Value of UK pet insurance coverage falls regardless of increased vet charges and inflation

[ad_1] Vet charges proceed to rise and lots of different prices are on the rise, however pet insurance coverage has on common turn out to be barely cheaper as suppliers compete for customized, new analysis claims.

The pricing information coincides with a research which discovered that one-third of UK pet house owners don’t have insurance coverage, with price cited as one of many greatest components.

It's estimated that 60% of UK households – about 17 million – have a pet, and the excessive prices of possession have been within the information currently. Final month, the federal government introduced an enormous shake-up of the UK vet sector that ministers mentioned ought to push down prices for pet house owners by requiring practices to make their pricing clearer.

Pet insurance coverage is especially designed to cowl the price of vet charges for the therapy of sickness and harm; different coverage advantages can embody issues comparable to cowl for loss and theft. One of many important sorts is lifetime insurance coverage, which is essentially the most complete – and the costliest.

Common lifetime pet insurance coverage premiums ended 2025 about 1.6% decrease than a yr earlier after a 2.3% drop within the last three months of final yr, the pricing consultancy Pearson Ham mentioned this week.

It added: “Probably the most pronounced year-to-date reductions [were] seen amongst animals aged 4 to 6, the place aggressive pricing from main manufacturers has pushed premiums down by about 4% over the yr.” Against this, premiums for older canines and cats “have remained broadly flat year-on-year”.

Pearson Ham mentioned the median lifetime insurance coverage quote final month was £247 for canines and £180 for cats a yr, including that the info “underlines simply how aggressive the pet insurance coverage market stays”.

Veterinary nurse at a PDSA Animal Hospital analyzing a Beagle canine. {Photograph}: Barrie Neil/Alamy Looking for the very best pet insurance coverage to your wants will be daunting; there are lots of of merchandise out there, with large variations in what they provide. Many suppliers supply a number of ranges of canopy.

If the large alternative and numerous choices have left you scratching your head, the monetary information supplier Moneyfacts has supplied pet house owners a serving to hand. This week it introduced the winners of its 2026 Moneyfactscompare.co.uk Awards, with ManyPets named “pet insurance coverage supplier of the yr”. An insurer referred to as Napo was extremely counseled, with Petgevity was counseled.

These three corporations additionally scored extremely within the newest annual star rankings for cat and canine pet insurance coverage issued by Moneyfacts this week. It assesses the merchandise out there and provides the best rankings to those who have essentially the most in depth vary of options and highest cowl limits. “These may also help help the client when searching for the very best coverage inside their price range,” it says.

Different corporations that achieved five-star rankings for no less than a few of their canine and cat insurance policies included: Argos Pet Insurance coverage; Asda Cash; John Lewis Cash; LV=; Sainsbury’s Financial institution; and Tesco Insurance coverage.

Tesco Insurance coverage mentioned a 3rd (33%) of pet house owners admitted they don’t have pet insurance coverage, in accordance with its newest analysis, “leaving them prone to paying out an enormous sum if their pet had been to turn out to be unwell or get injured”.

Wanting on the causes, price was one of many important components. Greater than two-fifths (46%) mentioned they believed pet insurance coverage was too costly, with 29% saying they may not afford it.