Top picks

Best fixed-rate savings accounts (October 2026)

Zoe Roddy
Updated 5th October 2026

Here are the best fixed rate savings accounts on offer right now

You can fix your savings for anything from three months to five years to get a slightly better rate in return. However, you need to be sure you won’t need access to that cash over that time. The longer you fix, the greater the risk you’ll lose out if rates were to rise. But at the same time, they’re protected if rates were to fall.

If you think you’d prefer to be able to access your money whenever you want, you’d probably want an easy-access savings account.

It’s worth noting, too, when longer fixes provide you with access to the interest. With most, it’s at the end of the fix, meaning all that interest will count towards your personal savings allowance for the year you receive it.

Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.

Paid advertisement
Featured investment account offer
Sponsored
Customer rating 4.8/5
  • Offer
    £0 platform fee and £0 subscription fee*
  • Annual fee
    £0 with offer
  • Investment styles
    Shares, funds and ready-made portfolios
  • Minimum deposit
    £10
*Open and fund a Quilter Invest account before 11:59pm on 30 November and receive £0 platform fee and £0 subscription fee. You need to use the code INVEST26 to get the offer. T&Cs apply. Other fees apply.
  • FSCS Protected Yes. Your eligible deposits and investments may be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Protection is up to £120,000 per person, per firm. FSCS does not cover losses due to market performance.
  • Accounts available General Investment Account (GIA), Stocks & Shares ISA, Junior ISA (JISA), SIPP 
  • Interest on uninvested cash Yes (variable, see here for current rate) 
  • Fractional shares  Yes 
  • Foreign exchange fee 0.40%. Other fees may apply. 
  • Fund fees Variable depending on the fund selected. See fund documentation for specific charges. Other fees may apply.
  • Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes: FRN 955775
  • Risk warning The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.
  • Offer Open and fund a Quilter Invest account before 11:59pm on 30 November and receive £0 platform fee and £0 subscription fee. You need to use the code INVEST26 to get the offer. T&s apply. Other fees apply.  Approved by Quilter Invest Ltd FRN 955775 25/09/2026 

Best fixed savings accounts under a year

Up to 1 year fixed savings

Zopa 6 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER
    4.6%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Cynergy Bank 6 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.57%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £1m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Atom Bank 6 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.55%
  • Minimum
    £50
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

GB Bank 6 month fixed savings

  • AER (fixed)
    4.52%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Chetwood Bank 9 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.6/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.65%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    No max
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Kent Reliance 9 month fixed savings

Customer rating 3.5/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.56%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £1m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Atom Bank 9 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.55%
  • Minimum
    £50
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Best 12-month fixed savings accounts

12 month fixed savings
  • Expected rate. (fixed)
    5.12%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £120,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Close Brothers Savings 1 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.12%
  • Minimum
    £10,000
  • Maximum
    £2m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

thisbank 12 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.1%
  • Minimum
    £100
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Vanquis 12 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.08%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Cynergy Bank 12 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.05%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £1m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

GB Bank 1 year fixed savings

  • AER (fixed)
    5.05%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
Paid advertisement

Best 18-month fixed savings accounts

18 month fixed savings

Aldermore 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.1/5
  • AER
    4.93%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £1m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Close Brothers Savings 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.93%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £120,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Tandem 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.9%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £2.5m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Tesco Bank 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 3.5/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.85%
  • Minimum
    £2,000
  • Maximum
    £5m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Kent Reliance 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 3.5/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.84%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £499,999
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Hampshire Trust Bank 18 month fixed savings

Customer rating 4.3/5
  • AER (fixed)
    4.76%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Best two-year fixed savings accounts

2 year fixed savings

Close Brothers Savings 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.16%
  • Minimum
    £10,000
  • Maximum
    £2m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

OakNorth 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.15%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

DF Capital 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 3.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.15%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Chetwood Bank 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.6/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.14%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    N/A
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Vanquis 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.13%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

thisbank 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.12%
  • Minimum
    £100
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Investec 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.4/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.12%
  • Minimum
    £5,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Atom Bank 2 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.1%
  • Minimum
    £50
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
Paid advertisement

Best three-year fixed savings accounts

3 year fixed savings

thisbank 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.18%
  • Minimum
    £100
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Close Brothers Savings 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER
    5.18%
  • Minimum
    £10,000
  • Maximum
    £2m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Chetwood Bank 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.6/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.17%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    No maximum
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Aldermore 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.1/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.16%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Vanquis 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.16%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Investec 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.4/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.12%
  • Minimum
    £5,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Atom Bank 3 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER
    5.1%
  • Minimum
    £50
  • Maximum
    £100,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
Paid advertisement

Best four-year fixed savings accounts

4 year fixed savings

Aldermore 4 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.1/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.17%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £1m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Vanquis 4 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.16%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

thisbank 4 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.04%
  • Minimum
    £100
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
Paid advertisement

Best five-year fixed savings accounts

5 year fixed savings

DF Capital 5 year fixed savings

Customer rating 3.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.35%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Oxbury Bank 5 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.2/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.34%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £500,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Vanquis 5 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.34%
  • Minimum
    £1,000
  • Maximum
    £250,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes

Close Brothers Savings 5 year fixed savings

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.34%
  • Minimum
    £10,000
  • Maximum
    £2m
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
Paid advertisement

Other savings accounts

Best Easy Access savings accounts

If you don’t want to lock your money away, then an easy access account is going to be the best one for your cash.

