What Is The UK’s Best Critical Illness Insurance In 2023?

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13/11/2022
11 mins

Critical Illness Cover pays out a tax-free lump sum if you become critically ill with one of the serious illnesses the policy covers. You must meet the severity of the illness the insurer details in its terms and conditions to make a claim.

There are multiple insurers to choose from, each with their own coverage for various conditions and slightly different policy terms. It can therefore be tricky to find the best Critical Illness Insurance. You need to know exactly what you’re looking for and what’s best for your needs.

If at any point you want an idea of Critical Illness Insurance premiums, use our online comparison tool to get quotes from every top UK insurer →

What Do The Best Critical Illness Insurance Policies Cover?

The most common conditions Critical Illness Insurance providers pay out for are:

  • Cancer
  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes.

However, your policy will likely cover many critical conditions. These often include:

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Permanent loss of vision / hearing
  • Loss of limbs
  • Motor neurone disease
  • Specified organ failure / major organ transplant
  • Heart valve replacement / repair.

Most of the best Critical Illness Insurance providers cover around 40 conditions.

However, there are insurers which cover just 10 illnesses and those which cover more than 100. It therefore pays to do your research or get an expert adviser on the case.

If you need help please don’t hesitate to pop us a call on 02084327333 or email help@drewberry.co.uk.

Getting The Best Critical Illness Cover

To get started, it’s important to understand just what Critical Illness Insurance providers offer.

Finding the best Critical Illness Cover isn’t easy. There’s lots to think about when you compare providers, from the number of conditions each insurer covers to the definitions of those conditions.

You’ll also want to check out any additional benefits, and potentially compare each provider’s child cover if you have a family or plan to start one in the future.

To get the best cover, you’ll need to compare a few key factors relating to insurers and their policies. For example, you’ll want to look at:

The Insurer

Firstly, look at the insurer providing the cover. Take a look at its reviews, both from clients and from expert advisers.

How is the claims experience? Does it offer a high enough benefit and have the kind of features you’re after?

Conditions Covered

Firstly, Critical Illness Insurance is there to pay out if you develop one of the conditions the policy covers. It’s that simple.

However, it’s more complicated when you start looking at each insurer’s small print.

All the best Critical Illness Insurance providers offer cover for the ‘big three’ illnesses (cancer, heart attacks and strokes). They also cover a number of other major conditions in common. However, there are key differences in many areas.

Ultimately, some insurers cover more conditions than others.

Total Permanent Disability Cover

One area where this is particularly clear is with total permanent disability (TPD) cover. This triggers a payout if you become totally and permanently disabled.

However, not every insurer includes it as one of the critical illnesses that trigger a payout. For many providers, you must add it for an extra premium.

ABI+ Definitions

As well as the number of conditions each provider covers, you want to dive into the detail and look at the definitions of those conditions.

Some insurers have better definitions than others. For example, some insurers pay out for any diagnosis of cancer. Most, however, require cancer to be at a set severity before you can claim.

To help with this, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) produced model definitions of conditions. This lays out the definitions of the illnesses the best Critical Illness Insurance providers commonly cover and therefore to what severity you must develop them before you can claim.

These are only minimum standards, however. Many insurers go above and beyond for some conditions, offering what’s known as an ABI+ definition. That’s a definition that is better than the definition the ABI dictates.

The best Critical Illness Insurance providers include the most ABI+ definitions.

Children’s Cover

Children’s Critical Illness Cover offers a payout if one of your children develops a critical condition. This is most commonly 25% of your benefit, but can be more with certain insurers. Other providers let you pick a child benefit of your choosing.

Some insurers include children’s Critical Illness Insurance as standard. It comes with the cover, regardless of whether you have children.

With other providers, it’s an optional add-on for an extra premium. This may suit those without children who have no plans to start a family and don’t want to have a benefit on their policy that they won’t use.

As with most aspects of Critical Illness Insurance, children’s cover isn’t created equal. There are some key differences to look for:

  • As with adult cover, the number of conditions the cover protects against
  • If the policy only covers children for the adult conditions or includes child-specific illnesses as well
  • Whether your child gets cover from birth or from 30 days old
  • Availability of cover for congenital conditions
  • Whether it includes a payout for pregnancy complications, including loss of a child in utero.

