Which? Awards winners were announced on Which?’s Twitter feed today (7th October). 

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

Full list of categories, winners and shortlist below. 

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

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Press Release: Which? Awards