Best pet insurance providers UK 2024

Why you can trust our pet insurance reviews

We rated 160 cat and 169 dog policies on cover ranging from vet fee limits to advertising if your pet goes missing.

We picked policies with high cover levels, from insurers with good records for claims acceptance and complaints.

Best pet insurance policies and providers compared

Want the best pet insurance policy or insurer? Use our tables below, then go to Confused.com or another comparison site, or you can go direct to the insurer.
Want the cheapest pet insurance policy or insurer? Follow the links to Confused.com, or another comparison site, to get a list of policies. Then check what the policies scored by searching our tables.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

Cats, dogs or insurer scores?

Lifetime policies: These cover your pet for any conditions it develops during the life of the policy. Some have overall ‘annual limits’ (these renew each year). Others have separate annual limits ‘per condition‘ – with no overall yearly limit. Others have an annual limit – while also having lower ‘condition limits.

Table notes: These tables were last updated in December 2024 – we recommend checking policies before buying. Customer survey: Customer Score is based on an online survey, conducted in November 2023, of 1,300 members of the Which? Connect Panel who own pet insurance. Customer Score reflects the general satisfaction of customers with their insurer and the likelihood of them recommending it. The Claims Score is based on responses of 758 Which? members in the survey who had made a claim within the past two years; it reflects how satisfied claimants were with how their most recent claim was handled and the likelihood of them recommending the insurer for claims. A dash (‘-‘) means not enough responses to include a score or star rating. For sample sizes and information about the Policy Score, see full methodology below.

Best pet insurance policies

In total, we named 40 cat and dog insurance policies as Best Buys. Here we’ve taken a deeper look at the top performers:

Agria Lifetime Premium

83% policy score for dog cover and 82% for cat cover This placed it second of 160 cat policies and joint-second out of 169 dog policies.
70% customer score This placed it top of the nine insurers we had customer scores for.

We like: One of the highest vet fee limits available, at £20,000 per year. The cap includes costs for scans and also £750 for therapy provided by a behaviourist.

We don’t like: As with most (but not all) policies, conditions that started before the policy was taken out are excluded.

Read our expert review of Agria pet insurance

Kennel Club Lifetime Premium

83% policy score for dog cover This placed it joint-second of 169 policies reviewed.

We like: Administered and underwritten by Agria insurance (see above for its best own-brand policy), the Kennel Club’s Lifetime Premium cover has the highest annual vet fee limit in the policies we rated, at £25,000 per year. Plus, customers have access to a 24-hour vet video call service at no extra cost.

We don’t like: The policy offers £3,000 holiday cancellation cover – but you can only claim if your dog needs immediate emergency lifesaving treatment. With some other policies, the criteria allow for additional situations – for example, if the pet is ‘seriously unwell’, or goes missing.

Read our expert review of Kennel Club pet insurance

What does pet insurance cover?

Not all policies will include all these types of cover, and limits and exclusions might apply. See our individual insurer reviews for more details.

Vet fees

Most policies cover the cost of vet fees and certain medical expenses, and can range from £1,000 to as much as £25,000 a year.
Policies aren’t likely to cover routine treatments, or expenses connected with pet pregnancy and giving birth.
Most pet insurers offer cover if your pet needs dental work. Some policies cover treatment needed as a result of injuries or illnesses. However, some won’t cover illness.

Overseas travel cover

Most pet insurance policies will provide cover if your pet falls ill, is involved in an accident, or needs veterinary treatment when abroad.

Cattery and kennel fees

If you are hospitalised and there’s no one else to look after your pet, your pet insurance provider will pay for your pet to be put in a cattery or a kennel. You usually have to be in hospital for at least two to four consecutive days.

Missing pets

Most pet insurance providers cover the cost of putting up posters and paying a reward if your pet goes missing.

Third-party liability (dog-only policies)

If you have a dog, your pet insurance policy should pay out if your dog injures a third party or damages their property.

This covers legal costs, expenses and the claimant’s expenses. Cats don’t need third-party cover as legally they are considered ‘free spirits’.

Death by accident or illness

If your pet dies, you can claim for an amount reflecting what you paid or the financial value of the pet.
Most pet insurance policies have an age limit for this part of the cover – around eight years is fairly common but it can be as low as five.

Find out more: pet insurance explained

key information

Why should you trust Which? research?

We’re not influenced by third parties. We work entirely on behalf of you, the consumer – nobody else. See our statement of editorial independence for more.

What are the different types of pet insurance?

Only lifetime policies can get our Best Buy recommendation, but we’ve rated all the different types of policy.

Lifetime cover pet insurance

Lifetime cover is the most comprehensive pet insurance. It pays out for ongoing issues your pet might have throughout its life.