Additional Benefits

Look beyond the core cover. All policies at their core pay out if you develop one of a select list of critical illnesses. Where the best Critical Illness Insurance providers differentiate themselves is in the additional benefits they offer.

These benefits commonly include:

  • Digital GP services
  • Mental health support / counselling
  • Second medical opinions
  • Support after a critical diagnosis, such as with your recovery, improving quality of life or accommodating a new disability
  • Hospitalisation benefit

Other Factors

Maximum Benefit

Each insurer has a different maximum benefit they’ll cover you for. For some insurers, there’s no limit. However, most Critical Illness Insurance providers cap this at around £3 million.

For the vast majority of people, the £3 million limit should be more than sufficient. Premiums would likely be significant for anything above this anyway.

Partial Payouts

Some providers pay out on a sliding scale if you don’t quite meet the necessary severity for the illness you develop as your insurer outlines.

For example, if you develop a low-grade, in-situ cancer and catch it early, the insurer may not pay the full benefit because you don’t meet the full definition of cancer in the policy documents.

Other insurers offer a proportionate benefit (commonly the lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit) if you develop a less serious, or ‘additional’, illness that isn’t quite as severe as the main conditions the policy covers.

Survival Period

Most insurers have a survival period. This is a set number of days you must live after your diagnosis before you can claim. Survival periods can vary from 10 days to 2 weeks or more, so check carefully.

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Which Critical Illness Insurers Offer The Best Premiums?

There are a lot of factors which affect the cost of Critical Illness Insurance. They’re split into personal and policy factors.

Policy Factors

  • Sum assured
    How much you want the policy to pay out if you become critically ill. The higher your benefit, the higher your premiums.
  • Policy length
    How long you want the policy to last. The longer you require Critical Illness Insurance for, the higher your premiums due to the increased risk of illness you face as an older policyholder.
  • Level or decreasing cover
    With level cover, the benefit is the same for the policy term. It’s therefore useful for covering fixed costs, such as bills if you can’t work or adapting your home for a new disability. Decreasing cover falls over the policy term, reaching zero by the end. You typically align it with a repayment mortgage. As the risk to the insurer is fixed with level cover, it’s more expensive.

Personal Factors

  • Age
    The older you are when you take out the policy, the more it will cost due to the higher risk of illness as we get older.
  • Health and medical history
    Your state of health is important, including factors such as your height and weight. If you have pre-existing conditions, the insurer might place exclude that condition or charge higher premiums to compensate.
  • Smoker status
    Smokers are more likely to become ill, and to suffer serious conditions such as cancer and heart attacks, than non-smokers. Insurers therefore charge smokers more for cover.
  • Occupation
    If you work in a riskier role, such as on a construction site or at heights, you run a greater risk of serious illness / injury than the typical desk workers. Higher risk roles generally therefore mean higher premiums.

Average Cost Of Critical Illness Cover In 2023

To calculate the premiums in the table below, we’ve had to make a number of assumptions about each individual. For example, we’ve assumed they are:

  • A healthy non-smoker
  • Employed in a desk-based role (an accountant)
  • Seeking £250,000 of Life and Critical Illness Cover to age 60
  • Applying for cover as a single individual, not jointly with a partner.

These premiums are the cheapest available that meet the above criteria. However, the cheapest policy won’t necessarily be the best.

One provider might have more robust definitions, better additional benefits or a range of other factors that are an improvement over the cheapest option.

25 Years Old

35 Years Old

45 Years Old

Decreasing Cover

£33.77
per month

£48.68
per month

£84.80
per month

Level Cover

£39.75
per month

£67.97
per month

£122.48
per month

Compare UK’s 10 Best Critical Illness Insurance Providers 2023

As an independent insurance broker we compare all of the leading UK insurers for our clients.

Each insurer has its own unique coverage. This includes number of conditions they cover and the definitions of those conditions, as well as areas such as additional benefits where insurers really set each other apart.

In addition to this expert guide we have also written expert product reviews for each of the top UK critical illness providers individually including AvivaLegal & General and Vitality.

AIG Logo

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£3 million

Conditions Covered

Core Cover

  • 23 full payment conditions as standard
  • Plus the lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit for low-grade breast and prostate cancer

Enhanced Cover
An optional add-on for an extra premium, paying:

  • Your full benefit for 7 further conditions
  • The lower of £35,000 or your full benefit for 20 further conditions
  • £5,000 if you develop one of six pregnancy complications

ABI+ Definitions

16

Survival Period

10 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Cover

An optional add-on for an extra premium, covering children from birth to age 22 for:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops one of 7 conditions
  • The lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit if your child is diagnosed with one of 16 conditions
  • A £5,000 child death benefit (including stillbirth after 24 weeks)
  • £100 per night as a hospitalisation benefit if your child is hospitalised for up to 30 nights
  • £5,000 if your child is born with one of 4 birth defects

Enhanced Children’s Cover

An optional add on for an extra premium. It covers children from birth to age 22 for:

  • The lower of £50,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops one of 11 conditions
  • The lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit if your child is diagnosed with one of 33 conditions
  • Double the claim amount if your child can only be treated overseas
  • A £10,000 child death benefit (including stillbirth after 24 weeks)
  • £100 per night as a hospitalisation benefit if your child is hospitalised for up to 30 nights
  • £5,000 if your child is born with one of 4 birth defects

Claims Paid

98% of claims in 2021, totalling over £28 million

Additional Benefits

Smart Health is AIG’s main additional benefits offering. It includes:

  • 24/7 digital GP service
  • Fitness and nutrition plans from qualified nutritionists
  • Mental health support and counselling
  • Online health assessment
  • Second medical opinion from Best Doctors

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Child cover offers good protection including a child funeral benefit, hospitalisation benefit after 7 consecutive days, and insures children for certain birth defects

👍

Excellent free benefits that support you in maintaining good health and wellbeing through AIG’s Smart Health services

🏆
  • Winner: AIG’s Smart Health benefits won Best Innovation in Insurance at the Financial Services Forum Awards in 2021
  • Winner: Critical Illness Choices won Outstanding Individual Critical Illness at the Cover Excellence Awards 2021
  • 5-star Defaqto rating

Total Permanent Disability, Waiver of Premium, and Child Cover are only available as optional add-ons

Only covers two additional critical illnesses which pay a lower benefit as standard. Many other insurers cover more than this.

Aviva

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£1 million

Conditions Covered

Core Cover (Critical Illness)

  • Payout in full for 33 conditions as standard
  • Plus the lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit for low grade in-situ cancer of the breast or prostate

Upgraded Cover (Critical Illness+)
An optional add-on for an extra premium, which pays out:

  • In full for a further 15 conditions
  • The lower of £30,000 or your full benefit for a further 24 conditions
  • A hospitalisation benefit of £100 per night for up to 30 nights (maximum £3,000) if you spend more than 7 consecutive nights in hospital.

ABI+ Definitions

19

Survival Period

10 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Critical Illness

Included as standard for children from 30 days old until their 18th birthday (21st birthday if in full-time education), paying:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any of the critical illnesses the policy covers excluding Terminal Illness
  • A death benefit of £5,000 should your child pass away during the policy term
  • A hospitalisation benefit of £100 per night for up to 30 nights if your child is hospitalised for more than 7 nights

Upgraded Children’s Critical Illness
An optional add-on for an extra premium, covering:

  • Covers your child from birth to their 22nd birthday
  • £25,000 for any of the full payout conditions, low grade in-situ cancer of the breast or prostate, or one of 11 child-specific conditions
  • £50,000 if your child develops one of 12 severe conditions
  • Extends eligibility for the death benefit from the 24th week of pregnancy rather than from 30 days old

Claims Paid

93.5% paid in 2022, totalling more than £334 million

Additional Benefits

Aviva DigiCare+

Free as standard, Aviva DigiCare+ is a health and wellbeing service offering:

  • 24/7 Bupa Anytime HealthLine, staffed by trained nurses to help manage minor health concerns
  • Mental health support
  • Second medical opinion service
  • Annual health check
  • Nutrition advice
  • Gym discounts
  • Bereavement support if you lose a family member.

You can also opt to pay an extra £36 annually for three Digital GP appointments per year.

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Aviva DigiCare+ is a great suite of additional benefits available for free

👍

Great selection of additional benefits to add for an extra cost, such as a Digital GP service, Fracture Cover, Global Treatment and Extra Care Cover

👍

Uses 19 ABI+ definitions, one of the highest in the market

🏆
  • Winner: Sustainable Finance Award at the FS Awards in 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rated

While Aviva offers a digital GP service via Aviva DigiCare+, which not every insurer does, it’s at extra cost and limited to three appointments per year.

Waiver of Premium and Total Permanent Disability come at an extra cost

Children’s cover starts when children are 30 days old, but many other providers commence cover from birth

Guardian Logo

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£3 million

Conditions Covered

  • Payout in full for 53 conditions as standard – including Total Permanent Disability
  • Plus the lower of 25% of your benefit or £50,000 for an additional 22 illnesses
  • Plus the lower of 10% of your benefit or £50,000 for low risk non-melanoma skin cancer, rising to up to 25% of your benefit or £50,000 for high risk incidences
  • An advanced payment of 25% of your cover up to £50,000 when you’re on a UK waiting list for surgery

ABI+ Definitions

18

Survival Period

14 days

Children’s Cover

An optional add-on for an extra premium covering children from birth to age 23 for:

  • A lump sum of your choosing between £10,000 and £100,000 (up to 100% of your benefit) if your child develops any of the 53 full conditions, excluding TPD
  • A full payout for any of six child-specific conditions
  • An additional payout of either £50,000, or between 10% and 25% of your cover amount for a further 22 conditions
  • 100% of your child’s cover amount if they’re placed on a UK waiting list for surgery
  • 25% of the child’s benefit for 22 additional conditions
  • £10,000 towards your child’s funeral if they pass away or are stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy

Claims Paid

£4.9 million paid out in Critical Illness claims in 2022

Additional Benefits

  • Guardian Anytime
    A 24 / 7 remote GP service, plus a second medical opinion service following a serious diagnosis and post-diagnosis support from a dedicated nurse
  • Guardian Halo
    Support after a critical illness claim, including nurse support, estate planning, speech therapy, counselling and help returning to work

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

TPD is included as standard — for many insurers, this is an optional add-on for an extra premium

👍

All cancer diagnoses are guaranteed to receive a payout, regardless of type or severity

👍

Claims for cancer, heart attacks, or strokes are paid out after a clinical diagnosis, with no need to meet a specific definition, and less medical evidence is required

👍

When Guardian improves their critical illness definitions, all existing customers benefit from the increased coverage

👍

If you pay for child cover, you choose a payout of £10,000-£100,000 (up to 100% of your benefit), meaning a children’s claim could pay out more than with other insurers

👍

The optional paid-for child cover covers children from birth up to age 23, regardless of education status. This is the longest term in the market. It also provides a high child death benefit of £10,000.

🏆
  • Winner: 5 Star Winner for Pension & Protection Services at the Financial Times Adviser Awards in 2022
  • Winner: Gold Award for Critical Illness Cover from Protection Guru in 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rating

Claims statistics don’t include the percentage of claims paid, so there’s a lack of transparency here

L&G logo

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

  • £3 million with work tasks TPD cover
  • £2 million with own occupation TPD cover

Conditions Covered

Core Critical Illness

  • Payout in full for 31 conditions as standard
  • Plus the lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit for low grade in-situ breast or prostate cancer

Critical Illness Extra
An optional add-on for an extra premium, which pays out for:

  • In full for 48 conditions
  • Plus a payout for the lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit for a further 28 conditions

ABI+ Definitions

17

Survival Period

14 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Critical Illness

Included as standard, covering children between 30 days and 18 years old (21 if in full-time education) for:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any critical illness the policy covers except Total Permanent Disability
  • £5,000 hospitalisation benefit if your child suffers an accident and needs at least 28 days in hospital
  • A £5,000 funeral benefit if your child dies during the policy term
  • £1,000 towards childcare with a registered childminder in the 18 months after a parent’s critical diagnosis. Only eligible for children under 5 years old
  • A £100 family accommodation benefit (up to £1,000) for each night a child spends in hospital in the 3 months after they develop a covered critical condition

Children’s Critical Illness Extra
An optional add-on for an extra premium, which extends child cover from birth rather than 30 days old, paying:

  • The lower of £35,000 or 50% of your benefit for all 76 conditions under Critical Illness Extra, plus eight child-specific conditions
  • Funeral benefit increases to £10,000 if your child passes away during the policy term
  • Family accommodation benefit limit increases to £3,000 when your child is hospitalised following a critical diagnosis

Claims Paid

93.4% of all Critical Illness claims in 2022, totalling £224 million

Additional Benefits

Legal & General provides policyholders with umbrella benefits under Wellbeing Support. This includes:

  • Practical and emotional assistance from RedArc nurses during a critical illness
  • A second medical opinion service
  • Mental health support for short and long term conditions, including trauma
  • Recovery support to rehabilitate you after a serious illness
  • A diagnostic understanding service
  • Dietary and lifestyle support
  • Serious and chronic illness management
  • Later life planning

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Standard children’s cover includes some unique features, such as a £5,000 hospitalisation benefit, £1,000 childcare support and a family accommodation benefit if your child is hospitalised overnight

👍

Good selection of optional add-ons available when you buy through an adviser, such as Private Diagnostics, Fracture Cover, and Waiver of Premium

👍

Advanced claim payment for certain surgeries once you’re on the NHS waitlist

🏆
  • Winner: Organisation of the Year at the Protection Review Awards 2022
  • Winner: Best Overall Protection Provider at the Mortgage Advice Bureau Awards 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rated

Minimal free benefits included when you take out a policy

LV

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

Unlimited

Conditions Covered

Enhanced Critical Illness Cover

  • Payout in full for 49 conditions as standard
  • Plus the lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit for an additional 19 conditions
  • Enhanced payments of up to £200,000 for certain life-altering conditions
  • £1,000 cost of cancer payment if you’re diagnosed with any form of cancer covered by the policy

ABI+ Definitions

18

Survival Period

14 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Cover

Included as standard, covering children from birth to age 23 without a survival period. It pays:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops one of the 58 conditions the policy covers, except type 1 diabetes and TPD
  • An additional payment for the lower of 25% of your cover amount or £15,000 for a further 18 conditions
  • Enhanced claim payments of £50,000 or 100% of your cover (whichever is lower) for certain conditions
  • £5,000 child funeral payment if your child dies during the policy term

Your child can convert their cover into an adult policy without medical underwriting if they do it within 6 months of their 23rd birthday.

The maximum cover available if they convert the cover is the lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit.

Enhanced Children’s Cover
An optional add-on for an extra premium, this pays:

  • The lower of £35,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any of the conditions your policy covers, excluding type 1 diabetes and TPD
  • 10 further child-specific conditions, including child’s diabetes type 1, Down’s syndrome and spina bifida
  • Enhanced claim payments of £70,000 for certain life-altering conditions. Or, if both parents are covered, this increases to £140,000
  • The £5,000 child funeral benefit starts after your 24th week of pregnancy
  • £5,000 if you suffer from one of six pregnancy complications

The maximum cover available if your child converts their cover to an adult policy increases to £35,000, or 50% of your benefit, whichever is lower.

Claims Paid

88% of Critical Illness claims paid in 2022, totalling £28.3 million

Additional Benefits

LV’s main additional benefits offering is LV Doctor Services. This offers:

  • 24/7 remote GP appointments, with prescription services
  • Second medical opinion service
  • Remote physiotherapy sessions
  • Remote mental health support
  • 25% off health MOTs

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Standard child cover protects children from birth to age 23, regardless of education status. This is the longest coverage for children in the market.

👍

Enhanced payments of up to £200,000 for critical conditions that will have a significant financial effect on your life

👍

£1,000 paid on top of your claim if you’re diagnosed with cancer

👍

Good range of additional benefits, including a remote GP service

🏆
  • Winner: Outstanding Insurer of the Year at the LifeSearch Awards in 2023
  • Winner: Gold Award for Life and Enhanced Critical Illness Cover from Protection Guru in 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rating

88% payout rate in 2022 is on the low side

Waiver of Premium and Total Permanent Disability cover are only available as add-ons and cost extra

Royal London Logo

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£3 million (£1.2 million with increasing cover)

Conditions Covered

  • Payout in full for 46 conditions as standard
  • Plus a payout of the lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit for an additional 27 conditions

ABI+ Definitions

14

Survival Period

10 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Cover
An optional add-on for an extra premium, covering children from birth to age 22 (23 if in full-time education). It pays:

  • The lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any of the adult critical illnesses, including TPD
  • A £5,000 death benefit if a child passes away

Enhanced Children’s Cover
For a further additional premium, the enhanced option pays:

  • The lower of £50,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any critical illness you’re covered for, including TPD, and a further 13 child-specific conditions
  • Also pays a further claim for the lower of £30,000 or £50% of your benefit for the additional 27 conditions in adult cover
  • £5,000 for certain pregnancy complications
  • £10,000 as a death benefit if your child passes away

Claims Paid

93.6% of Critical Illness claims paid in 2022, totalling £132 million

Additional Benefits

Royal London’s main additional benefits offering is Helping Hand. This offers:

  • Access to virtual GP consultations with experienced NHS doctors
  • Thrive, a mental wellbeing app approved by the NHS for managing mental health conditions
  • TrackActiveMe, a physiotherapy app to help you prevent, treat, and manage musculoskeletal pain
  • Nurse support from RedArc following a serious illness, injury, or bereavement
  • Back-to-work coaching
  • Speech and language therapy after a stroke
  • Practical help around the home
  • Complementary therapies
  • Mental health therapies
  • Dietary and nutrition consultations

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Children’s cover includes pregnancy complications and Total Permanent Disability, which most other providers exclude

👍

Free rehabilitation after a critical illness, with access to cardiac, oncology and stroke nurses to support your recovery

👍

Advanced surgery payments once you’re on the waiting list for 1 of 14 approved surgeries

🏆
  • Winner: 5 Stars for Protection service from the Financial Adviser Service Awards in 2022
  • Winner: Outstanding Insurer of the Year at the LifeSearch Awards in 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rating

Waiver of Premium and Total Permanent Disability cover are only available as add-ons, which cost extra

Scottish Widows Logo

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£3 million (capped at £1.5 million for TPD claims)

Conditions Covered

  • Payout in full for 30 conditions as standard
  • Plus the lower of £30,000 or 25% of your benefit for 10 additional conditions
  • A booster payment of 150% of your benefit, up to £200,000, whichever is lower if you develop one of four neurological conditions by age 45

ABI+ Definitions

14

Survival Period

10 days

Children’s Cover

Included as standard, covering children from birth to age 22. It pays:

  • The lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any illnesses the policy covers, except TPD
  • The lower of £30,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops one of five child-specific conditions
  • A £10,000 death benefit if your child dies between birth and age 22 during the policy term

Claims Paid

93.3% of Critical Illness claims paid in 2022, totalling £86.2 million

Additional Benefits

Scottish Widows Care is Scottish Widows’ main additional benefits offering. It centres around a team of dedicated nurses available on a telephone helpline, offering support with:

  • Long-term physical or mental illnesses
  • Bereavement
  • Trauma
  • Disability
  • Recovering from being discharged from hospital
  • Second medical opinion which can be arranged with a top UK specialist
  • Therapy, such as counselling, complementary therapies or occupational therapy

The Drewberry Verdict

👍

Booster payments of up to £200,000 if you’re diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition before age 45

👍

Advanced claim payments once you’re on a UK waiting list for certain surgeries

👍

£10,000 child death benefit as standard, one of the highest available in the market

🏆
  • 5-star Defaqto rating

Scottish Widows covers one of the lowest overall number of conditions in the market

While TPD cover is standard (many insurers require you to add it for an extra premium), Scottish Widows caps it at £1.5 million.

Zurich

Policy Overview

Maximum Benefit

£5 million (£2 million with TPD cover)

Conditions Covered

Standard Critical Illness

  • Payout in full for 40 conditions as standard
  • An advanced payout while you’re on an NHS waiting list for 1 of 7 qualifying surgeries
  • Plus the lower of £25,000 or 25% of your benefit for less advanced breast and prostate cancer

Critical Illness Select 
An optional add-on for an extra premium, Critical Illness Select is an upgraded policy that pays:

  • In full for a total of 51 conditions
  • An additional claim of up to £25,000 for a further 48 conditions, including less advanced cancer of the breast or prostate
  • An advanced payout while you’re on an NHS waiting for 1 of 9 qualifying surgeries
  • An uplift of the lower of £100,000 or 100% of your benefit if you develop one of ten life-changing conditions before the age of 50
  • £5,000 if you suffer one of five pregnancy complications before age 45