We’ve listed all the top easy access accounts in our separate tables.

Best Regular Savings accounts

These accounts are all “Regular” or monthly savers which work differently to normal saving accounts. Here’s Andy’s full guide to how they work.

We’ve listed the top-paying options in our separate best buy guide.

Paid advertisement

Best Easy Access Cash ISAs

Though most of us don’t need the tax-free “wrapper” offered by an ISA, if you want to use one then the same goes in terms of finding the best rate.

We’ve listed the best options on our dedicated Best Cash ISA page.

Best Fixed Rate Cash ISAs

You can also get fixed rate ISAs, and these can be accessed early – though you’ll pay an interest penalty if you do.

Find the top paying rates for each term on our dedicated Best Fixed Cash ISA page.

Premium Bonds

The prize rate for Premium Bonds stands at 4.35% from the September 2026 draw onwards. This doesn’t mean you’ll get 4.35% back on your savings, though the closer you are to the £50,000 maximum deposit, the closer you’ll get to the rate (on average). Here’s more.

Best children’s savings account

We’ve written in more detail about the different savings accounts for kids, so do check that article out to understand the conditions such as access and find all the top rates.

Best ethical savings account

The money you hold in your savings is used by the banks to invest and lend money. This could mean it’s used for things you might disagree with, such as fracking, tobacco or arms manufacturing.

There are banks with ethical policies such as Triodos, while building societies must lend 75% of their funds to home buyers, meaning they don’t have the cash to invest elsewhere.

Sharia accounts can’t be used for things against Islamic law, like tobacco or gambling and I’ve listed the top ones further down the article.

The “greenest” banks are Ecology Building Society and Triodos, though they won’t always make the tables above. The following banks and building societies are more likely to appear above.

There’s also the NS&I Green Bond, a 3-year fixed-rate account. It’s currently paying 4.45%. Here’s our analysis.

Paid advertisement

Top Sharia savings accounts

Paying interest isn’t allowed in Islam, so a Sharia-compliant savings account instead promises a return on the money saved – an expected profit rate. Though technically this means the rate isn’t guaranteed, it’s not happened yet. They’re open to everyone, not just Muslims. Money in these accounts won’t be invested in arms, tobacco, gambling or alcohol.

Look in the tables above for banks offering an expected profit rate rather than AER. The main banks are:

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a fixed-rate savings account?

    A fixed-rate savings account locks in an interest rate for a set period – anything from three months to five years. In exchange for not being able to access your money during that time, you get a guaranteed rate that won’t change even if the Bank of England base rate falls.

  2. What is the difference between a fixed-rate savings account and a savings bond?

    In the UK, the terms are used interchangeably. A savings bond is simply a fixed-rate savings account. Both involve locking your money away for a set term in exchange for a fixed interest rate. NS&I Premium Bonds are different as they work via a monthly prize draw rather than paying a guaranteed rate.

  3. Can I access my money early from a fixed-rate savings account?

    Usually not, or only with a penalty. Most fixed-rate accounts are designed to be locked away for the full term. Some providers allow early access but charge an interest penalty – often 60–180 days’ worth of interest. It’s important to only lock away money you’re confident you won’t need.

  4. When is the interest paid on a fixed-rate savings account?

    On shorter-term fixes (under a year), interest is usually paid when the account matures. On longer fixes, some providers pay interest annually, while others pay it all at the end of the term. This matters for tax planning: if all the interest is paid in a single tax year, it all counts towards your Personal Savings Allowance in that year.

Expert thoughts on fixed-rate savings from Be Clever With Your Cash

Fixed-rate savings accounts are one of the simplest tools in personal finance: you lock your money away, you get a guaranteed rate, and you don’t have to think about it again until the term ends. The key is choosing the right term.

Locking your money into a five-year account might seem attractive if the rate is good, but if you need the cash unexpectedly or rates rise significantly, you’re stuck. For most people, a 12–18 month fix strikes a reasonable balance between a better rate and flexibility.

Logo

Our promise

We pride ourselves on providing real, relatable articles and guides to help people with their finances.

As featured on: