Crane Index™ Research › AI Readability 2026
Crane Index™ · Annual edition
UK AI Readability 2026
In 2026 the Crane Index™ measured how readably UK business presents itself to AI engines across 21 industries and 2295 sites a machine could read. Technology and Software read cleanest, at a median of 58 out of 100; Automotive sat lowest at 41. The highest single score, 88, was held jointly by University of Kent in Universities and Dynatrace in Technology and Software.
The 2027 edition is scheduled. UK AI Readability 2027 is pinned to the scan scheduled for 1 January 2027. The figures on this page stay fixed to 1 October 2026.
What this measures. Each score reads how readably a site presents itself to AI engines: entity markup, structured data and machine resolvability. It is not a measure of design, brand or quality. A site can look excellent to a person and still be hard for a machine to read.
Key statistics, 2026
Measured in the Crane Index scan of 1 October 2026. Each line links to itself, so it can be cited on its own.
- The scan approached 3,368 sites across 21 industries and scored the 2,295 it could read. Link
- 1,073 of the 3,368 sites approached (32%) could not be read by the scan at all. Link
- 129 of the 2,295 scored sites (6%) reached 70 out of 100 or more. Link
- 694 of the 2,295 scored sites (30%) scored below 40. Link
- Technology and Software had the highest industry median, 58 out of 100. Link
- Automotive had the lowest industry median, 41 out of 100. Link
- The highest single score was 88 out of 100, held jointly by University of Kent (Universities) and Dynatrace (Technology and Software). Link
The 45 checks behind these scores are counted one by one in website AI readiness statistics 2026, with llms.txt adoption and AI crawler blocking on their own pages.
Every industry, ranked for 2026
Ordered by the gap between the strongest and weakest site in each field, widest first, since the gap is the clearest signal of how unevenly a sector has adapted.
| Industry | Median | Gap | Leads the field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 44 | 68 | University of Kent 88 |
| Technology and Software | 58 | 67 | Dynatrace 88 |
| Automotive | 41 | 59 | Perodua 79 |
| Hospitality and Leisure | 43 | 59 | Five Guys 80 |
| Energy and Utilities | 42 | 58 | OVO Energy 78 |
| Insurance | 44 | 58 | Direct Line 78 |
| Media and Entertainment | 42 | 58 | Pan Macmillan 79 |
| Real Estate and Property | 48 | 58 | AppFolio 79 |
| Financial Services | 45 | 57 | Fidelity Investments 76 |
| Telecommunications | 48 | 57 | Wessex Internet 78 |
| Transport and Logistics | 45 | 56 | c2c 75 |
| UK Ecommerce | 54 | 56 | Interflora 76 |
| Education | 49 | 55 | Fettes College 78 |
| Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals | 44 | 55 | Hologic 76 |
| Legal Services | 48 | 55 | LegalZoom 78 |
| Consumer Goods | 46 | 54 | Levi Strauss & Co. 75 |
| Professional Services | 54 | 54 | Mercer 76 |
| Travel and Tourism | 50 | 54 | Princess Cruises 73 |
| Manufacturing and Industrial | 44 | 52 | Konecranes 72 |
| FTSE 100 | 43 | 47 | GSK 68 |
| UK Airports | 47 | 45 | Cornwall Airport Newquay 68 |
Each industry links to its fixed 2026 edition, with the full ranked field, the three reads behind every score and the data to download. The live fields, re-run on the first of each month, are in the leaderboard, and the whole programme is at Crane Index™ Research.
Licensed CC BY 4.0. Cite as: The Crane Index™, UK AI readability 2026, The Crane Consultancy. https://thecraneconsultancy.com/research/ai-readability-2026/