ABI+ Definitions

18

Survival Period

10 days

Children’s Cover

Standard Children’s Benefit
Only available with the standard Critical Illness policy, this is optional add-on for an extra premium. It covers children from birth to age 22 for:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any of the 40 adult conditions the policy covers
  • Funeral benefit of £5,000 if your child dies during the policy term
  • Your child can take out their own policy between the age of 16 and 22 without answering any further health questions

Enhanced Children’s Benefit
Only available with Critical Illness Select, this is optional add-on for an extra premium. Unless stated otherwise, it covers children from birth to age 22, paying:

  • The lower of £25,000 or 50% of your benefit if your child develops any of the 51 adult conditions the policy covers
  • If your child has a cancer claim, Zurich will pay up to £50,000
  • A further payment of up to £25,000 if your child develops one of six child-specific conditions
  • Up to £25,000 if your child needs overseas treatment
  • Funeral benefit of £5,000 now covers babies after the 24th week of pregnancy
  • Your child can take out their own policy between the age of 16 and 22 without answering any further health questions

Claims Paid

90% of claims in 2019, totalling £76.4 million

Additional Benefits

Included free as standard, Zurich’s main additional benefits offering is Zurich Support Services. This offers support in four key areas:

  • Daily concerns, such as job-seeking, money management and consumer rights
  • Significant life events, like wedding planning, separation, bereavement, or moving home
  • Emotional support to assist with issues like anxiety, depression, or living with an illness or disability
  • Work, for instance, workplace bullying and harassment, or employment rights

The Drewberry Verdict

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Additional payment of up to £100,000 if you suffer from a life-altering condition

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Advanced claim payment if you’re on an NHS waitlist for one of Zurich’s approved surgeries

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Optional multi-fracture cover, which also covers certain dislocations, ruptured tendons, and cruciate ligament tears

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  • Winner: Mental Health Support Proposition at the Insurance Post Claims & Fraud Awards in 2022
  • Winner: Doing It Better Award from the Protection Review Awards in 2022
  • 5-star Defaqto rated

Children’s cover is an optional add-on for an extra premium. While this does mean you don’t pay for a benefit you won’t use if you don’t have children, with many providers it’s free as standard.

Waiver of Premium and Total Permanent Disability aren’t included as standard and will cost extra

We have taken care to ensure that information on this Drewberry owned website is accurate. However, we offer no guarantee as to its accuracy and accept no liability for any losses, whether direct or indirect, arising from errors on our part.

Critical Illness Insurance Product Reviews

Our expert in-depth review of each of the UK's leading providers

Which Critical Illness Insurance Companies Have The Best Payout Rates?

Most people understandably want to choose a policy by picking the insurer that’s the most likely to pay a claim when they need it the most.

However, it’s actually fairly hard to distinguish one provider from another in this area. Payout rates across the industry are not only higher than many people assume but are also fairly uniform.

As you can see in the table below, in 2019 almost all insurers paid out on more than 90% of the claims they received.

Insurer

2020

2021

2022

AIG

95%

98%

N/A

Aviva

92.7%

92.4%

93.5%

Guardian

£1.4 million

£2.8 million

£4.9 million

Legal & General

92%

93%

93.4%

Liverpool Victoria

92%

93%

88%

Royal London

92.4%

91.7%

93.6%

Scottish Widows

94%

93%

93.3%

Zurich

87%

87%

N/A

Common Critical Illness Cover Questions...

  • Do I Really Need Critical Illness Insurance?

    Ultimately, this depends on your needs and circumstances, as well as your point of view.

    You can use a Critical Illness Insurance payout to repay your mortgage, keep up with your bills or adapt your home to meet a new disability.

    Unfortunately, none of us know what life has in store for us. A serious illness could strike at any time. Statistics show the risk of many critical illnesses is rising in the UK, even among younger people of working age.

  • Is Critical Illness Insurance Better Than Income Protection?

    Critical Illness Insurance and Income Protection both pay a benefit if you become ill. It can therefore be hard to tell them apart or know which one would work best for you.

    Find out the difference between Critical Illness Cover and Income Protection here →

    However, in brief the main differences are in the:

    Benefit

    Critical Illness Insurance pays a lump sum of your choosing, while Income Protection pays a monthly benefit of a proportion of your earnings.

    Payout Threshold

    With Critical Illness Cover, to claim you must develop a critical condition in the policy at a severity your insurer dictates.

