Vanguard UK Review 2026
Vanguard's UK platform charges 0.15% a year capped at £375, with no dealing charges on its funds. It is one of the cheapest ways to hold a simple index portfolio, with two significant caveats: you can only buy Vanguard's own funds and ETFs, and accounts below £32,000 now pay a £4 monthly minimum fee, which is expensive on a small pot.
Reviewed by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA · Fees verified 6 October 2026 · Our methodology
Disclosure: FeesWizard may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page. This never affects our fee data or rankings — how we make money.
Vanguard UK fees at a glance
- Stock commission
- No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades
- Currency conversion
- No FX charge — all funds and ETFs are GBP-denominated on the platform
- Withdrawal fee
- Free to a linked UK bank account
- Inactivity fee
- None
- Minimum deposit
- £500
- Regulated by
- FCA
Fees verified 6 October 2026 against Vanguard UK's own pricing pages. How we verify
Our verdict on Vanguard UK
Vanguard UK: Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds.
Visit the Vanguard UK website →We earn no commission from Vanguard UK.
Fees
- Stock commission: No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades
- Withdrawal: Free to a linked UK bank account
- Inactivity: None
- Currency conversion: No FX charge — all funds and ETFs are GBP-denominated on the platform
- Custody and spreads: Account fee 0.15% a year capped at £375; a £4/month minimum applies to accounts below £32,000
Wondering how your money is protected? Read what happens if a broker goes bust →
Our Vanguard UK score: 3.8/5
How this is calculated →Computed from the fee data on this page, not assigned by hand. Our commercial relationships are not an input.
- Cost (45% of the score)52/100
Averages 0.26% of the portfolio a year in charges across our three benchmark investors.
- Regulation & protection (20% of the score)75/100
Regulated by FCA. Tier-one regulators (FCA, BaFin, SEC and equivalents) carry the most weight.
- Market & account breadth (15% of the score)90/100
Covers 2 of the asset classes we price and 3 account types.
- Accessibility (10% of the score)80/100
Minimum deposit £500; supports fractional shares; has mobile app.
- Fee transparency (10% of the score)100/100
Publishes a schedule complete enough to model every charge and charges no inactivity fee.
Pros and cons
Vanguard UK
Pros
- +0.15% account fee capped at £375 a year
- +No dealing charges on scheduled fund and ETF trades
- +No FX fee — everything on the platform is priced in sterling
- +Vanguard's own funds are among the cheapest index funds available
Cons
- −Vanguard funds only — no individual shares or third-party funds
- −£4 monthly minimum fee makes small accounts expensive in percentage terms
- −£500 minimum to open an account
- −Limited research and no advanced trading tools
Vanguard UK
Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds
Visit the Vanguard UK website →We earn no commission from Vanguard UK. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.
Vanguard UK vs alternatives
| Feature | Vanguard UK | Lightyear | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.8 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Stock commission | No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades | UK personal accounts (GIA and ISA): no execution fee on UK, US and European stocks or ETFs. EU accounts: GBP 1 per order on UK stocks, EUR 1 per order on EUR-denominated stocks, 0.1% on other European stocks, and 0.10% (min $0.10, max $1) on US stocks. ETFs are execution-fee-free on both. | 0% |
| Withdrawal fee | Free to a linked UK bank account | Free by local bank transfer. USD wire payments are charged (up to $8.50 UK, $6.11 EU). | Free |
| Inactivity fee | None | None | None |
| Min deposit | £500 | None | £1 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | No | No | Yes |
| Regulators | FCA | FCA, EFSA | FCA, CySEC |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vanguard UK safe and legit?
Vanguard UK is regulated by FCA and has operated since 2017. All investing carries risk of loss.
What are Vanguard UK's fees?
Stock commission: No dealing charge on Vanguard funds and ETFs at the scheduled daily trade; £7.50 for optional live 'quote and deal' ETF trades. Withdrawal: Free to a linked UK bank account. Inactivity: None.
Is Vanguard UK FCA regulated?
Yes. Vanguard UK is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. FCA regulation brings client-money rules and oversight; it does not protect you against investment losses.
Does Vanguard UK charge a currency conversion fee?
No FX charge — all funds and ETFs are GBP-denominated on the platform.
What is the minimum deposit for Vanguard UK?
The minimum deposit is £500.
Vanguard UK
Cheap index investing, but only in Vanguard's own funds
Visit the Vanguard UK website →We earn no commission from Vanguard UK. It is listed here because a fee comparison that leaves out the market leaders is not a fee comparison.