Esure was founded in 2000 by businessman Peter Wood, who also launched the Direct Line insurance company for the Royal Bank of Scotland.

[6] On the 8 December 2014, Esure announced that it was acquiring the remaining 50% of shares in financial comparison website Gocompare.com having previously secured a non-controlling stake in the company.

"Quite evidently, Esure itself thought it was benefitting from the changes under new laws, as did Peter Wood personally, who made some £198 Million from the flotation"; about a third of his shares.

[15] In October 2014, Esure faced criticism after it declined an insurance claim and offered only a ‘goodwill payment’ of £5,000 on behalf of a policy holder whose abusive husband had set fire to her home.

The husband pleaded guilty to effectively torturing his wife with an axe over a period of three days, and the non-payment of the policy left the victim homeless.

In a statement, Esure said they had "utmost sympathy for the horrific incident" but added that insurance was there to cover "unexpected events and accidents, not deliberate and unlawful acts by individuals destroying their property".