Annual cover has a maximum overall limit that includes all conditions your pet could experience (provided they’re not excluded), which resets each year. Some policies might also have a lower maximum amount you can claim per year for any single condition.
Per condition per year has a maximum limit for specific conditions that your pet might have, which resets each year.

Both types cover ongoing illnesses every year, unless you cancel your policy.

Non-lifetime cover pet insurance

Non-lifetime cover is less comprehensive and excludes certain conditions after you hit your claims limit.

Per condition cover (also commonly referred to as ‘max benefit’ cover) pays a limited amount for each condition, and the condition is excluded from future payouts once the limit has been reached.
Time-limit per condition cover has both a per-condition limit and a time limit, typically 12 months, before the condition is excluded.

With a time-limit policy, even if your cash limit for a particular condition wasn’t reached, the condition would eventually be excluded after 12 months.

Accident-only pet insurance

This provides a fixed sum of money for each accidental injury to help pay for your pet’s treatment. It’s the cheapest type of pet insurance policy but entirely excludes cover for illness.

Get pet insurance right the first time

Dean Sobers, Which? insurance expert, says:

‘When buying pet insurance, you want to make the right choice the first time round, as switching later on can mean sacrificing cover for conditions your pet has developed.

‘The most weighty aspect of our analysis is what it will pay for vet bills – the fundamental purpose of pet insurance. But even this is more complicated than a headline figure, as some policies offer an annual allowance, while others give total limits for specific conditions. We only give our Best Buy recommendation to lifetime policies – those that commit to making an ongoing contribution towards all of your pet’s covered conditions throughout its life. Among our latest batch of Best Buys are policies offering between £4,000 and £25,000 a year.

‘We can’t tell you which policy will be the best fit for you. But our scores and reviews allow you to see which are the most comprehensive, how they compare in key areas, and what real customers have said about their insurer – all of which can help you to decide.’

Read: how to find cheaper pet insurance

More on pet insurance

There’s no NHS equivalent for pets – and if your cat or dog falls sick or is injured, you could be facing a steep vets bill with very little warning. Like all insurance, the primary benefit of pet cover is the peace of mind of knowing you’ll not have to shoulder that financial burden alone.

However, at £389 per year, on average (according to the Association of British Insurers) and tending to increase considerably as your pet ages, pet insurance doesn’t exactly come cheap. The regular outlay might not feel like great value while your pet is healthy.

Some pet owners – either by choice or necessity – take to ‘self-insuring’ instead, which means keeping a savings fund topped up in the hope it will stretch to accommodate any significant vets costs.

While we can’t predict the future and know what healthcare bills are in store for our furry companions – and thereby know how much value getting insurance will deliver – a couple of data points can help illustrate how it delivers for customers generally.

£668. According to the Association of British Insurers, this was the average claim paid in 2023. But importantly, this average smooths over a lot of variation. Claims for surgery to correct a cruciate rupture in a dog can be between £3,000 and £5,000, while a diabetes claim is typically around £1,300. The breed and age of your pet – and a hefty dose of blind luck – can have a huge effect on what vets costs you can expect to face over its lifetime.
43%. This is the ‘claims frequency’ on lifetime policies in 2023, according to data from the Financial Conduct Authority. In other words, in that year, more than two in five people with lifetime pet insurance claimed on it. This is a much higher rate than with other kinds of insurance – and suggests that over the (hopefully many) years of your pet’s life, you’re quite likely to put the insurance to use.

There are a number of things you can do to save money on your pet insurance such as taking out a policy when your pet is healthy. The insurers will see your pet as low risk and therefore your premiums will be considerably lower as a result.

If you can pay annually for your insurance policy you will save money in the long run. This can be tricky as it will be a large lump sum up front, however, if you add up your monthly instalments over the year, you do pay more for your plan.

Making sure you do your research before taking out a pet insurance policy is the best way to find cheap pet insurance. Comparison websites are a great way to see what you can expect to pay for your insurance and how different companies can offer you different policies to fit your needs.

As your pet gets older, they are more liable to illness and injury and so with each year they become a riskier investment for your insurer. They take precautionary measures by increasing your premium as they predict your pet may be more likely to make a claim year on year.

Another reason for your pet insurance increase is that medical advances are continuously happening. This means there are more tests and procedures available to pet owners which in turn increases the amount of claims and claims costs for the insurer.

Your personal travel insurance will not provide cover for your pets or their medical expenses.

However, most pet insurance policies offer protection if your pet becomes sick, is part of an accident or needs veterinary care while abroad.

Some pet insurers provide compensation for lost travel and accommodation expenses if you have to cancel your holiday due to your pet facing a life-threatening illness before your departure. Make sure to check the terms and conditions of your policy before travelling.

