These policies generally offer the lowest cover level. In the event of an accident, treatment costs are covered by your insurer. There's normally a cap on how much you can claim per injury. If you reach this limit, you won’t be able to claim for any further treatment for that injury.
Illnesses or pre-existing conditions aren't covered with this type of insurance, so you have to pay for any treatment for these.
Illnesses are covered as well as accidents, but there is a set period of time in which you can make a claim.
Your cover period is typically 12 months. During this you can claim for any conditions your pet develops.
Once your policy ends, any conditions you've claimed for are considered 'pre-existing'. This means they aren't covered by any new policies you take out.
Maximum benefit policies cover injuries and illnesses for the duration of your policy, up to a set limit. There's no set time period in which you need to claim, unlike time limited policies. But, there is a cap on how much you can claim for each injury or illness.
Once you’ve reached this limit for a certain condition, you aren't able to claim for that condition again. So, if your pet requires further treatment, you need to pay for it.
These policies are designed to offer the most comprehensive cover and last for the duration of a pet's life, as long as it's renewed each year.
Unlike other policy types, lifetime pet insurance continues to cover conditions that you've already claimed for, as long as you renew your policy with the same insurer. If you take out a policy with a new provider, pre-existing conditions are unlikely to be covered.
Getting pet insurance quotes only takes a few minutes. Just follow these steps:
To compare quotes we need to know whether you're insuring a cat or dog, along with their age, gender and breed.
Let us know what type of policy you need. We also need to know the amount of cover you need (up to £4,000).
We need to know a few details about you, including your name, age and address.
"There isn't a one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to pet insurance. You need to consider factors such as breed, age and gender along with any other requirements to find the best cover for your pet. If you have multiple pets, it's always worth comparing multi-pet cover as some insurers offer discounts. Comparing different policies can help you decide what you need from your cover, and help you avoid paying for unnecessary extras."
All pet insurance policies cover treatment costs for accidental injury. It's possible to get additional extras and cover, but this generally comes at a higher cost.
Exactly what's covered can differ from insurer to insurer, so check your policy documents to see what you can claim for.
Pet insurance typically covers:
It normally doesn't cover:
No, pet insurance policies don't typically cover pre-existing conditions. These conditions are illnesses or injuries your pet is diagnosed with and receives treatment for before you buy an insurance policy. It also includes any conditions you've previously claimed for, as well as chronic or ongoing conditions. For example, diabetes or joint issues.
The exception to this is lifetime pet insurance. As long as you renew your lifetime policy with the same provider, cover for pre-existing conditions should continue. If you switch providers, you might lose cover for these conditions.
It's possible to find policies tailored to pets with pre-existing conditions. But, they're normally more expensive than regular policies, and your choice of insurers might be limited. So, you might not be able to find suitable insurance for a pre-existing condition. In this instance, you could consider excluding the condition from your policy, but you would need to cover any medical treatment relating to it yourself.
The cost of pet insurance varies based on the level of cover you buy and the type of pet you're insuring. To give you an idea of how much you're likely to pay, here's the average monthly price pet owners pay for their insurance2:
| Policy type | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
|
Accident only
|
£5.63
|
£4.66
|
|
Time limited
|
£14.39
|
£8.29
|
|
Maximum benefit
|
£11.97
|
£8.53
|
|
Lifetime
|
£21.32
|
£13.75
|
2Based on Confused.com data, November 2023 - January 2024. Costs shown are based on the average price paid for cover across all ages, breeds and in all locations.
How much you pay for your pet insurance is based on:
Like other insurance products, the price of pet insurance is based on risk. So, reducing your pet's risk for certain conditions can lower the cost of insurance.
Here are a few things that might help lower the price of insurance:
Vet treatments can cost thousands of pounds, and more complex issues could be even more expensive. These bills can be unexpected and hard to plan for. So, having a policy in place gives you peace of mind that if anything happens, your pet is covered.
But, taking out the right level of cover is important. Taking out too much cover might leave you with a policy you can't afford. Not taking out enough cover leaves you at risk of having to spend thousands on unexpected vet bills.
You should consider how comprehensive you want your cover to be, and how much you can afford to pay. When you compare quotes with Confused.com, you can select the level of cover you want - either £1,000, £2,000, £3,000 or £4,000.
We work closely with a panel of trusted UK pet insurance providers to get you our best deals. We compare your details against all of them to show you our best prices available to you.
When you compare pet insurance quotes with Confused.com, you can choose the policy type and level of cover you want. So, you can tailor your quotes to suit your needs.
Our expert panel reviews all content to make sure it's accurate. Learn more about our editorial standards.
This means we're not owned by any insurance company. So, the quotes you see are our best available prices based on the information you gave to us, not who they're from.
Page last reviewed: 8 April 2024
Reviewed by: Faith Tagg
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