Royal London, Aviva and Quilter were the most recommended personal pensions in the first half, based on adviser recommendations flowing through Defaqto's Financial Planning software system Engage.
The companies retained the top three spots with a similar level of market share to 2025.
Along with Prudential Retirement Account, the four products accounted for a significant proportion of adviser recommendations, Defaqto reported.
Andrew Duthie, insight manager for wealth and protection at Defaqto, said: "Aviva and Quilter's high rankings reflect how strongly they also perform in the platform market.”
He said it’s interesting that Scottish Widows Platform Personal Pension climbed the rankings, saying that was likely a result of it being the Lloyds Banking Group brand's flagship pension product.
He added: “Its Retirement Account sat in fifth last year and advisers continue to favour a brand they know well."
He noted that Fidelity Adviser Solutions' Pension made an appearance in the top 10 having narrowly missed out last year.
Source: Defaqto Engage
The top 10 SIPPs were all platform-based, underlining the level of business placed via platforms and the more specialist nature of bespoke SIPP investments, which limits their suitability for the typical client.
Mr Duthie said: "Aviva Pension Portfolio has a significant share of recommendations in the SIPP market. Its Choice option also ranks second in Personal Pensions, showing advisers clearly value the wide choice of investment options available within it.
"AJ Bell Investcentre SIPP has improved on last year as Aberdeen closed the Wrap SIPP, which was runner-up in 2025, with its replacement, the Aberdeen SIPP, rounding out the top three.
"As in Personal Pensions, Scottish Widows Platform Pension has climbed the rankings, although unlike the Personal Pension market this is not directly as a result of Retirement Account no longer being offered."
He noted that Nucleus Wrap Pension Account entered the top 10, “which is particularly interesting given the launch of the new Nucleus SIPP and Flexi SIPP earlier this year. It's certainly one to watch as the market continues to evolve."
Source: Defaqto Engage
The findings are drawn from the firm’s whole-of-market data, covering more than 50 personal pension products from more than 30 providers and more than 100 SIPP products from more than 70 providers.
The new data ranks the most popular pension recommendations made through the adviser software using a representative cross-section of the UK financial adviser market but excluding recommendations made by vertically integrated distribution networks.