Most pet insurance policies will cover veterinary fees, which includes surgery, as well as the cost of diagnosing and treating illness and or injuries. Your cover should also include any x-rays, scans, bandages and hospital stays. Some will even cover a referral to a specialist if your pet has more specific needs.

However, what isn’t covered is any pre-existing conditions your pet had prior to taking out your insurance policy. So, if for example your dog already suffers with hip dysplasia when your pet insurance cover starts, your insurer will not cover any costs that you incur in order to take care and treat the dysplasia.

Some insurers may offer you insurance to cover your preexisting condition but your premiums may be higher to cover it. The best thing to do is ask your vet as they may know of an insurer that will be best suited to you and your pet’s needs.

Insurance companies generally consider cats and dogs over the age of eight as ‘older pets.’

As pets get older, they’re more likely to get sick or injured, leading to more expensive insurance claims. To cover the higher risk, insurers often charge more to insure older pets compared to younger ones.

You can still find good deals for older pets, but it’s essential to shop around. Keep in mind to:

Check if there are any exclusions for pre-existing illnesses or past veterinary treatment in the new policy.
Pay attention to the excess. Insurers usually set higher excesses or co-payments for older pets, sometimes as much as 25%.

Pet insurance is mainly designed to cover illnesses and injuries that affect your pet. So routine or preventative treatment – such as neutering, spaying, microchipping, or health checks usually won’t be covered.

Pet insurers do expect you to take measures to keep your pet in good health and reduce the likelihood of claims. For example, some policies provide cover for dental illness – but you’ll often not be able to claim on this cover if your pet doesn’t regularly receive dental checkups.

Check you’re getting a great deal and search for a new pet insurance policy using the service provided by Confused.com. Get a quote now

About Which?’s pet insurance research

For cats

In November 2024, we analysed 160 insurance policies covering cats. We examined the amount they paid out in vet fees, as well as other benefits they provide, such as costs for holiday cancellation, dental cover, and advertising and reward to help find your pet if it goes missing.

We compared 31 features of these insurance policies, plus the amount each pays in vet fees, to create a policy score. The higher the score, the more comprehensive the policy’s cover.

Policies that we’ve named as Best Buys are all lifetime policies that did well in our analysis of cover, scoring at least 70%. In addition:

Each will pay out a minimum of £2,000 per year in vet fees.
Each will pay out a minimum of £1,000 for any single condition in a year, if an annual condition limit applies.
They all also provide dental cover for both accidents and illnesses.

For dogs

In November 2024, we analysed 169 insurance policies covering dogs. We examined the amounts they paid out in vet fees, as well as other benefits they provide, such as costs for holiday cancellation, dental cover, and advertising and reward to help find your pet if it goes missing.

We compared 34 features of these insurance policies, plus the amount each pays in vet fees, to create a policy score. The higher the score, the more comprehensive the policy’s cover.

Policies that we’ve named as Best Buys are all lifetime policies that did well in our analysis of cover, scoring at least 70%. In addition:

Each will pay out a minimum of £2,000 per year in vet fees.
Each will pay out a minimum of £1,000 for any single condition in a year, if an annual condition limit applies.
They all also provide dental cover for both accidents and illnesses.

Customer service

In November 2023, we carried out a survey of 1,300 Which? members that own pet insurance. Customers were asked how satisfied they were with their provider, and how likely they would be to recommend it. We used answers to these questions to generate our customer score.

Claims scores are based on responses from 758 Which? members who have claimed on pet insurance in the past five years (survey carried out in November 2021). Respondents were asked how satisfied they were with their most recent claim and how likely they would be to recommend their provider based on its claims service.

Customer Score sample sizes: Agria (35), Animal Friends (127), Direct Line (53), John Lewis (58), LV (78), Many Pets (167), Petplan (364), Sainsbury’s (42), Tesco Bank (74)

Claims Score sample sizes: Animal Friends (86), John Lewis (36), LV (40), Many Pets (92), Petplan (288), Tesco (47). Where ‘-‘ given in customer or claims score columns, we didn’t receive enough responses in our survey (30) to generate the scores.

We didn’t receive enough respondents in our customer survey to provide customer or claims scores for each brand considered. This means we can’t assess the levels of service for each Best Buy provider. However, we haven’t included providers we were able to rate that received poorer-than-average customer or claims scores. We’ve additionally not included other providers that, at the time of the analysis, had a poorer-than-average complaints record with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

We’ve also examined data published by the Financial Conduct Authority on how often pet insurers have accepted claims and how often customers making claims complained to the insurer. We’ve not given our Best Buy award to providers shown to accept fewer than average numbers of claims or where 10% or more claimants made a complaint.

Best pet insurance providers UK 2024

Best pet insurance policies and providers compared