    On the other hand, Income Protection pays out simply if you can’t do your job after any accident or sickness.

    Conditions Covered

    The most common conditions Critical Illness Insurance providers pay out for are serious illnesses such as cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Income Protection, meanwhile, pays out for anything that medically stops you working, from cancer to a bad back.

    Payout Frequency

    If you claim for a full payment condition with Critical Illness Cover, the policy ends. You get your lump sum but nothing further, even if you can never work again.

    This is opposed to Long Term Income Protection, which continues paying a monthly benefit until you retire if you can’t ever return to work.

  • What's The Difference Between Critical Illness And Terminal Illness?

    Terminal Illness Insurance is usually included free with Life Insurance. It pays the policy benefit early if the policyholder becomes terminally ill (where a doctor has said they have less than 12 months to live).

    Critical Illness Insurance, on the other hand, pays out if you develop a critical illness of a specified severity, such as cancer, heart attack or stroke.

    The two options sound similar but are in fact very different and not interchangeable. It’s possible to recover from a critical illness, for example, whereas that’s not the case after a terminal prognosis.

  • What is Total Permanent Disability (TPD) Cover?

    Total Permanent Disability Cover (TPD) pays out if you are left totally and permanently disabled and unable to work due to illness or injury.

    To make a TPD claim, you must suffer a severe life-changing disability that has no medical prospect of improvement. There are fairly strict criteria to make a total permanent disability claim.

  • Do You Pay Tax On A Critical Illness Payout?

    No, you don’t typically pay tax on a Critical Illness Insurance payout.

    This is because you usually pay premiums from income you’ve already paid tax on, i.e. your wages. That means HMRC has already effectively taxed you once and therefore allows you to receive a Critical Illness Insurance claim tax-free.

Which Is The Best Way To Set-Up Critical Illness Cover?

You have two options to set up Critical Illness Cover. You can either go direct to an insurer or buy cover through an adviser, such as Drewberry. It’s important to recognise the difference as one provides you with far more protection than the other.

Going Direct to an Insurer

Going direct is a non-advised sale. You personally make the decision to buy a policy, which means there’s no financial protection if it’s inappropriate. The responsibility is on your shoulders.

Not only this, but going direct often involves more work. To get the best Critical Illness Insurance, you’ll need to approach every insurer and compare quotes from all of them to get the best deal.

And it doesn’t stop there. You’ll then have to compare critical illness policies by number of illnesses covered and the definitions of those illnesses. This involves a lot of reading of fine print and interpretation of medical and insurance jargon.

Getting Independent Advice

On the other hand, an adviser offering a whole of market advised sale, such as an expert from Drewberry, is fully responsible for any policy they arrange. This offers you more protection than going it alone.

An adviser will consider your circumstances fully to make sure you get the best cover for your needs. We’re here to compare every insurer on your behalf so you can be sure you’ve got the best deal.

We also take all the heavy lifting off your desk, looking through insurers, their policies and their definitions to find you the best terms.

We’re proud of the service we provide and are delighted that our clients love it as well. We have 3017 and growing independent reviews rating us at 4.92 / 5.

Compare Critical Illness Insurance Quotes & Get Expert Advice

With around ten major UK Critical Illness Insurance providers to compare, this involves sifting through a lot of information.

We search for the best Critical Illness Insurance providers for our clients day in, day out. We know the market like the back of our hand, so we’re happy to lend you a hand.

Why Speak to Us?

We started Drewberry™ because we were tired of being treated like a number.

We all deserve a first class service when it comes to issues as important as protecting our health and our finances. Below are just a few reasons why it makes sense to talk to us.

For help and fee-free advice on comparing the UK’s best insurance companies, don’t be afraid to pop us a call. We’re here on 02084327333, or drop us an email on help@drewberry.co.uk.

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If you are unhappy with our service, we have a complaints procedure, details of which are available upon request. If you are unhappy with how your complaint has been dealt with, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS website is www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Drewberry Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Companies House No. 06675912

Drewberry Ltd registered office: Telecom House, Preston Road, Brighton, England, BN1 6AF. Telephone 0208 432 7333

Drewberry Ltd (Financial Conduct Authority No. 505473) is an Appointed Representative of Quilter Wealth Limited and Quilter Mortgage Planning

Limited, which are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.