AbstractA series of numerical experiments on the performance of different base isolation systems for a non‐uniform shear beam structure is carried out. Several base isolation systems are considered and the peak relative displacements and the maximum absolute accelerations of the base‐isolated structure and its base raft under a variety of conditions are evaluated. Several sensitivity analyses for variations in properties of the base isolator and the structure are carried out. A number of different earthquake excitations are also used in the study. The results show that performances of the base isolation systems are not sensitive to small variations in their natural period, damping or friction coefficient. The presence of a frictional element in the isolators reduces their sensitivity to severe variations in frequency content and amplitude of the ground acceleration. In particular, the resilient‐friction base isolators with or without sliding upper plate perform reasonably well under a variety of loading conditions. The rubber bearing type, however, leads to the lowest peak transmitted accelerations for moderate intensity earthq